Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Cheongju

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,409 in Cheongju, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
68

Cost of Living Index in Cheongju
Learn more

Cheongju Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Cheongju

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,409

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,409 in Cheongju.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Cheongju $1,409

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,329 in Cheongju.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Cheongju $2,329

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,959 in Playa del Carmen versus $3,249 in Cheongju.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Cheongju $3,249

Living in Playa del Carmen costs roughly 15% less than in Cheongju, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Playa del Carmen is 12% below, Cheongju is 4% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$204

$7.47 ₩10.0K

46.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$808

$48.95 ₩65.7K

-11.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$220

$5.88 ₩7,898

100.34%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.0

$3.66 ₩4,909

4.10%

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

$1.28 MX$23.90

$1.84 ₩2,476

-30.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.59

$1.40 ₩1,874

-44.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.0

$3.65 ₩4,906

-13.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.0

$4.33 ₩5,816

13.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.22

$2.25 ₩3,026

-37.33%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.33

$3.25 ₩4,370

-31.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.42

$3.05 ₩4,102

-53.44%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.03

$2.73 ₩3,672

-7.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$135

$11.16 ₩15.0K

-34.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$143

$10.65 ₩14.3K

-27.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$237

$24.55 ₩33.0K

-48.31%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.9

$11.40 ₩15.3K

-75.61%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.50

$3.59 ₩4,819

-61.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.55

$8.30 ₩11.1K

-69.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.58

$5.85 ₩7,855

-63.76%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.13

$5.84 ₩7,842

-66.78%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.16

$3.43 ₩4,602

-44.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.37

$2.87 ₩3,854

-59.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$21.98

$1.33 ₩1,779

-11.28%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.1

$3.45 ₩4,627

24.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$185

$18.71 ₩25.1K

-46.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.52

$2.46 ₩3,303

-35.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$49.79

$3.40 ₩4,572

-21.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.31

$1.15 ₩1,538

-52.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$496

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$92.6

$3.50 ₩4,701

42.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.1

$0.76 ₩1,021

338.16%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$99.8

$16.67 ₩22.4K

-67.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.92

$1.36 ₩1,823

5.88%

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

$20.7K MX$385.2K

$39.0K ₩52.4M

-47.06%

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

$23.5K MX$437.4K

$33.7K ₩45.3M

-30.44%

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

$84.8 MX$1,581

$205 ₩275.0K

-58.60%

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

$23.41 MX$436

$24.30 ₩32.6K

-3.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$534

$27.72 ₩37.2K

3.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,063

$53.6 ₩71.9K

6.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$539

$13.97 ₩18.8K

106.94%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$95.8

$11.81 ₩15.9K

-56.48%

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

$207 MX$3,851

$651 ₩873.5K

-68.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.2K

$21.8K ₩29.3M

-82.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$808

$36.84 ₩49.5K

17.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$772

$65.4 ₩87.8K

-36.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,383

$93.9 ₩126.0K

-20.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,664

$113 ₩152.1K

-21.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.3K

$342 ₩459.8K

186.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,099

$275 ₩369.7K

38.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.8K

$1,197 ₩1.6M

42.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.0K

$760 ₩1.0M

41.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.5K

$7,228 ₩9.7M

-45.45%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$114.8K

$5,619 ₩7.5M

9.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.7K

$2,613 ₩3.5M

-71.89%

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 Cheongju: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Cheongju

$275 19.5% 27.7% $106

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Cheongju

$488 34.6% 91.5% $233

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Cheongju

$161 11.4% 20.4% $41

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Cheongju

$257 18.2% 87.7% $120

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Cheongju

$139 9.9% 24.6% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Cheongju

$77 5.5% 14.7% $9.9

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Cheongju

$12 * 0.8% 76.5% $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 $342 in Cheongju. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cheongju pays about 3.6 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $43 in Playa del Carmen vs $49 in Cheongju for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $255 vs $488 per month, with Playa del Carmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇰🇷 Cheongju

🕒 Local time

13:06 1:06 PM

03:06 3:06 AM

14 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

835,669

💱 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 Cheongju 12,690 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Cheongju

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 Cheongju: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Carmen wins on cost – living expenses run 15% lower than in Cheongju. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Playa del Carmen the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 72% 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 $342 in Cheongju. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $207 in Playa del Carmen versus $651 in Cheongju. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Playa del Carmen – a meal for two runs $43 versus $49 in Cheongju. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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, Cheongju on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.