Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Cheonan

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,210 a month against $1,467 in Cheonan, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
71

Cost of Living Index in Cheonan
Learn more

Cheonan Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Cheonan

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,467

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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 Cheonan actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,210 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,467 in Cheonan, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,210
Cheonan $1,467

A couple spends around $2,113 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,259 in Cheonan, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,113
Cheonan $2,259

A family of three spends $3,016 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $3,051 in Cheonan, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $3,016
Cheonan $3,051

Playa del Carmen is about 17% cheaper than Cheonan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Playa del Carmen sits 10% below the global median, while Cheonan is 9% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.76 MX$199

$7.53 ₩10.0K

42.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.03 MX$795

$22.63 ₩30.1K

90.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$218

$4.28 ₩5,693

175.47%

Cappuccino

$3.87 MX$71.4

$1.47 ₩1,951

163.27%

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

$1.37 MX$25.29

$1.16 ₩1,538

18.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.84 MX$15.44

$1.40 ₩1,867

-40.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.10 MX$57.3

$2.28 ₩3,031

35.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.07 MX$93.6

$4.40 ₩5,853

15.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.55

$1.60 ₩2,125

-10.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.23 MX$41.23

$3.22 ₩4,287

-30.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.17

$3.07 ₩4,078

-52.12%

Eggs

$2.53 MX$46.71

$2.61 ₩3,476

-3.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.30 MX$135

$11.19 ₩14.9K

-34.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.86 MX$145

$10.38 ₩13.8K

-24.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.79 MX$236

$25.11 ₩33.4K

-49.06%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$53.6

$11.23 ₩14.9K

-74.18%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 MX$26.53

$3.73 ₩4,965

-61.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.07

$8.07 ₩10.7K

-68.40%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.06 MX$38.03

$6.04 ₩8,035

-65.89%

Potato (1kg)

$2.00 MX$36.97

$6.10 ₩8,106

-67.21%

Onion (1kg)

$2.01 MX$37.07

$3.34 ₩4,438

-39.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 MX$22.02

$2.75 ₩3,651

-56.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 MX$23.23

$1.33 ₩1,765

-5.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.40 MX$81.4

$3.38 ₩4,494

30.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.59 MX$177

$18.30 ₩24.3K

-47.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.41

$2.43 ₩3,229

-34.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.81 MX$51.9

$3.35 ₩4,454

-16.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 MX$10.47

$1.14 ₩1,509

-50.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.82 MX$514

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.98 MX$92.1

$3.05 ₩4,050

63.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.50 MX$64.6

$0.78 ₩1,036

348.72%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.40 MX$99.8

$16.69 ₩22.2K

-67.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.08

$1.24 ₩1,650

18.55%

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

$21.0K MX$387.8K

$29.7K ₩39.5M

-29.44%

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

$23.9K MX$441.8K

$34.2K ₩45.5M

-30.12%

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

$84.2 MX$1,556

$199 ₩264.9K

-57.73%

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

$23.99 MX$443

$35.67 ₩47.4K

-32.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.02 MX$536

$27.08 ₩36.0K

7.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$63.0 MX$1,164

$51.6 ₩68.6K

22.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.14 MX$539

$11.77 ₩15.6K

147.58%

Cinema Ticket

$4.94 MX$91.3

$12.13 ₩16.1K

-59.27%

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

$204 MX$3,763

$636 ₩845.7K

-67.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,941 MX$72.8K

$21.5K ₩28.6M

-81.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.60 MX$806

$66.2 ₩88.0K

-34.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.12 MX$797

$59.5 ₩79.1K

-27.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.8 MX$1,400

$92.6 ₩123.1K

-18.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.6 MX$1,637

$127 ₩168.9K

-30.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 MX$18.6K

$478 ₩636.1K

110.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$374 MX$6,911

$361 ₩479.5K

3.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.6K

$1,153 ₩1.5M

48.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,106 MX$20.4K

$739 ₩982.3K

49.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,944 MX$72.9K

$7,244 ₩9.6M

-45.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,169 MX$114.0K

$5,422 ₩7.2M

13.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$754 MX$13.9K

$1,824 ₩2.4M

-58.65%

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 10, 2026

Last update for Cheonan: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9%

Cheonan

$361 24.6% 3.6% $13

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4%

Cheonan

$480 32.8% 85.8% $222

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7%

Cheonan

$121 8.3% 40.1% $81

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3%

Cheonan

$262 17.9% 90.9% $125

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3%

Cheonan

$155 10.6% 37.5% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$73 6%

Cheonan

$76 5.2% 4.1% $3

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3%

Cheonan

$11 * 0.8% 78.2% $41

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,008 in Playa del Carmen versus $478 in Cheonan. 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 142% higher in Cheonan, 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 $43.00 in Playa del Carmen versus $23.00 in Cheonan. Groceries tell a different story – $258 in Playa del Carmen vs $480 in Cheonan – so Playa del Carmen wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇰🇷 Cheonan

🕒 Local time

14:25 2:25 PM

04:25 4:25 AM

14 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

658,486

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

South Korean Won KRW ₩

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

10,000 KRW = 7.52 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 19, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

South Korean Won exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1,330 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.52 USD). 1 EUR = 1,495 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Cheonan 12,690 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Cheonan

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 Cheonan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cheonan costs about 21% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,816 per month in Playa del Carmen and $2,200 in Cheonan. 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.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,210 in Playa del Carmen and $1,467 in Cheonan. That's a gap of about 21%.

Kindergarten costs $204 per month in Playa del Carmen and $636 in Cheonan. 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 $1,210, than in Cheonan at $1,467. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cheonan it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Playa del Carmen costs $1,210 versus $1,467 in Cheonan. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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, Cheonan makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.