Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Pangyo and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,215 a month against $1,460 in Pangyo, rent and utilities included – about $2,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

72

Cost of Living Index in Pangyo
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Pangyo Living Index
60

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

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Pangyo

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,460

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,215

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,460 per month in Pangyo vs $1,215 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Pangyo $1,460
Playa del Carmen $1,215

A couple spends around $2,303 per month in Pangyo vs $2,144 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Pangyo $2,303
Playa del Carmen $2,144

A family of three spends $3,145 per month in Pangyo vs $3,072 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Pangyo $3,145
Playa del Carmen $3,072

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

Pangyo sits 9% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 9% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.17 ₩9,612

$10.97 MX$201

-34.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.05 ₩40.3K

$44.85 MX$823

-33.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.54 ₩8,768

$11.92 MX$219

-45.13%

Cappuccino

$4.03 ₩5,394

$3.80 MX$69.9

6.05%

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

$1.51 ₩2,023

$1.31 MX$24.08

15.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.71 ₩953

$0.86 MX$15.72

-17.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.96 ₩3,973

$3.21 MX$59.0

-7.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.98 ₩5,335

$5.01 MX$92.0

-20.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.30 ₩3,084

$1.46 MX$26.77

57.53%

White Bread (500g)

$3.19 ₩4,274

$2.33 MX$42.72

36.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.74 ₩3,674

$1.44 MX$26.48

90.28%

Eggs

$2.69 ₩3,607

$2.46 MX$45.20

9.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.88 ₩14.6K

$7.70 MX$141

41.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.91 ₩10.6K

$7.89 MX$145

0.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.43 ₩28.7K

$12.80 MX$235

67.42%

Apples (1kg)

$7.68 ₩10.3K

$2.92 MX$53.6

163.01%

Banana (1kg)

$3.62 ₩4,847

$1.42 MX$26.11

154.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$7.50 ₩10.1K

$2.57 MX$47.10

191.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.11 ₩8,182

$2.14 MX$39.24

185.51%

Potato (1kg)

$3.62 ₩4,848

$1.95 MX$35.75

85.64%

Onion (1kg)

$2.68 ₩3,587

$1.94 MX$35.55

38.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.78 ₩3,732

$1.15 MX$21.13

141.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 ₩1,715

$1.22 MX$22.42

4.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.45 ₩4,624

$4.38 MX$80.3

-21.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.84 ₩25.3K

$9.85 MX$181

91.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.29 ₩3,071

$1.54 MX$28.23

48.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 ₩4,639

$2.72 MX$49.86

27.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.10 ₩1,476

$0.52 MX$9.64

111.54%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$47.53 ₩63.7K

$27.42 MX$503

73.34%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.36 ₩4,504

$4.91 MX$90.2

-31.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.66 ₩882

$3.52 MX$64.7

-81.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.05 ₩17.5K

$5.69 MX$104

129.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.41 ₩1,887

$1.54 MX$28.27

-8.44%

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

$30.8K ₩41.2M

$21.2K MX$389.9K

44.81%

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

$38.4K ₩51.4M

$24.5K MX$449.6K

56.79%

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

$199 ₩266.8K

$83.6 MX$1,535

138.15%

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

$36.74 ₩49.2K

$24.03 MX$441

52.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.15 ₩29.7K

$29.33 MX$539

-24.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.2 ₩68.6K

$64.9 MX$1,191

-21.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.91 ₩16.0K

$29.46 MX$541

-59.57%

Cinema Ticket

$11.13 ₩14.9K

$5.09 MX$93.4

118.66%

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

$526 ₩704.4K

$208 MX$3,813

153.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.7K ₩29.0M

$4,045 MX$74.3K

435.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$65.7 ₩88.0K

$44.55 MX$818

47.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$64.1 ₩85.9K

$42.06 MX$772

52.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.5 ₩99.8K

$75.5 MX$1,387

-1.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 ₩135.3K

$91.4 MX$1,678

10.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$478 ₩641.1K

$986 MX$18.1K

-51.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$361 ₩483.8K

$385 MX$7,072

-6.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,182 ₩1.6M

$1,713 MX$31.5K

-31.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$735 ₩985.5K

$1,108 MX$20.4K

-33.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,053 ₩9.5M

$4,016 MX$73.7K

75.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,546 ₩7.4M

$6,247 MX$114.7K

-11.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,262 ₩7.1M

$758 MX$13.9K

594.14%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.1

11.45

-64.19%

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

Last update for Pangyo: October 4, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Pangyo

$433 29.3%

Playa del Carmen

$260 21.2% 39.8% $172

Accommodation & Living

Pangyo

$361 24.4%

Playa del Carmen

$385 31.4% 6.7% $24

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Pangyo

$258 17.5%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.2% 46.9% $121

Eating Out

Pangyo

$157 10.6%

Playa del Carmen

$204 16.6% 29.9% $47

Clothing & Footwear

Pangyo

$137 9.3%

Playa del Carmen

$114 9.3% 16.9% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Pangyo

$73 5%

Playa del Carmen

$75 6.1% 2.2% $1.6

Getting Around

Pangyo

$59 4%

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.2% 11.2% $6.6

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $478 in Pangyo versus $986 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 run about 594% higher in Pangyo, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $30.00 in Pangyo versus $45.00 in Playa del Carmen. Groceries tell a different story – $433 in Pangyo vs $260 in Playa del Carmen – so Playa del Carmen wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Pangyo

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

19:29 7:29 PM

05:29 5:29 AM

14 h behind Pangyo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

💱 Currency

South Korean Won KRW ₩

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KRW = 7.46 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.66 EUR

100 MXN = 5.45 USD

100 MXN = 4.86 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1,340 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.46 USD). 1 EUR = 1,502 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.66 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 18.36 MXN (100 MXN = 5.45 USD). 1 EUR = 20.57 MXN (100 MXN = 4.86 EUR).

USD to KRW in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Pangyo Playa del Carmen 12,640 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Pangyo
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

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

Yes – Pangyo is pricier by about 20%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,191 per month in Pangyo and $1,823 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 Playa del Carmen, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 73% less in Playa del Carmen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $526 per month in Pangyo and $208 in Playa del Carmen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,215, than in Pangyo at $1,460. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Pangyo it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Playa del Carmen – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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