Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ansan and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,415 in Ansan, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

68

Cost of Living Index in Ansan
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Ansan Living Index
58

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

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Ansan

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,415

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,415 in Ansan versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen.

Ansan $1,415
Playa del Carmen $1,204

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,177 in Ansan versus $2,082 in Playa del Carmen.

Ansan $2,177
Playa del Carmen $2,082

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,939 in Ansan versus $2,959 in Playa del Carmen.

Ansan $2,939
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Living in Ansan is roughly 18% more expensive than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Ansan is 4% above, Playa del Carmen is 12% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.43 ₩9,958

$10.92 MX$203

-31.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.75 ₩46.6K

$43.37 MX$808

-19.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.70 ₩8,976

$11.78 MX$219

-43.12%

Cappuccino

$4.09 ₩5,486

$3.81 MX$71.0

7.35%

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

$1.58 ₩2,113

$1.28 MX$23.89

23.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.77 ₩1,027

$0.78 MX$14.58

-1.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.56 ₩4,769

$3.17 MX$59.0

12.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.60 ₩6,166

$4.93 MX$91.9

-6.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.05 ₩2,743

$1.41 MX$26.20

45.39%

White Bread (500g)

$3.08 ₩4,128

$2.22 MX$41.30

38.74%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.36 ₩3,158

$1.42 MX$26.40

66.20%

Eggs

$3.68 ₩4,938

$2.52 MX$47.00

46.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.05 ₩21.5K

$7.26 MX$135

121.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.99 ₩10.7K

$7.70 MX$143

3.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.18 ₩23.0K

$12.69 MX$236

35.38%

Apples (1kg)

$7.66 ₩10.3K

$2.78 MX$51.9

175.54%

Banana (1kg)

$3.23 ₩4,334

$1.37 MX$25.49

135.77%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.81 ₩7,785

$2.55 MX$47.52

127.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.43 ₩8,621

$2.12 MX$39.55

203.30%

Potato (1kg)

$3.59 ₩4,815

$1.94 MX$36.11

85.05%

Onion (1kg)

$2.65 ₩3,546

$1.89 MX$35.13

40.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.14 ₩2,864

$1.15 MX$21.36

86.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 ₩1,544

$1.18 MX$21.96

-2.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.37 ₩4,514

$4.30 MX$80.0

-21.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.15 ₩25.7K

$9.95 MX$185

92.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.30 ₩3,085

$1.58 MX$29.50

45.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.30 ₩4,420

$2.67 MX$49.76

23.60%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.14 ₩1,529

$0.55 MX$10.31

107.27%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$496

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.77 ₩5,052

$4.97 MX$92.6

-24.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 ₩857

$3.33 MX$62.1

-80.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.26 ₩12.4K

$5.36 MX$99.8

72.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.41 ₩1,886

$1.44 MX$26.90

-2.08%

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

$29.9K ₩40.1M

$20.7K MX$385.0K

44.80%

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

$29.0K ₩38.9M

$23.5K MX$437.2K

23.68%

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

$213 ₩285.8K

$84.8 MX$1,580

151.43%

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

$35.59 ₩47.7K

$23.41 MX$436

52.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.25 ₩28.5K

$28.66 MX$534

-25.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.00 ₩49.6K

$57.1 MX$1,063

-35.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$539

Cinema Ticket

$11.37 ₩15.2K

$5.14 MX$95.7

121.21%

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

$299 ₩400.9K

$207 MX$3,848

44.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.2K ₩24.4M

$3,927 MX$73.2K

363.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.6 ₩77.2K

$43.35 MX$808

32.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.41 ₩44.8K

$41.44 MX$772

-19.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.6 ₩95.9K

$74.2 MX$1,382

-3.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.4 ₩110.4K

$89.3 MX$1,663

-7.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$461 ₩617.3K

$980 MX$18.2K

-52.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$376 ₩504.0K

$381 MX$7,095

-1.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 ₩1.5M

$1,708 MX$31.8K

-34.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$763 ₩1.0M

$1,075 MX$20.0K

-29.01%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$21.1K ₩28.3M

$3,943 MX$73.5K

436.35%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$114.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,493 ₩2.0M

$735 MX$13.7K

103.20%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.08

11.45

-64.37%

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

Last update for Ansan: October 26, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Ansan

$423 29.9%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 39.8% $168

Accommodation & Living

Ansan

$376 26.6%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 1.3% $4.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ansan

$270 19.1%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 49.3% $133

Eating Out

Ansan

$165 11.7%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 22.6% $37

Clothing & Footwear

Ansan

$110 7.8%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 1.4% $1.5

Sport & Entertainment

Ansan

$60 4.2%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 12.7% $7.6

Getting Around

Ansan

$12 * 0.8%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 338% $39

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 $461 in Ansan and $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ansan pays about 2 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $35 in Ansan vs $43 in Playa del Carmen. Groceries flip the comparison at $423 vs $255, with Playa del Carmen cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Ansan

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

16:48 4:48 PM

02:48 2:48 AM

14 h behind Ansan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

677,710

149,923

💱 Currency

South Korean Won KRW ₩

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KRW = 7.46 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR

100 MXN = 5.37 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 29, 2026: 1 USD = 1,340 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.46 USD). 1 EUR = 1,496 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 18.63 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.79 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to KRW in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ansan Playa del Carmen 12,660 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Ansan
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

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

Playa del Carmen is about 15% cheaper overall, especially in groceries and utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Ansan is about 2 times higher, 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: $461 in Ansan versus $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $299 in Ansan versus $207 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 Ansan – a meal for two runs $35 versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

It comes down to priorities – Playa del Carmen wins on affordability, Ansan on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.