Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Jinju and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,493 in Jinju, rent and utilities included – about $3,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

72

Cost of Living Index in Jinju
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Jinju Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

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Jinju

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,493

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,493 per month in Jinju vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Jinju $1,493
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $2,403 per month in Jinju vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Jinju $2,403
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $3,312 per month in Jinju vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Jinju $3,312
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Jinju costs about 24% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Jinju sits 10% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 12% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.12 ₩12.2K

$10.92 MX$204

-16.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.8 ₩89.7K

$43.37 MX$808

53.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.73 ₩10.4K

$11.78 MX$220

-34.38%

Cappuccino

$4.22 ₩5,669

$3.81 MX$71.0

10.76%

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

$1.61 ₩2,155

$1.28 MX$23.90

25.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.74 ₩991

$0.78 MX$14.59

-5.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.70 ₩4,969

$3.17 MX$59.0

16.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 ₩7,936

$4.93 MX$92.0

19.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.05 ₩2,749

$1.41 MX$26.22

45.39%

White Bread (500g)

$3.03 ₩4,065

$2.22 MX$41.33

36.49%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.21 ₩5,658

$1.42 MX$26.42

196.48%

Eggs

$3.59 ₩4,825

$2.52 MX$47.03

42.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.74 ₩23.8K

$7.26 MX$135

144.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.58 ₩14.2K

$7.70 MX$143

37.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$26.61 ₩35.7K

$12.69 MX$237

109.69%

Apples (1kg)

$7.75 ₩10.4K

$2.78 MX$51.9

178.78%

Banana (1kg)

$3.43 ₩4,600

$1.37 MX$25.50

150.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.92 ₩7,946

$2.55 MX$47.55

132.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.17 ₩8,292

$2.12 MX$39.58

191.04%

Potato (1kg)

$3.71 ₩4,976

$1.94 MX$36.13

91.24%

Onion (1kg)

$2.49 ₩3,344

$1.89 MX$35.16

31.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.91 ₩3,906

$1.15 MX$21.37

153.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 ₩1,559

$1.18 MX$21.98

-1.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.41 ₩4,585

$4.30 MX$80.1

-20.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.94 ₩25.4K

$9.95 MX$185

90.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.27 ₩3,054

$1.58 MX$29.52

43.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.38 ₩4,543

$2.67 MX$49.79

26.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.16 ₩1,557

$0.55 MX$10.31

110.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$496

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.51 ₩4,711

$4.97 MX$92.6

-29.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 ₩853

$3.33 MX$62.1

-80.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.04 ₩12.1K

$5.36 MX$99.8

68.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ₩1,942

$1.44 MX$26.92

0.69%

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

$29.1K ₩39.0M

$20.7K MX$385.2K

40.61%

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

$28.9K ₩38.9M

$23.5K MX$437.4K

23.33%

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

$215 ₩288.4K

$84.8 MX$1,581

153.33%

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

$35.87 ₩48.2K

$23.41 MX$436

53.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.65 ₩27.7K

$28.66 MX$534

-27.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.1 ₩72.7K

$57.1 MX$1,063

-5.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.29 ₩19.2K

$28.91 MX$539

-50.57%

Cinema Ticket

$11.42 ₩15.3K

$5.14 MX$95.8

122.18%

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

$378 ₩507.3K

$207 MX$3,851

82.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.0K ₩30.9M

$3,927 MX$73.2K

486.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.1 ₩78.0K

$43.35 MX$808

33.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.35 ₩43.4K

$41.44 MX$772

-21.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$69.1 ₩92.8K

$74.2 MX$1,383

-6.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$81.3 ₩109.2K

$89.3 MX$1,664

-8.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$487 ₩653.9K

$980 MX$18.3K

-50.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$359 ₩482.6K

$381 MX$7,099

-5.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,187 ₩1.6M

$1,708 MX$31.8K

-30.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$749 ₩1.0M

$1,075 MX$20.0K

-30.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,004 ₩9.4M

$3,943 MX$73.5K

77.64%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,592 ₩7.5M

$6,158 MX$114.8K

-9.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.08

11.45

-64.37%

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

Last update for Jinju: October 24, 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

Jinju

$479 32.1%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 46.9% $225

Accommodation & Living

Jinju

$359 24.1%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 6% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Jinju

$271 18.2%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 49.6% $134

Eating Out

Jinju

$187 12.5%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 8.5% $16

Clothing & Footwear

Jinju

$108 7.3%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 3.1% $3.3

Sport & Entertainment

Jinju

$77 5.2%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 12.6% $9.7

Getting Around

Jinju

$11 * 0.8%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 346% $39

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $487 in Jinju 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $67 in Jinju versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $479 vs $255 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Jinju

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

05:37 5:37 AM

15:37 3:37 PM

14 h behind Jinju

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

340,548

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 = 1,495 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

Jinju Playa del Carmen 12,780 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Jinju
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

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

Yes – Jinju is pricier by about 24%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,240 per month in Jinju 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 Jinju, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $487 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $67 in Jinju 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 88% more in Jinju, though the gap depends on what you buy.

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 $1,493 in Jinju. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.