Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tokyo and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,210 a month against $1,663 in Tokyo, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Tokyo
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Tokyo Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

Jump to prices

Tokyo

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,663

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tokyo 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 Tokyo and in Playa del Carmen actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,663 per month in Tokyo vs $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Tokyo $1,663
Playa del Carmen $1,210

A couple spends around $2,592 per month in Tokyo vs $2,113 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Tokyo $2,592
Playa del Carmen $2,113

A family of three spends $3,521 per month in Tokyo vs $3,016 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Tokyo $3,521
Playa del Carmen $3,016

Tokyo costs about 37% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Tokyo sits 23% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 10% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.47 ¥1,180

$10.76 MX$199

-30.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.48 ¥5,921

$43.03 MX$795

-12.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.90 ¥774

$11.79 MX$218

-58.44%

Cappuccino

$3.62 ¥571

$3.87 MX$71.4

-6.46%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.66 ¥262

$1.37 MX$25.29

21.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.84 ¥133

$0.84 MX$15.44

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.69 ¥582

$3.10 MX$57.3

19.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.24 ¥829

$5.07 MX$93.6

3.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.49 ¥236

$1.44 MX$26.55

3.47%

White Bread (500g)

$1.75 ¥276

$2.23 MX$41.23

-21.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.63 ¥889

$1.47 MX$27.17

282.99%

Eggs

$2.20 ¥348

$2.53 MX$46.71

-13.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.19 ¥1,767

$7.30 MX$135

53.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.84 ¥1,081

$7.86 MX$145

-12.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.61 ¥2,624

$12.79 MX$236

29.87%

Apples (1kg)

$4.80 ¥759

$2.90 MX$53.6

65.52%

Banana (1kg)

$2.24 ¥354

$1.44 MX$26.53

55.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.22 ¥666

$2.55 MX$47.07

65.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.20 ¥821

$2.06 MX$38.03

152.43%

Potato (1kg)

$3.29 ¥520

$2.00 MX$36.97

64.50%

Onion (1kg)

$3.05 ¥481

$2.01 MX$37.07

51.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 ¥188

$1.19 MX$22.02

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.81 ¥129

$1.26 MX$23.23

-35.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.92 ¥619

$4.40 MX$81.4

-10.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.65 ¥1,524

$9.59 MX$177

0.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 ¥258

$1.59 MX$29.41

2.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.70 ¥426

$2.81 MX$51.9

-3.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.25 ¥197

$0.57 MX$10.47

119.30%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$63.9 ¥10.1K

$27.82 MX$514

129.62%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.13 ¥494

$4.98 MX$92.1

-37.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.21 ¥507

$3.50 MX$64.6

-8.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.55 ¥2,931

$5.40 MX$99.8

243.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.05 ¥166

$1.47 MX$27.08

-28.57%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$21.5K ¥3.4M

$21.0K MX$387.8K

2.68%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$15.2K ¥2.4M

$23.9K MX$441.8K

-36.58%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$149 ¥23.5K

$84.2 MX$1,556

76.36%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$21.59 ¥3,412

$23.99 MX$443

-10.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.62 ¥4,837

$29.02 MX$536

5.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$66.7 ¥10.5K

$63.0 MX$1,164

5.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.58 ¥4,042

$29.14 MX$539

-12.22%

Cinema Ticket

$12.68 ¥2,004

$4.94 MX$91.3

156.68%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$1,350 ¥213.3K

$204 MX$3,763

563.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.9K ¥2.8M

$3,941 MX$72.8K

354.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.0 ¥8,853

$43.60 MX$806

28.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.14 ¥5,236

$43.12 MX$797

-23.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$64.3 ¥10.2K

$75.8 MX$1,400

-15.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$70.2 ¥11.1K

$88.6 MX$1,637

-20.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,253 ¥197.9K

$1,008 MX$18.6K

24.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$700 ¥110.6K

$374 MX$6,911

87.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,502 ¥395.3K

$1,708 MX$31.6K

46.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,430 ¥225.9K

$1,106 MX$20.4K

29.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,428 ¥1.5M

$3,944 MX$72.9K

139.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,236 ¥669.3K

$6,169 MX$114.0K

-31.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,998 ¥473.7K

$754 MX$13.9K

297.55%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.25

11.45

-80.35%

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

Last update for Tokyo: October 12, 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

Tokyo

$700 42.1%

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9% 46.6% $326

Groceries & Markets

Tokyo

$325 19.5%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4% 20.5% $67

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tokyo

$201 12.1%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3% 31.6% $64

Eating Out

Tokyo

$157 9.4%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7% 29% $45

Clothing & Footwear

Tokyo

$101 6.1%

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3% 12.3% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Tokyo

$92 5.5%

Playa del Carmen

$73 6% 20.8% $19

Getting Around

Tokyo

$88 5.3%

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3% 40.3% $36

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,253 in Tokyo 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 298% higher in Tokyo, 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 $37.00 in Tokyo versus $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. Groceries tell a different story – $325 in Tokyo vs $258 in Playa del Carmen – so Playa del Carmen wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Tokyo

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

00:52 12:52 AM

10:52 10:52 AM

14 h behind Tokyo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

13,613,660 Capital

149,923

💱 Currency

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to JPY – Japanese Yen Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇯🇵 Japanese Yen (¥)

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).

USD to JPY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Tokyo Playa del Carmen 12,050 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Tokyo
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

Tokyo vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Tokyo is pricier by about 37%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,495 per month in Tokyo and $1,816 in Playa del Carmen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,663 in Tokyo and $1,210 in Playa del Carmen. That's a gap of about 37%.

Public transport costs about 130% less in Playa del Carmen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,210, than in Tokyo at $1,663. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Tokyo it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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.

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.

If budget matters most, go with Playa del Carmen. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Tokyo makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.