Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chungju and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,450 in Chungju, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

70

Cost of Living Index in Chungju
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Chungju Living Index
58

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

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Chungju

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,450

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,450 per month in Chungju vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Chungju $1,450
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $2,312 per month in Chungju vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Chungju $2,312
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $3,173 per month in Chungju vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Chungju $3,173
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Chungju costs about 20% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Chungju sits 7% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 12% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.70 ₩10.3K

$10.92 MX$204

-29.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.08 ₩65.9K

$43.37 MX$808

13.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.74 ₩9,052

$11.78 MX$220

-42.78%

Cappuccino

$3.62 ₩4,859

$3.81 MX$71.0

-4.99%

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

$1.78 ₩2,394

$1.28 MX$23.90

39.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.45 ₩1,953

$0.78 MX$14.59

85.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.72 ₩5,000

$3.17 MX$59.0

17.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.34 ₩5,822

$4.93 MX$92.0

-11.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.32 ₩3,112

$1.41 MX$26.22

64.54%

White Bread (500g)

$2.95 ₩3,964

$2.22 MX$41.33

32.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.09 ₩4,150

$1.42 MX$26.42

117.61%

Eggs

$2.66 ₩3,576

$2.52 MX$47.03

5.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.14 ₩15.0K

$7.26 MX$135

53.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.59 ₩10.2K

$7.70 MX$143

-1.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$24.68 ₩33.1K

$12.69 MX$237

94.48%

Apples (1kg)

$8.96 ₩12.0K

$2.78 MX$51.9

222.30%

Banana (1kg)

$3.69 ₩4,954

$1.37 MX$25.50

169.34%

Oranges (1kg)

$7.96 ₩10.7K

$2.55 MX$47.55

212.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.79 ₩7,778

$2.12 MX$39.58

173.11%

Potato (1kg)

$6.09 ₩8,176

$1.94 MX$36.13

213.92%

Onion (1kg)

$3.39 ₩4,550

$1.89 MX$35.16

79.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.74 ₩3,684

$1.15 MX$21.37

138.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.30 ₩1,743

$1.18 MX$21.98

10.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.29 ₩4,418

$4.30 MX$80.1

-23.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.95 ₩25.4K

$9.95 MX$185

90.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 ₩3,248

$1.58 MX$29.52

53.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.96 ₩3,980

$2.67 MX$49.79

10.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.10 ₩1,483

$0.55 MX$10.31

100.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$496

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.62 ₩4,855

$4.97 MX$92.6

-27.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.72 ₩968

$3.33 MX$62.1

-78.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.99 ₩22.8K

$5.36 MX$99.8

216.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 ₩1,918

$1.44 MX$26.92

-0.69%

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

$39.4K ₩53.0M

$20.7K MX$385.2K

90.86%

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

$34.5K ₩46.3M

$23.5K MX$437.4K

46.89%

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

$198 ₩265.6K

$84.8 MX$1,581

133.32%

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

$27.49 ₩36.9K

$23.41 MX$436

17.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.04 ₩36.3K

$28.66 MX$534

-5.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.3 ₩72.9K

$57.1 MX$1,063

-4.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.29 ₩19.2K

$28.91 MX$539

-50.57%

Cinema Ticket

$11.89 ₩16.0K

$5.14 MX$95.8

131.32%

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

$629 ₩844.7K

$207 MX$3,851

204.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.1K ₩29.7M

$3,927 MX$73.2K

463.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$76.1 ₩102.1K

$43.35 MX$808

75.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.91 ₩50.9K

$41.44 MX$772

-8.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.6 ₩98.9K

$74.2 MX$1,383

-0.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 ₩151.6K

$89.3 MX$1,664

26.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$483 ₩649.1K

$980 MX$18.3K

-50.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$351 ₩471.3K

$381 MX$7,099

-7.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,189 ₩1.6M

$1,708 MX$31.8K

-30.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$761 ₩1.0M

$1,075 MX$20.0K

-29.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,118 ₩9.6M

$3,943 MX$73.5K

80.52%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,478 ₩7.4M

$6,158 MX$114.8K

-11.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,672 ₩2.2M

$735 MX$13.7K

127.65%

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 Chungju: 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

Chungju

$456 31.5%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 44.2% $202

Accommodation & Living

Chungju

$351 24.2%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 8.5% $30

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chungju

$252 17.4%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 45.8% $116

Eating Out

Chungju

$165 11.4%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 22.3% $37

Clothing & Footwear

Chungju

$135 9.3%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 17.4% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Chungju

$78 5.4%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 13.8% $11

Getting Around

Chungju

$12 * 0.8%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 333% $39

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $483 in Chungju versus $980 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 in Chungju are about 2.3 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $49 in Chungju versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $456 vs $255 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Chungju

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

01:56 1:56 AM

11:56 11:56 AM

14 h behind Chungju

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

208,529

149,923

💱 Currency

South Korean Won KRW ₩

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KRW = 7.45 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 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 = 1,343 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.45 USD). 1 EUR = 1,494 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

USD to KRW in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

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

From you

Chungju
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

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

Chungju costs about 20% 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 $2,175 per month in Chungju 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 Chungju, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $483 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,450 in Chungju and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That’s a gap of about 20%.

Kindergarten costs $629 per month in Chungju and $207 in Playa del Carmen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,204 in Playa del Carmen to $1,450 in Chungju. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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