Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Boryeong and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,491 in Boryeong, rent and utilities included – about $3,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

72

Cost of Living Index in Boryeong
Learn more

Boryeong Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

Jump to prices

Boryeong

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,491

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,491 in Boryeong versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen.

Boryeong $1,491
Playa del Carmen $1,204

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,407 in Boryeong versus $2,082 in Playa del Carmen.

Boryeong $2,407
Playa del Carmen $2,082

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,324 in Boryeong versus $2,959 in Playa del Carmen.

Boryeong $3,324
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Living in Boryeong is roughly 24% more expensive than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Boryeong is 10% above, Playa del Carmen is 12% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.93 ₩11.8K

$10.92 MX$204

-18.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.1 ₩90.3K

$43.37 MX$810

56.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.32 ₩9,710

$11.78 MX$220

-37.86%

Cappuccino

$4.08 ₩5,408

$3.81 MX$71.2

7.09%

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

$1.56 ₩2,071

$1.28 MX$23.96

21.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.75 ₩990

$0.78 MX$14.63

-3.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.77 ₩5,002

$3.17 MX$59.2

18.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.85 ₩7,768

$4.93 MX$92.2

18.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.12 ₩2,812

$1.41 MX$26.28

50.35%

White Bread (500g)

$3.15 ₩4,178

$2.22 MX$41.43

41.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.19 ₩5,556

$1.42 MX$26.48

195.07%

Eggs

$3.53 ₩4,678

$2.52 MX$47.14

40.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.85 ₩23.7K

$7.26 MX$136

145.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.63 ₩14.1K

$7.70 MX$144

38.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$26.69 ₩35.4K

$12.69 MX$237

110.32%

Apples (1kg)

$7.90 ₩10.5K

$2.78 MX$52.0

184.17%

Banana (1kg)

$3.38 ₩4,491

$1.37 MX$25.56

146.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.76 ₩7,643

$2.55 MX$47.66

125.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.16 ₩8,172

$2.12 MX$39.67

190.57%

Potato (1kg)

$3.68 ₩4,887

$1.94 MX$36.22

89.69%

Onion (1kg)

$2.62 ₩3,478

$1.89 MX$35.24

38.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.92 ₩3,880

$1.15 MX$21.42

153.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 ₩1,514

$1.18 MX$22.03

-3.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.48 ₩4,616

$4.30 MX$80.3

-19.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.49 ₩24.5K

$9.95 MX$186

85.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.28 ₩3,024

$1.58 MX$29.59

44.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.27 ₩4,337

$2.67 MX$49.91

22.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.16 ₩1,540

$0.55 MX$10.34

110.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$497

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.65 ₩4,841

$4.97 MX$92.9

-26.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 ₩853

$3.33 MX$62.2

-80.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.75 ₩11.6K

$5.36 MX$100

63.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ₩1,929

$1.44 MX$26.98

0.69%

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

$29.2K ₩38.7M

$20.7K MX$386.2K

41.27%

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

$28.5K ₩37.9M

$23.5K MX$438.5K

21.67%

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

$212 ₩281.9K

$84.8 MX$1,584

150.54%

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

$35.99 ₩47.8K

$23.41 MX$437

53.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.61 ₩27.3K

$28.66 MX$535

-28.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.2 ₩72.0K

$57.1 MX$1,066

-4.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.07 ₩18.7K

$28.91 MX$540

-51.33%

Cinema Ticket

$11.14 ₩14.8K

$5.14 MX$96.0

116.73%

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

$379 ₩503.3K

$207 MX$3,860

83.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.5K ₩29.8M

$3,927 MX$73.4K

472.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.5 ₩77.7K

$43.35 MX$810

34.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.86 ₩43.6K

$41.44 MX$774

-20.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$69.3 ₩92.0K

$74.2 MX$1,386

-6.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$84.1 ₩111.5K

$89.3 MX$1,668

-5.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$489 ₩648.4K

$980 MX$18.3K

-50.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$361 ₩479.2K

$381 MX$7,116

-5.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,184 ₩1.6M

$1,708 MX$31.9K

-30.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$758 ₩1.0M

$1,075 MX$20.1K

-29.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,113 ₩9.4M

$3,943 MX$73.7K

80.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,616 ₩7.5M

$6,158 MX$115.1K

-8.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,484 ₩2.0M

$735 MX$13.7K

102.10%

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 Boryeong: October 24, 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

Boryeong

$481 32.2%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 47% $226

Accommodation & Living

Boryeong

$361 24.2%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 5.5% $20

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Boryeong

$269 18%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 49.1% $132

Eating Out

Boryeong

$182 12.2%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 11.1% $20

Clothing & Footwear

Boryeong

$110 7.4%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 1.4% $1.6

Sport & Entertainment

Boryeong

$77 5.1%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 12% $9.2

Getting Around

Boryeong

$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 $489 in Boryeong and $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

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

Dining out: $68 in Boryeong vs $43 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $481 vs $255 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Boryeong

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

23:03 11:03 PM

09:03 9:03 AM

14 h behind Boryeong

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

103,620

149,923

💱 Currency

South Korean Won KRW ₩

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KRW = 7.54 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.77 EUR

100 MXN = 5.35 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1,327 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.54 USD). 1 EUR = 1,477 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.77 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.69 MXN (100 MXN = 5.35 USD). 1 EUR = 20.8 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to KRW in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Boryeong Playa del Carmen 12,760 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Boryeong
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

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

Boryeong and Playa del Carmen differ by about 24% in total monthly costs ($1,491 vs $1,204 including rent). Playa del Carmen is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Boryeong 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: $489 in Boryeong versus $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $379 in Boryeong 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 Playa del Carmen – a meal for two runs $43 versus $68 in Boryeong. 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, Boryeong on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.