Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Daejeon

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,210 a month against $1,344 in Daejeon, rent and utilities included – about $1,600 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
66

Cost of Living Index in Daejeon
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Daejeon Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Daejeon

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,344

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,210 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,344 in Daejeon, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,210
Daejeon $1,344

A couple spends around $2,113 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,104 in Daejeon, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,113
Daejeon $2,104

A family of three spends $3,016 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,865 in Daejeon, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $3,016
Daejeon $2,865

Playa del Carmen is about 10% cheaper than Daejeon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Playa del Carmen sits 10% below the global median, while Daejeon is 0% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.76 MX$199

$7.28 ₩9,678

47.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.03 MX$795

$36.77 ₩48.9K

17.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$218

$5.57 ₩7,412

111.67%

Cappuccino

$3.87 MX$71.4

$3.60 ₩4,784

7.50%

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

$1.37 MX$25.29

$1.22 ₩1,622

12.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.84 MX$15.44

$0.65 ₩859

29.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.10 MX$57.3

$3.50 ₩4,659

-11.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.07 MX$93.6

$3.70 ₩4,917

37.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.55

$2.18 ₩2,900

-33.94%

White Bread (500g)

$2.23 MX$41.23

$2.66 ₩3,542

-16.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.17

$2.64 ₩3,514

-44.32%

Eggs

$2.53 MX$46.71

$2.55 ₩3,385

-0.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.30 MX$135

$10.92 ₩14.5K

-33.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.86 MX$145

$8.24 ₩11.0K

-4.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.79 MX$236

$20.43 ₩27.2K

-37.40%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$53.6

$11.12 ₩14.8K

-73.92%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 MX$26.53

$5.49 ₩7,300

-73.77%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.07

$5.81 ₩7,732

-56.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.06 MX$38.03

$6.07 ₩8,072

-66.06%

Potato (1kg)

$2.00 MX$36.97

$5.34 ₩7,102

-62.55%

Onion (1kg)

$2.01 MX$37.07

$2.82 ₩3,744

-28.72%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 MX$22.02

$1.71 ₩2,273

-30.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 MX$23.23

$1.14 ₩1,510

10.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.40 MX$81.4

$3.33 ₩4,426

32.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.59 MX$177

$18.90 ₩25.1K

-49.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.41

$2.55 ₩3,393

-37.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.81 MX$51.9

$3.54 ₩4,712

-20.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 MX$10.47

$1.10 ₩1,456

-48.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.82 MX$514

$11.09 ₩14.7K

150.86%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.98 MX$92.1

$3.31 ₩4,398

50.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.50 MX$64.6

$0.71 ₩950

392.96%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.40 MX$99.8

$16.82 ₩22.4K

-67.90%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 MX$27.08

$1.23 ₩1,638

19.51%

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

$21.0K MX$387.8K

$28.5K ₩37.8M

-26.24%

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

$23.9K MX$441.8K

$23.7K ₩31.6M

0.71%

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

$84.2 MX$1,556

$172 ₩228.4K

-50.98%

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

$23.99 MX$443

$42.96 ₩57.1K

-44.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.02 MX$536

$22.18 ₩29.5K

30.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$63.0 MX$1,164

$33.10 ₩44.0K

90.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.14 MX$539

Cinema Ticket

$4.94 MX$91.3

$11.31 ₩15.0K

-56.32%

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

$204 MX$3,763

$304 ₩403.8K

-32.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,941 MX$72.8K

$21.9K ₩29.1M

-82.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.60 MX$806

$64.5 ₩85.8K

-32.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.12 MX$797

$41.91 ₩55.7K

2.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.8 MX$1,400

$92.4 ₩122.8K

-17.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.6 MX$1,637

$107 ₩142.0K

-17.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 MX$18.6K

$369 ₩490.2K

173.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$374 MX$6,911

$294 ₩391.3K

27.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.6K

$1,028 ₩1.4M

66.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,106 MX$20.4K

$593 ₩788.5K

86.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,944 MX$72.9K

$5,547 ₩7.4M

-28.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,169 MX$114.0K

$4,546 ₩6.0M

35.71%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$754 MX$13.9K

$2,336 ₩3.1M

-67.72%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

3.65

213.70%

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 Daejeon: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9%

Daejeon

$294 21.9% 21.3% $80

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4%

Daejeon

$446 33.2% 72.7% $188

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7%

Daejeon

$151 11.2% 25.6% $52

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3%

Daejeon

$237 17.6% 72.7% $100

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3%

Daejeon

$138 10.2% 21.7% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$73 6%

Daejeon

$56 4.2% 23.5% $17

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3%

Daejeon

$22 1.7% 57.5% $30

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,008 in Playa del Carmen versus $369 in Daejeon. 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 210% higher in Daejeon, 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 $37.00 in Daejeon. Groceries tell a different story – $258 in Playa del Carmen vs $446 in Daejeon – so Playa del Carmen wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇰🇷 Daejeon

🕒 Local time

17:09 5:09 PM

07:09 7:09 AM

14 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

1,537,324

💱 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 17, 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 17, 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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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Daejeon 12,720 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Daejeon

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 Daejeon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Daejeon costs about 11% 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 $2,016 in Daejeon. 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 $1,344 in Daejeon. That's a gap of about 11%.

Public transport costs about 151% less in Playa del Carmen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,210, than in Daejeon at $1,344. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Daejeon it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Playa del Carmen costs $1,210 versus $1,344 in Daejeon. 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, Daejeon makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.