Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Wakayama and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,276 in Wakayama, rent and utilities included – about $860 less a year. The total is higher in Wakayama despite lower rent and utilities.

61

Cost of Living Index in Wakayama
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Wakayama Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index

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Wakayama

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,276

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,276 per month in Wakayama vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Wakayama $1,276
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $2,031 per month in Wakayama vs $2,102 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Wakayama $2,031
Playa del Carmen $2,102

A family of three spends $2,785 per month in Wakayama vs $3,000 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Wakayama $2,785
Playa del Carmen $3,000

Wakayama costs about 6% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Wakayama and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Wakayama 6% lower, Playa del Carmen 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.47 ¥1,022

$10.86 MX$201

-40.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.22 ¥4,932

$44.21 MX$817

-29.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.89 ¥773

$11.76 MX$217

-58.42%

Cappuccino

$2.46 ¥389

$3.68 MX$68.0

-33.15%

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

$1.25 ¥197

$1.34 MX$24.79

-6.72%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.86 ¥136

$0.82 MX$15.24

4.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.20 ¥506

$3.06 MX$56.6

4.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 ¥293

$4.94 MX$91.2

-62.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 ¥248

$1.47 MX$27.17

6.80%

White Bread (500g)

$1.53 ¥242

$2.22 MX$40.95

-31.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.27 ¥675

$1.48 MX$27.32

188.51%

Eggs

$2.11 ¥334

$2.49 MX$45.99

-15.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.04 ¥2,534

$7.52 MX$139

113.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.05 ¥1,114

$7.96 MX$147

-11.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.10 ¥2,701

$12.57 MX$232

36.04%

Apples (1kg)

$8.20 ¥1,296

$2.78 MX$51.3

194.96%

Banana (1kg)

$3.02 ¥478

$1.43 MX$26.37

111.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.15 ¥814

$2.62 MX$48.37

96.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$7.94 ¥1,255

$2.14 MX$39.49

271.03%

Potato (1kg)

$4.01 ¥633

$2.02 MX$37.38

98.51%

Onion (1kg)

$4.59 ¥726

$1.99 MX$36.74

130.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 ¥179

$1.14 MX$21.01

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 ¥139

$1.20 MX$22.18

-26.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.99 ¥630

$4.26 MX$78.7

-6.34%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.33 ¥1,475

$10.02 MX$185

-6.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.49 ¥393

$1.54 MX$28.41

61.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.15 ¥340

$2.66 MX$49.17

-19.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 ¥236

$0.53 MX$9.73

183.02%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.8 ¥8,496

$27.51 MX$508

95.49%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.07 ¥485

$4.90 MX$90.6

-37.35%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.91 ¥460

$3.43 MX$63.5

-15.16%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.69 ¥2,478

$5.38 MX$99.4

191.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.06 ¥167

$1.45 MX$26.76

-26.90%

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

$22.0K ¥3.5M

$21.2K MX$391.0K

3.89%

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

$15.0K ¥2.4M

$23.0K MX$425.3K

-34.66%

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

$117 ¥18.4K

$85.4 MX$1,577

36.76%

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

$23.45 ¥3,705

$23.46 MX$434

-0.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.45 ¥4,968

$28.43 MX$525

10.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.3 ¥8,109

$62.2 MX$1,149

-17.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.68 MX$530

Cinema Ticket

$11.21 ¥1,771

$5.10 MX$94.3

119.80%

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

$564 ¥89.1K

$201 MX$3,715

180.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ¥2.3M

$3,947 MX$72.9K

276.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.37 ¥7,800

$44.39 MX$820

11.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.42 ¥5,596

$41.35 MX$764

-14.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$59.4 ¥9,385

$72.7 MX$1,344

-18.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.7 ¥15.6K

$89.6 MX$1,656

10.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$526 ¥83.1K

$979 MX$18.1K

-46.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$337 ¥53.3K

$373 MX$6,887

-9.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,093 ¥172.7K

$1,681 MX$31.1K

-34.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$738 ¥116.5K

$1,095 MX$20.2K

-32.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,206 ¥664.5K

$3,949 MX$73.0K

6.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,756 ¥277.4K

$6,137 MX$113.4K

-71.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,965 ¥626.4K

$738 MX$13.6K

437.62%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

1.67

11.45

-85.41%

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

Last update for Wakayama: October 17, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Groceries & Markets

Wakayama

$382 30%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.5% 32.4% $124

Accommodation & Living

Wakayama

$337 26.4%

Playa del Carmen

$373 31% 10.5% $35

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Wakayama

$172 13.5%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 20% $34

Eating Out

Wakayama

$124 9.7%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.6% 61.3% $76

Clothing & Footwear

Wakayama

$109 8.6%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 2.2% $2.3

Getting Around

Wakayama

$77 6.1%

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.3% 33.2% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Wakayama

$74 5.8%

Playa del Carmen

$72 6% 1.8% $1.3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $526 in Wakayama versus $979 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 438% higher in Wakayama, 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 $31.00 in Wakayama versus $44.00 in Playa del Carmen. Groceries tell a different story – $382 in Wakayama vs $258 in Playa del Carmen – so Playa del Carmen wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Wakayama

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

05:23 5:23 AM

15:23 3:23 PM

14 h behind Wakayama

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

362,163

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 20, 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 20, 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

Wakayama Playa del Carmen 12,450 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Wakayama
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

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

Yes – Wakayama is pricier by about 6%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,914 per month in Wakayama and $1,806 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 $1,276 in Wakayama and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That's a gap of about 6%.

Public transport costs about 95% 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 $1,204, than in Wakayama at $1,276. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Wakayama 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.

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