Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Andong and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,210 a month against $1,406 in Andong, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

69

Cost of Living Index in Andong
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Andong Living Index
59

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

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Andong

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,406

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,406 in Andong versus $1,210 in Playa del Carmen.

Andong $1,406
Playa del Carmen $1,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,175 in Andong versus $2,113 in Playa del Carmen.

Andong $2,175
Playa del Carmen $2,113

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,944 in Andong versus $3,016 in Playa del Carmen.

Andong $2,944
Playa del Carmen $3,016

Living in Andong is roughly 16% more expensive than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Andong is 4% above, Playa del Carmen is 10% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.93 ₩7,886

$10.76 MX$199

-44.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.18 ₩46.8K

$43.03 MX$795

-18.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.53 ₩8,678

$11.79 MX$218

-44.61%

Cappuccino

$3.72 ₩4,953

$3.87 MX$71.4

-3.88%

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

$1.61 ₩2,146

$1.37 MX$25.29

17.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₩778

$0.84 MX$15.44

-29.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.55 ₩4,716

$3.10 MX$57.3

14.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.57 ₩6,078

$5.07 MX$93.6

-9.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.28 ₩3,029

$1.44 MX$26.55

58.33%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₩4,014

$2.23 MX$41.23

35.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.30 ₩3,061

$1.47 MX$27.17

56.46%

Eggs

$3.35 ₩4,453

$2.53 MX$46.71

32.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.85 ₩21.1K

$7.30 MX$135

117.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.72 ₩10.3K

$7.86 MX$145

-1.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.00 ₩14.6K

$12.79 MX$236

-14.00%

Apples (1kg)

$7.67 ₩10.2K

$2.90 MX$53.6

164.48%

Banana (1kg)

$3.32 ₩4,412

$1.44 MX$26.53

130.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$7.37 ₩9,800

$2.55 MX$47.07

189.02%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.82 ₩9,073

$2.06 MX$38.03

231.07%

Potato (1kg)

$3.55 ₩4,719

$2.00 MX$36.97

77.50%

Onion (1kg)

$2.36 ₩3,135

$2.01 MX$37.07

17.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.00 ₩2,658

$1.19 MX$22.02

68.07%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 ₩1,714

$1.26 MX$23.23

2.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.27 ₩4,348

$4.40 MX$81.4

-25.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.83 ₩25.0K

$9.59 MX$177

96.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.20 ₩2,926

$1.59 MX$29.41

38.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.38 ₩4,497

$2.81 MX$51.9

20.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.13 ₩1,507

$0.57 MX$10.47

98.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.82 MX$514

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.04 ₩4,038

$4.98 MX$92.1

-38.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.66 ₩882

$3.50 MX$64.6

-81.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.91 ₩17.2K

$5.40 MX$99.8

139.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 ₩1,883

$1.47 MX$27.08

-3.40%

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

$29.3K ₩38.9M

$21.0K MX$387.8K

39.52%

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

$36.0K ₩47.8M

$23.9K MX$441.8K

50.44%

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

$207 ₩274.6K

$84.2 MX$1,556

145.22%

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

$42.65 ₩56.7K

$23.99 MX$443

77.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.71 ₩27.5K

$29.02 MX$536

-28.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.6 ₩68.6K

$63.0 MX$1,164

-18.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.83 ₩15.7K

$29.14 MX$539

-59.40%

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 ₩14.6K

$4.94 MX$91.3

122.47%

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

$299 ₩397.0K

$204 MX$3,763

46.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.1K ₩24.1M

$3,941 MX$72.8K

359.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.9 ₩86.3K

$43.60 MX$806

48.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$64.1 ₩85.2K

$43.12 MX$797

48.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 ₩98.6K

$75.8 MX$1,400

-2.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.4 ₩130.8K

$88.6 MX$1,637

11.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ₩640.9K

$1,008 MX$18.6K

-52.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$358 ₩476.0K

$374 MX$6,911

-4.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,183 ₩1.6M

$1,708 MX$31.6K

-30.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$736 ₩978.0K

$1,106 MX$20.4K

-33.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,141 ₩9.5M

$3,944 MX$72.9K

81.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,385 ₩7.2M

$6,169 MX$114.0K

-12.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,850 ₩2.5M

$754 MX$13.9K

145.36%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.1

11.45

-64.19%

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

Last update for Andong: 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.

Groceries & Markets

Andong

$411 29.2%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4% 37.1% $152

Accommodation & Living

Andong

$358 25.5%

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9% 4.5% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Andong

$270 19.2%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3% 49.2% $133

Eating Out

Andong

$147 10.5%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7% 37.2% $55

Clothing & Footwear

Andong

$136 9.7%

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3% 16.7% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Andong

$74 5.2%

Playa del Carmen

$73 6% 0.9% $0.7

Getting Around

Andong

$11 * 0.8%

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3% 383% $42

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $482 in Andong and $1,008 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Andong pays 145% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $35.00 in Andong vs $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. Groceries flip the comparison at $411 vs $258, with Playa del Carmen cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Andong

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

10:38 10:38 AM

20:38 8:38 PM

14 h behind Andong

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

166,274

149,923

💱 Currency

South Korean Won KRW ₩

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KRW = 7.52 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to KRW – South Korean Won Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇰🇷 South Korean Won (₩)

South Korean Won exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 1,330 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.52 USD). 1 EUR = 1,495 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to KRW in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Andong Playa del Carmen 12,630 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Andong
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

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

Playa del Carmen wins on cost – living expenses run 16% lower than in Andong. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Playa del Carmen the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 145% higher in Andong, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $482 in Andong versus $1,008 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $299 in Andong versus $204 in Playa del Carmen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Playa del Carmen – a meal for two runs $43.00 versus $35.00 in Andong. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,210 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,406 in Andong, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Andong. The gap between the two cities makes Playa del Carmen the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Playa del Carmen delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,210 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Playa del Carmen hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Andong and Playa del Carmen are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Playa del Carmen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 16% less than in Andong. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.