Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Icheon and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,599 in Icheon, rent and utilities included – about $4,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

77

Cost of Living Index in Icheon
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Icheon Living Index
58

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

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Icheon

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,599

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,599 per month in Icheon vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Icheon $1,599
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $2,052 per month in Icheon vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Icheon $2,052
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $2,506 per month in Icheon vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Icheon $2,506
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Icheon costs about 33% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Icheon sits 17% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 12% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.24 ₩8,328

$10.92 MX$205

-42.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.61 ₩66.2K

$43.37 MX$815

14.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.65 ₩8,863

$11.78 MX$221

-43.55%

Cappuccino

$3.67 ₩4,888

$3.81 MX$71.6

-3.67%

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

$1.33 ₩1,776

$1.28 MX$24.10

3.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.18 ₩1,569

$0.78 MX$14.71

51.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.86 ₩5,145

$3.17 MX$59.5

21.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.24 ₩5,648

$4.93 MX$92.7

-14.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.29 ₩3,059

$1.41 MX$26.43

62.41%

White Bread (500g)

$3.19 ₩4,254

$2.22 MX$41.66

43.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.12 ₩4,157

$1.42 MX$26.64

119.72%

Eggs

$2.65 ₩3,539

$2.52 MX$47.41

5.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.29 ₩15.1K

$7.26 MX$137

55.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.73 ₩14.3K

$7.70 MX$145

39.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.00 ₩33.3K

$12.69 MX$239

97.01%

Apples (1kg)

$11.46 ₩15.3K

$2.78 MX$52.3

312.23%

Banana (1kg)

$3.59 ₩4,794

$1.37 MX$25.71

162.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$7.97 ₩10.6K

$2.55 MX$47.94

212.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.08 ₩8,111

$2.12 MX$39.90

186.79%

Potato (1kg)

$5.89 ₩7,855

$1.94 MX$36.43

203.61%

Onion (1kg)

$3.31 ₩4,408

$1.89 MX$35.44

75.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.84 ₩3,789

$1.15 MX$21.55

146.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.34 ₩1,792

$1.18 MX$22.16

13.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.42 ₩4,563

$4.30 MX$80.7

-20.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.77 ₩25.0K

$9.95 MX$187

88.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.43 ₩3,239

$1.58 MX$29.76

53.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.45 ₩4,599

$2.67 MX$50.2

29.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.10 ₩1,472

$0.55 MX$10.40

100.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$500

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.52 ₩4,693

$4.97 MX$93.4

-29.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.74 ₩983

$3.33 MX$62.6

-77.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.15 ₩22.9K

$5.36 MX$101

219.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 ₩1,895

$1.44 MX$27.14

-1.39%

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

$40.4K ₩53.8M

$20.7K MX$388.4K

95.37%

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

$33.6K ₩44.8M

$23.5K MX$441.0K

43.25%

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

$205 ₩274.0K

$84.8 MX$1,594

142.34%

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

$36.50 ₩48.7K

$23.41 MX$440

55.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.50 ₩36.7K

$28.66 MX$539

-4.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$22.67 ₩30.2K

$57.1 MX$1,072

-60.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$543

Cinema Ticket

$11.46 ₩15.3K

$5.14 MX$96.6

122.96%

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

$631 ₩841.0K

$207 MX$3,882

205.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.3K ₩29.8M

$3,927 MX$73.8K

468.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$107 ₩142.1K

$43.35 MX$815

145.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$64.9 ₩86.5K

$41.44 MX$779

56.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.2 ₩125.6K

$74.2 MX$1,394

26.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$127 ₩169.1K

$89.3 MX$1,677

42.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$763 ₩1.0M

$980 MX$18.4K

-22.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$454 ₩605.3K

$381 MX$7,157

19.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$32.1K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.2K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$74.1K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,314 ₩3.1M

$735 MX$13.8K

215.11%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.9

11.45

-65.94%

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

Last update for Icheon: October 25, 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

Icheon

$490 30.6%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 48% $235

Accommodation & Living

Icheon

$454 28.4%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 16.1% $73

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Icheon

$269 16.9%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 49.2% $133

Clothing & Footwear

Icheon

$177 11%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 36.7% $65

Eating Out

Icheon

$152 9.5%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 33.4% $51

Sport & Entertainment

Icheon

$46 2.9%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 47.6% $22

Getting Around

Icheon

$12 * 0.7%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 334% $39

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $763 in Icheon 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 Icheon are about 3.2 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $50 in Icheon versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $490 vs $255 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Icheon

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

13:49 1:49 PM

23:49 11:49 PM

14 h behind Icheon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

213,059

149,923

💱 Currency

South Korean Won KRW ₩

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KRW = 7.5 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.72 EUR

100 MXN = 5.32 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 2, 2026: 1 USD = 1,334 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.5 USD). 1 EUR = 1,489 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.72 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.79 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 20.98 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

USD to KRW in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

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

From you

Icheon
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

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

Yes – Icheon is pricier by about 33%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,398 per month in Icheon 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 Icheon, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $763 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $50 in Icheon and $43 in Playa del Carmen. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 92% more in Icheon, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,204, than in Icheon at $1,599. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Icheon it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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 $1,599 in Icheon. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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