Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Daegu

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,569 in Daegu, rent and utilities included – about $4,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Playa del Carmen, Mexico
Daegu, South Korea
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,204
/mo nomad
Daegu
🇰🇷 South Korea
$1,569
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,569 in Daegu, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $1,204
  • Daegu $1,569

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,404 in Daegu, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,082
  • Daegu $2,404

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $3,239 in Daegu, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,959
  • Daegu $3,239

Playa del Carmen is about 23% cheaper than Daegu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Playa del Carmen sits 12% below the global median, while Daegu is 15% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Daegu
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.92 MX$205
$9.14 ₩12.2K
19.47%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$43.37 MX$815
$37.29 ₩49.7K
16.30%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.78 MX$221
$5.43 ₩7,246
116.94%
Cappuccino
$3.81 MX$71.6
$4.05 ₩5,397
-5.93%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.28 MX$24.10
$1.58 ₩2,112
-18.99%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.78 MX$14.71
$0.91 ₩1,218
-14.29%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.17 MX$59.5
$3.80 ₩5,062
-16.58%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.93 MX$92.7
$5.22 ₩6,958
-5.56%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Daegu
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.41 MX$26.43
$2.51 ₩3,353
-43.82%
White Bread (500g)
$2.22 MX$41.66
$4.35 ₩5,799
-48.97%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.42 MX$26.64
$2.70 ₩3,599
-47.41%
Eggs
$2.52 MX$47.41
$2.83 ₩3,779
-10.95%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.26 MX$137
$10.30 ₩13.7K
-29.51%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.70 MX$145
$7.12 ₩9,500
8.15%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.69 MX$239
$21.04 ₩28.1K
-39.69%
Apples (1kg)
$2.78 MX$52.3
$6.57 ₩8,762
-57.69%
Banana (1kg)
$1.37 MX$25.71
$2.67 ₩3,565
-48.69%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.55 MX$47.94
$5.54 ₩7,391
-53.97%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.12 MX$39.90
$5.82 ₩7,760
-63.57%
Potato (1kg)
$1.94 MX$36.43
$2.68 ₩3,568
-27.61%
Onion (1kg)
$1.89 MX$35.44
$2.14 ₩2,853
-11.68%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.15 MX$21.55
$4.44 ₩5,916
-74.10%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.18 MX$22.16
$1.40 ₩1,862
-15.71%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.30 MX$80.7
$2.97 ₩3,954
44.78%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.95 MX$187
$15.03 ₩20.0K
-33.80%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.58 MX$29.76
$2.26 ₩3,007
-30.09%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.67 MX$50.2
$2.38 ₩3,175
12.18%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Daegu
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.55 MX$10.40
$1.16 ₩1,552
-52.59%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.62 MX$500
$76.3 ₩101.7K
-65.09%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.97 MX$93.4
$3.24 ₩4,320
53.40%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.33 MX$62.6
$0.62 ₩821
437.10%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.36 MX$101
$8.18 ₩10.9K
-34.47%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.44 MX$27.14
$1.30 ₩1,735
10.77%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$20.7K MX$388.4K
$28.5K ₩37.9M
-27.37%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.5K MX$441.0K
$40.9K ₩54.6M
-42.69%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Daegu
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$84.8 MX$1,594
$279 ₩372.2K
-69.62%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$23.41 MX$440
$50.1 ₩66.8K
-53.28%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$28.66 MX$539
$47.19 ₩62.9K
-39.27%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Daegu
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$57.1 MX$1,072
$51.6 ₩68.8K
10.58%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$28.91 MX$543
$11.95 ₩15.9K
141.92%
Cinema Ticket
$5.14 MX$96.6
$11.15 ₩14.9K
-53.90%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Daegu
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$207 MX$3,882
$530 ₩707.3K
-61.06%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$3,927 MX$73.8K
$28.5K ₩38.0M
-86.22%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Daegu
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$43.35 MX$815
$56.6 ₩75.4K
-23.34%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$41.44 MX$779
$50.5 ₩67.4K
-17.97%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$74.2 MX$1,394
$96.4 ₩128.5K
-23.01%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$89.3 MX$1,677
$170 ₩227.3K
-47.65%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Daegu
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$980 MX$18.4K
$425 ₩567.4K
130.24%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$381 MX$7,157
$272 ₩362.6K
40.06%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,708 MX$32.1K
$1,042 ₩1.4M
63.84%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,075 MX$20.2K
$606 ₩808.8K
77.27%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,943 MX$74.1K
$7,269 ₩9.7M
-45.76%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,158 MX$115.7K
$5,404 ₩7.2M
13.95%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Daegu
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$735 MX$13.8K
$2,451 ₩3.3M
-70.03%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.45
5.07
125.84%

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 Daegu: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
$381
Daegu
$272 28.6% $109
Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
$255
Daegu
$413 62.3% $159
Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
$202
Daegu
$177 12.3% $25
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
$137
Daegu
$376 175% $240
Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
$112
Daegu
$168 50.6% $57
Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
$67
Daegu
$74 9.8% $6.6
Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
$50
Daegu
$87 72.9% $37

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $425 in Daegu. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Daegu are about 3.3 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen versus $37 in Daegu. Groceries tell a different story – $255 in Playa del Carmen vs $413 in Daegu – so Playa del Carmen wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🇰🇷 Daegu
🕒 Local time
00:25 12:25 AM
14:25 2:25 PM
14 h ahead of Playa del Carmen
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
149,923
2,528,933
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

KRW, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.79 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 20.98 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

South Korean Won exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 1,334 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.5 USD). 1 EUR = 1,489 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.72 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Playa del Carmen Daegu 12,700 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Playa del Carmen
  • Daegu

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 Daegu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Playa del Carmen and in Daegu compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, $1,569 in Daegu – Playa del Carmen comes out roughly 23% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.
What salary covers living expenses in Playa del Carmen compared to Daegu?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $2,353 in Daegu. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Playa del Carmen and Daegu?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Daegu, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $425 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen and $37 in Daegu. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Which city is more expensive overall: Playa del Carmen or Daegu?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $1,569 in Daegu. That makes Playa del Carmen about 23% cheaper.
Which city is more doable on $1,500 per month?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,204, than in Daegu at $1,569. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Daegu it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
How does quality of life compare between Playa del Carmen and Daegu?
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 $1,569 in Daegu. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
How do I decide between Playa del Carmen and Daegu?
If budget matters most, go with Playa del Carmen. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Daegu makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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