Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Gyeonggi and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Gyeonggi: $1,072 a month against $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $1,700 less a year. The total is higher in Playa del Carmen despite lower rent and utilities.

71

Cost of Living Index in Gyeonggi
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Gyeonggi Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

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Gyeonggi

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,072

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,072 in Gyeonggi versus $1,210 in Playa del Carmen.

Gyeonggi $1,072
Playa del Carmen $1,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,079 in Gyeonggi versus $2,113 in Playa del Carmen.

Gyeonggi $2,079
Playa del Carmen $2,113

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,085 in Gyeonggi versus $3,016 in Playa del Carmen.

Gyeonggi $3,085
Playa del Carmen $3,016

Living in Gyeonggi costs roughly 11% less than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Gyeonggi 21% lower, Playa del Carmen 10% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.53 ₩10.0K

$10.76 MX$199

-30.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.6 ₩80.6K

$43.03 MX$795

40.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.00 ₩7,975

$11.79 MX$218

-49.11%

Cappuccino

$3.90 ₩5,180

$3.87 MX$71.4

0.78%

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

$1.22 ₩1,625

$1.37 MX$25.29

-10.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.68 ₩903

$0.84 MX$15.44

-19.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.47 ₩4,610

$3.10 MX$57.3

11.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.93 ₩3,890

$5.07 MX$93.6

-42.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.76 ₩2,334

$1.44 MX$26.55

22.22%

White Bread (500g)

$2.23 MX$41.23

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.17

Eggs

$2.53 MX$46.71

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.30 MX$135

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.86 MX$145

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.79 MX$236

Apples (1kg)

$11.17 ₩14.9K

$2.90 MX$53.6

285.17%

Banana (1kg)

$3.82 ₩5,084

$1.44 MX$26.53

165.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$7.70 ₩10.2K

$2.55 MX$47.07

201.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.06 MX$38.03

Potato (1kg)

$2.00 MX$36.97

Onion (1kg)

$2.01 MX$37.07

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 MX$22.02

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 MX$23.23

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.40 MX$81.4

Wine (Bottle)

$9.59 MX$177

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.41

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.81 MX$51.9

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 MX$10.47

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.82 MX$514

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.07 ₩4,087

$4.98 MX$92.1

-38.35%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.58 ₩775

$3.50 MX$64.6

-83.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.40 MX$99.8

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 ₩1,945

$1.47 MX$27.08

-0.68%

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

$21.0K MX$387.8K

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

$23.9K MX$441.8K

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

$186 ₩247.8K

$84.2 MX$1,556

121.32%

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

$40.40 ₩53.7K

$23.99 MX$443

68.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.83 ₩29.0K

$29.02 MX$536

-24.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.3 ₩74.9K

$63.0 MX$1,164

-10.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.14 MX$539

Cinema Ticket

$10.32 ₩13.7K

$4.94 MX$91.3

108.91%

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

$204 MX$3,763

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,941 MX$72.8K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.9 ₩78.4K

$43.60 MX$806

35.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.06 ₩55.9K

$43.12 MX$797

-2.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.3 ₩114.8K

$75.8 MX$1,400

13.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.6 MX$1,637

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$532 ₩707.0K

$1,008 MX$18.6K

-47.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$373 ₩496.5K

$374 MX$6,911

-0.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,102 ₩2.8M

$1,708 MX$31.6K

23.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,503 ₩2.0M

$1,106 MX$20.4K

35.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,944 MX$72.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,169 MX$114.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,244 ₩3.0M

$754 MX$13.9K

197.48%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.5

11.45

-69.43%

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

Last update for Gyeonggi: 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.

Accommodation & Living

Gyeonggi

$373 34.8%

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9% 0.2% $0.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Gyeonggi

$249 23.2%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3% 44.8% $111

Eating Out

Gyeonggi

$156 14.5%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7% 29.8% $46

Groceries & Markets

Gyeonggi

$127 * 11.9%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4% 103% $131

Clothing & Footwear

Gyeonggi

$84 * 7.9%

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3% 34% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Gyeonggi

$77 7.2%

Playa del Carmen

$73 6% 5.3% $4.1

Getting Around

Gyeonggi

$6 * 0.6%

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3% 778% $47

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 $532 in Gyeonggi and $1,008 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Gyeonggi pays 197% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $61.0 in Gyeonggi vs $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. Groceries flip the comparison at $127 vs $258, with Gyeonggi cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Gyeonggi

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

08:25 8:25 AM

18:25 6:25 PM

14 h behind Gyeonggi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,234,582

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 18, 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 18, 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

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Between locations

Gyeonggi Playa del Carmen 12,650 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Gyeonggi
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

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

Gyeonggi is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and clothing. The 13% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 197% higher in Gyeonggi, 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: $532 in Gyeonggi versus $1,008 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 103% higher in Playa del Carmen. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Gyeonggi – a meal for two runs $61.0 versus $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,072 in Gyeonggi versus $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Gyeonggi but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. The gap between the two cities makes Gyeonggi the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Gyeonggi is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Playa del Carmen, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Gyeonggi and Playa del Carmen are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Gyeonggi gentler on the wallet – expenses run 13% less than in Playa del Carmen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.