Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Gimhae and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,202 a month against $1,553 in Gimhae, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

74

Cost of Living Index in Gimhae
Learn more

Gimhae Living Index
57

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

Jump to prices

Gimhae

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,553

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,553 in Gimhae versus $1,202 in Playa del Carmen.

Gimhae $1,553
Playa del Carmen $1,202

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,462 in Gimhae versus $2,082 in Playa del Carmen.

Gimhae $2,462
Playa del Carmen $2,082

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,371 in Gimhae versus $2,962 in Playa del Carmen.

Gimhae $3,371
Playa del Carmen $2,962

Living in Gimhae is roughly 29% more expensive than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Gimhae is 15% above, Playa del Carmen is 11% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.61 ₩10.2K

$10.67 MX$199

-28.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.21 ₩66.0K

$43.80 MX$815

12.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.69 ₩8,970

$11.79 MX$219

-43.26%

Cappuccino

$3.76 ₩5,037

$3.79 MX$70.5

-0.79%

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

$1.87 ₩2,510

$1.30 MX$24.14

43.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.39 ₩1,865

$0.83 MX$15.51

67.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.76 ₩5,041

$3.15 MX$58.6

19.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.39 ₩5,882

$4.93 MX$91.8

-10.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.31 ₩3,102

$1.41 MX$26.22

63.83%

White Bread (500g)

$3.24 ₩4,344

$2.20 MX$40.86

47.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.05 ₩4,093

$1.47 MX$27.40

107.48%

Eggs

$2.61 ₩3,504

$2.50 MX$46.46

4.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.14 ₩14.9K

$7.29 MX$136

52.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.49 ₩14.1K

$7.95 MX$148

31.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$24.45 ₩32.8K

$12.86 MX$239

90.12%

Apples (1kg)

$10.94 ₩14.7K

$2.90 MX$53.9

277.24%

Banana (1kg)

$3.55 ₩4,758

$1.38 MX$25.74

157.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$8.18 ₩11.0K

$2.49 MX$46.35

228.51%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.84 ₩7,826

$2.03 MX$37.77

187.68%

Potato (1kg)

$6.03 ₩8,079

$2.02 MX$37.68

198.51%

Onion (1kg)

$3.29 ₩4,415

$1.90 MX$35.42

73.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.75 ₩3,686

$1.14 MX$21.30

141.23%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.33 ₩1,785

$1.24 MX$23.05

7.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.26 ₩4,373

$4.27 MX$79.5

-23.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.65 ₩25.0K

$9.81 MX$183

90.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.37 ₩3,174

$1.59 MX$29.51

49.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.53 ₩4,732

$2.75 MX$51.1

28.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.21 ₩1,621

$0.51 MX$9.58

137.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$510

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.47 ₩4,653

$4.76 MX$88.6

-27.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.67 ₩895

$3.25 MX$60.5

-79.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.75 ₩19.8K

$5.39 MX$100

173.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 ₩1,707

$1.53 MX$28.44

-16.99%

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

$39.7K ₩53.2M

$21.2K MX$394.8K

86.92%

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

$33.4K ₩44.8M

$23.3K MX$432.9K

43.68%

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

$195 ₩261.8K

$83.5 MX$1,554

133.87%

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

$36.82 ₩49.4K

$23.19 MX$431

58.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.09 ₩36.3K

$27.61 MX$514

-1.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.27 ₩62.0K

$56.4 MX$1,050

-18.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.19 ₩20.4K

$28.19 MX$525

-46.12%

Cinema Ticket

$11.94 ₩16.0K

$5.00 MX$93.1

138.80%

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

$630 ₩844.4K

$207 MX$3,854

204.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.8K ₩29.2M

$5,231 MX$97.3K

315.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 ₩137.1K

$43.45 MX$809

135.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$65.1 ₩87.2K

$42.54 MX$792

52.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.9 ₩125.9K

$72.8 MX$1,354

29.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$127 ₩169.9K

$88.4 MX$1,645

43.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$505 ₩676.3K

$995 MX$18.5K

-49.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$388 ₩519.8K

$382 MX$7,116

1.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,203 ₩1.6M

$1,674 MX$31.2K

-28.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$801 ₩1.1M

$1,081 MX$20.1K

-25.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,801 ₩10.5M

$3,909 MX$72.7K

99.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,673 ₩7.6M

$6,138 MX$114.2K

-7.57%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,533 ₩3.4M

$832 MX$15.5K

204.38%

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 Gimhae: November 3, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Gimhae

$483 31.1%

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4% 46.7% $226

Accommodation & Living

Gimhae

$388 25%

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8% 1.4% $5.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Gimhae

$259 16.7%

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2% 48.2% $125

Clothing & Footwear

Gimhae

$175 11.2%

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3% 36.3% $63

Eating Out

Gimhae

$167 10.7%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7% 20.1% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Gimhae

$70 4.5%

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5% 5.3% $3.7

Getting Around

Gimhae

$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 one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $505 in Gimhae and $995 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Gimhae pays about 3 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $49 in Gimhae vs $44 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $483 vs $257 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Gimhae

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

13:18 1:18 PM

23:18 11:18 PM

14 h behind Gimhae

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

532,132

149,923

💱 Currency

South Korean Won KRW ₩

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KRW = 7.46 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.63 EUR

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 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 November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 1,341 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.46 USD). 1 EUR = 1,509 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.63 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.95 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

USD to KRW in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Gimhae Playa del Carmen 12,740 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Gimhae
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

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

Playa del Carmen wins on cost – living expenses run 23% lower than in Gimhae. 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 in Gimhae is about 3 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: $505 in Gimhae versus $995 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $630 in Gimhae 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 $44 versus $49 in Gimhae. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,202 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,553 in Gimhae, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Gimhae. The gap between the two cities makes Playa del Carmen the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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, Gimhae on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.