Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cheonan and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,210 a month against $1,467 in Cheonan, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

71

Cost of Living Index in Cheonan
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Cheonan Living Index
59

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

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Cheonan

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,467

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,467 per month in Cheonan vs $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Cheonan $1,467
Playa del Carmen $1,210

A couple spends around $2,259 per month in Cheonan vs $2,113 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Cheonan $2,259
Playa del Carmen $2,113

A family of three spends $3,051 per month in Cheonan vs $3,016 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Cheonan $3,051
Playa del Carmen $3,016

Cheonan costs about 21% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Cheonan sits 9% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 10% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.53 ₩10.0K

$10.76 MX$199

-30.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.63 ₩30.1K

$43.03 MX$795

-47.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.28 ₩5,693

$11.79 MX$218

-63.70%

Cappuccino

$1.47 ₩1,951

$3.87 MX$71.4

-62.02%

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

$1.16 ₩1,538

$1.37 MX$25.29

-15.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.40 ₩1,867

$0.84 MX$15.44

66.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.28 ₩3,031

$3.10 MX$57.3

-26.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.40 ₩5,853

$5.07 MX$93.6

-13.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.60 ₩2,125

$1.44 MX$26.55

11.11%

White Bread (500g)

$3.22 ₩4,287

$2.23 MX$41.23

44.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.07 ₩4,078

$1.47 MX$27.17

108.84%

Eggs

$2.61 ₩3,476

$2.53 MX$46.71

3.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.19 ₩14.9K

$7.30 MX$135

53.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.38 ₩13.8K

$7.86 MX$145

32.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.11 ₩33.4K

$12.79 MX$236

96.33%

Apples (1kg)

$11.23 ₩14.9K

$2.90 MX$53.6

287.24%

Banana (1kg)

$3.73 ₩4,965

$1.44 MX$26.53

159.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$8.07 ₩10.7K

$2.55 MX$47.07

216.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.04 ₩8,035

$2.06 MX$38.03

193.20%

Potato (1kg)

$6.10 ₩8,106

$2.00 MX$36.97

205.00%

Onion (1kg)

$3.34 ₩4,438

$2.01 MX$37.07

66.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.75 ₩3,651

$1.19 MX$22.02

131.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.33 ₩1,765

$1.26 MX$23.23

5.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.38 ₩4,494

$4.40 MX$81.4

-23.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.30 ₩24.3K

$9.59 MX$177

90.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.43 ₩3,229

$1.59 MX$29.41

52.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.35 ₩4,454

$2.81 MX$51.9

19.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.14 ₩1,509

$0.57 MX$10.47

100.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.82 MX$514

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.05 ₩4,050

$4.98 MX$92.1

-38.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ₩1,036

$3.50 MX$64.6

-77.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.69 ₩22.2K

$5.40 MX$99.8

209.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.24 ₩1,650

$1.47 MX$27.08

-15.65%

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

$29.7K ₩39.5M

$21.0K MX$387.8K

41.73%

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

$34.2K ₩45.5M

$23.9K MX$441.8K

43.10%

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

$199 ₩264.9K

$84.2 MX$1,556

136.55%

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

$35.67 ₩47.4K

$23.99 MX$443

48.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.08 ₩36.0K

$29.02 MX$536

-6.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.6 ₩68.6K

$63.0 MX$1,164

-18.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.77 ₩15.6K

$29.14 MX$539

-59.61%

Cinema Ticket

$12.13 ₩16.1K

$4.94 MX$91.3

145.55%

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

$636 ₩845.7K

$204 MX$3,763

212.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K ₩28.6M

$3,941 MX$72.8K

445.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$66.2 ₩88.0K

$43.60 MX$806

51.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.5 ₩79.1K

$43.12 MX$797

37.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.6 ₩123.1K

$75.8 MX$1,400

22.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$127 ₩168.9K

$88.6 MX$1,637

43.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$478 ₩636.1K

$1,008 MX$18.6K

-52.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$361 ₩479.5K

$374 MX$6,911

-3.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,153 ₩1.5M

$1,708 MX$31.6K

-32.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$739 ₩982.3K

$1,106 MX$20.4K

-33.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,244 ₩9.6M

$3,944 MX$72.9K

83.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,422 ₩7.2M

$6,169 MX$114.0K

-12.11%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,824 ₩2.4M

$754 MX$13.9K

141.85%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.22

11.45

-63.14%

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

Last update for Cheonan: 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

Cheonan

$480 32.8%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4% 46.2% $222

Accommodation & Living

Cheonan

$361 24.6%

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9% 3.7% $13

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cheonan

$262 17.9%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3% 47.6% $125

Clothing & Footwear

Cheonan

$155 10.6%

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3% 27.3% $42

Eating Out

Cheonan

$121 8.3%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7% 67% $81

Sport & Entertainment

Cheonan

$76 5.2%

Playa del Carmen

$73 6% 3.9% $3

Getting Around

Cheonan

$11 * 0.8%

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3% 358% $41

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $478 in Cheonan 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 142% higher in Cheonan, 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 $23.00 in Cheonan versus $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. Groceries tell a different story – $480 in Cheonan vs $258 in Playa del Carmen – so Playa del Carmen wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Cheonan

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

04:00 4:00 AM

14:00 2:00 PM

14 h behind Cheonan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

658,486

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 19, 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 19, 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

Cheonan Playa del Carmen 12,690 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Cheonan
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

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

Cheonan costs about 21% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,200 per month in Cheonan 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 $1,467 in Cheonan and $1,210 in Playa del Carmen. That's a gap of about 21%.

Kindergarten costs $636 per month in Cheonan and $204 in Playa del Carmen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,210, than in Cheonan at $1,467. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cheonan it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Playa del Carmen costs $1,210 versus $1,467 in Cheonan. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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, Cheonan makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.