Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Changwon

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,529 in Changwon, rent and utilities included – about $3,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index
73

Cost of Living Index in Changwon
Learn more

Changwon Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Changwon

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,529

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Changwon

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Playa del Carmen and in Changwon actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,529 in Changwon.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Changwon $1,529

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,381 in Changwon.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Changwon $2,381

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,959 in Playa del Carmen versus $3,233 in Changwon.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Changwon $3,233

Living in Playa del Carmen costs roughly 21% less than in Changwon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Playa del Carmen is 12% below, Changwon is 12% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$204

$7.34 ₩9,862

48.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$808

$27.81 ₩37.3K

55.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$220

$5.34 ₩7,167

120.60%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.0

$3.78 ₩5,079

0.79%

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

$1.28 MX$23.90

$1.87 ₩2,513

-31.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.59

$1.01 ₩1,359

-22.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.0

$3.02 ₩4,050

4.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.0

$4.37 ₩5,870

12.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.22

$2.35 ₩3,161

-40.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.33

$3.24 ₩4,357

-31.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.42

$3.20 ₩4,303

-55.63%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.03

$2.63 ₩3,538

-4.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$135

$11.08 ₩14.9K

-34.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$143

$10.52 ₩14.1K

-26.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$237

$25.38 ₩34.1K

-50.00%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.9

$11.39 ₩15.3K

-75.59%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.50

$3.73 ₩5,009

-63.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.55

$7.96 ₩10.7K

-67.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.58

$5.86 ₩7,874

-63.82%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.13

$5.95 ₩7,991

-67.39%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.16

$3.38 ₩4,535

-44.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.37

$2.85 ₩3,831

-59.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$21.98

$1.32 ₩1,778

-10.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.1

$3.37 ₩4,520

27.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$185

$18.88 ₩25.4K

-47.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.52

$2.47 ₩3,317

-36.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$49.79

$3.38 ₩4,539

-21.01%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.31

$1.16 ₩1,558

-52.59%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$496

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$92.6

$2.98 ₩4,008

66.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.1

$0.78 ₩1,052

326.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$99.8

$16.79 ₩22.5K

-68.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.92

$1.36 ₩1,830

5.88%

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

$20.7K MX$385.2K

$39.0K ₩52.4M

-47.04%

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

$23.5K MX$437.4K

$33.9K ₩45.6M

-30.84%

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

$84.8 MX$1,581

$200 ₩268.3K

-57.57%

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

$23.41 MX$436

$36.15 ₩48.5K

-35.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$534

$27.46 ₩36.9K

4.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,063

$53.3 ₩71.6K

6.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$539

$14.13 ₩19.0K

104.60%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$95.8

$11.29 ₩15.2K

-54.47%

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

$207 MX$3,851

$646 ₩867.1K

-68.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.2K

$21.5K ₩28.8M

-81.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$808

$104 ₩140.3K

-58.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$772

$65.5 ₩88.0K

-36.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,383

$92.3 ₩124.0K

-19.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,664

$129 ₩172.6K

-30.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.3K

$484 ₩649.8K

102.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,099

$356 ₩478.0K

6.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.8K

$1,160 ₩1.6M

47.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.0K

$756 ₩1.0M

42.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.5K

$7,009 ₩9.4M

-43.74%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$114.8K

$5,457 ₩7.3M

12.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.7K

$1,713 ₩2.3M

-57.12%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

4.22

171.33%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 25, 2026

Last update for Changwon: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Changwon

$356 23.3% 6.5% $25

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Changwon

$491 32.1% 92.6% $236

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Changwon

$156 10.2% 23.2% $47

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Changwon

$263 17.2% 92.5% $127

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Changwon

$176 11.5% 57.5% $64

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Changwon

$76 5% 12.8% $8.6

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Changwon

$12 * 0.8% 77.1% $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 $980 in Playa del Carmen and $484 in Changwon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Changwon pays about 2.3 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $43 in Playa del Carmen vs $28 in Changwon. Groceries flip the comparison at $255 vs $491, with Playa del Carmen cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇰🇷 Changwon

🕒 Local time

16:50 4:50 PM

06:50 6:50 AM

14 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

1,055,839

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

South Korean Won KRW ₩

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

10,000 KRW = 7.45 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KRW, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

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).

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).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Changwon 12,750 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Changwon

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

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

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $1,529 in Changwon, so Playa del Carmen is about 21% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 57% lower in Playa del Carmen. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $484 in Changwon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 93% higher in Changwon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen versus $1,529 in Changwon – Playa del Carmen is about 21% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,529 in Changwon, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Playa del Carmen but tight or insufficient in Changwon. 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, Changwon on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.