Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Suginami-ku and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living costs are similar in Suginami-ku and in Playa del Carmen: $1,256 and $1,210 a month, rent and utilities included.

Suginami-ku
🇯🇵 Japan
$1,256
/mo nomad
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,210
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Suginami-ku and in Playa del Carmen

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Suginami-ku and in Playa del Carmen actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,256 per month in Suginami-ku vs $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Suginami-ku $1,256
  • Playa del Carmen $1,210

A couple spends around $1,994 per month in Suginami-ku vs $2,113 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Suginami-ku $1,994
  • Playa del Carmen $2,113

A family of three spends $2,732 per month in Suginami-ku vs $3,016 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Suginami-ku $2,732
  • Playa del Carmen $3,016

Suginami-ku costs about 4% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Suginami-ku and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Suginami-ku 7% lower, Playa del Carmen 10% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Suginami-ku
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$6.34 ¥1,002
$10.76 MX$199
-41.08%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$40.62 ¥6,418
$43.03 MX$795
-5.60%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.12 ¥810
$11.79 MX$218
-56.57%
Cappuccino
$3.47 ¥548
$3.87 MX$71.4
-10.34%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.05 ¥166
$1.37 MX$25.29
-23.36%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.78 ¥124
$0.84 MX$15.44
-7.14%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.56 ¥404
$3.10 MX$57.3
-17.42%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.18 ¥503
$5.07 MX$93.6
-37.28%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Suginami-ku
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.44 ¥227
$1.44 MX$26.55
-
White Bread (500g)
$1.70 ¥269
$2.23 MX$41.23
-23.77%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.65 ¥576
$1.47 MX$27.17
148.30%
Eggs
$1.97 ¥312
$2.53 MX$46.71
-22.13%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.52 ¥1,661
$7.30 MX$135
44.11%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.99 ¥946
$7.86 MX$145
-23.79%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$14.18 ¥2,241
$12.79 MX$236
10.87%
Apples (1kg)
$5.81 ¥917
$2.90 MX$53.6
100.34%
Banana (1kg)
$2.75 ¥434
$1.44 MX$26.53
90.97%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.80 ¥442
$2.55 MX$47.07
9.80%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.08 ¥645
$2.06 MX$38.03
98.06%
Potato (1kg)
$2.65 ¥418
$2.00 MX$36.97
32.50%
Onion (1kg)
$2.64 ¥416
$2.01 MX$37.07
31.34%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.23 ¥194
$1.19 MX$22.02
3.36%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.81 ¥128
$1.26 MX$23.23
-35.71%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.82 ¥604
$4.40 MX$81.4
-13.18%
Wine (Bottle)
$6.48 ¥1,024
$9.59 MX$177
-32.43%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.79 ¥283
$1.59 MX$29.41
12.58%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.03 ¥320
$2.81 MX$51.9
-27.76%
🚌 Getting Around
Suginami-ku
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.39 ¥219
$0.57 MX$10.47
143.86%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$46.37 ¥7,326
$27.82 MX$514
66.68%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.21 ¥508
$4.98 MX$92.1
-35.54%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.76 ¥435
$3.50 MX$64.6
-21.14%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$20.79 ¥3,285
$5.40 MX$99.8
285.00%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.11 ¥175
$1.47 MX$27.08
-24.49%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.0K ¥3.3M
$21.0K MX$387.8K
0.01%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$18.1K ¥2.9M
$23.9K MX$441.8K
-24.46%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Suginami-ku
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$130 ¥20.6K
$84.2 MX$1,556
54.90%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$23.89 ¥3,774
$23.99 MX$443
-0.42%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$31.49 ¥4,974
$29.02 MX$536
8.51%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Suginami-ku
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$58.1 ¥9,175
$63.0 MX$1,164
-7.80%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$29.14 MX$539
-
Cinema Ticket
$12.85 ¥2,030
$4.94 MX$91.3
160.12%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Suginami-ku
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$631 ¥99.7K
$204 MX$3,763
209.88%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$14.8K ¥2.3M
$3,941 MX$72.8K
275.73%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Suginami-ku
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$61.4 ¥9,697
$43.60 MX$806
40.78%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$36.64 ¥5,789
$43.12 MX$797
-15.03%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$60.3 ¥9,528
$75.8 MX$1,400
-20.40%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$102 ¥16.1K
$88.6 MX$1,637
15.19%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Suginami-ku
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$477 ¥75.3K
$1,008 MX$18.6K
-52.72%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$377 ¥59.6K
$374 MX$6,911
0.90%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$979 ¥154.7K
$1,708 MX$31.6K
-42.69%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$803 ¥126.9K
$1,106 MX$20.4K
-27.36%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,685 ¥740.1K
$3,944 MX$72.9K
18.77%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,700 ¥268.6K
$6,169 MX$114.0K
-72.44%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Suginami-ku
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,799 ¥442.2K
$754 MX$13.9K
271.15%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
2
11.45
-82.53%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Suginami-ku: October 10, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Suginami-ku
$377
Playa del Carmen
$374 0.9% $3.4
Groceries & Markets
Suginami-ku
$289
Playa del Carmen
$258 10.5% $30
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Suginami-ku
$186
Playa del Carmen
$137 26.2% $49
Eating Out
Suginami-ku
$134
Playa del Carmen
$202 50.7% $68
Clothing & Footwear
Suginami-ku
$117
Playa del Carmen
$113 3.6% $4.2
Sport & Entertainment
Suginami-ku
$84
Playa del Carmen
$73 13% $11
Getting Around
Suginami-ku
$69
Playa del Carmen
$53 23.7% $16

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $477 in Suginami-ku versus $1,008 in Playa del Carmen. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 271% higher in Suginami-ku, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $41.00 in Suginami-ku versus $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. Groceries tell a different story – $289 in Suginami-ku vs $258 in Playa del Carmen – so Playa del Carmen wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇯🇵 Suginami-ku
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🕒 Local time
00:52 12:52 AM
10:52 10:52 AM
14 h behind Suginami-ku
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
540,180
149,923
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to JPY – Japanese Yen Converter

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 178 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Suginami-ku Playa del Carmen 12,050 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Suginami-ku
  • Playa del Carmen

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index
Suginami-ku vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Playa del Carmen cheaper than Suginami-ku?
Yes – Suginami-ku is pricier by about 4%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,884 per month in Suginami-ku and $1,816 in Playa del Carmen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Playa del Carmen, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
What are total monthly expenses in Suginami-ku and in Playa del Carmen?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,256 in Suginami-ku and $1,210 in Playa del Carmen. That's a gap of about 4%.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
Public transport costs about 67% less in Playa del Carmen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Suginami-ku or in Playa del Carmen?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,210, than in Suginami-ku at $1,256. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Suginami-ku it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Suginami-ku or Playa del Carmen more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Playa del Carmen – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is safer, Suginami-ku or Playa del Carmen?
Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Playa del Carmen. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Suginami-ku makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

Suginami-ku vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?