Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Geoje

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,762 in Geoje, rent and utilities included – about $6,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
84

Cost of Living Index in Geoje
Learn more

Geoje Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Geoje

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,762

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,762 in Geoje, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Geoje $1,762

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,693 in Geoje, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Geoje $2,693

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $3,624 in Geoje, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Geoje $3,624

Playa del Carmen is about 32% cheaper than Geoje, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Playa del Carmen sits 12% below the global median, while Geoje is 29% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$205

$7.34 ₩9,802

48.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$814

$49.85 ₩66.5K

-13.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$221

$6.67 ₩8,911

76.61%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.5

$3.78 ₩5,051

0.79%

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

$1.28 MX$24.07

$1.86 ₩2,488

-31.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.70

$1.16 ₩1,547

-32.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.5

$1.87 ₩2,498

69.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.7

$3.83 ₩5,115

28.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.40

$2.36 ₩3,153

-40.25%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.62

$2.90 ₩3,870

-23.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.61

$3.19 ₩4,261

-55.49%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.36

$2.73 ₩3,639

-7.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$136

$10.95 ₩14.6K

-33.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$144

$7.29 ₩9,735

5.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$238

$22.86 ₩30.5K

-44.49%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.3

$11.13 ₩14.9K

-75.02%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.68

$3.76 ₩5,017

-63.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.89

$6.08 ₩8,119

-58.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.86

$5.90 ₩7,876

-64.07%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.39

$5.88 ₩7,844

-67.01%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.41

$3.27 ₩4,363

-42.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.53

$2.85 ₩3,799

-59.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.13

$1.29 ₩1,727

-8.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.6

$3.32 ₩4,436

29.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$187

$13.40 ₩17.9K

-25.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.73

$1.86 ₩2,484

-15.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$50.1

$3.58 ₩4,785

-25.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.39

$1.25 ₩1,671

-56.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$500

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$93.3

$2.95 ₩3,941

68.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.5

$0.78 ₩1,037

326.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$101

$16.68 ₩22.3K

-67.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$27.11

$1.36 ₩1,818

5.88%

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

$20.7K MX$388.0K

$39.6K ₩52.9M

-47.82%

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

$23.5K MX$440.5K

$34.6K ₩46.2M

-32.26%

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

$84.8 MX$1,592

$203 ₩271.2K

-58.26%

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

$23.41 MX$439

$36.39 ₩48.6K

-35.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$538

$27.47 ₩36.7K

4.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,071

$132 ₩176.3K

-56.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$543

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.5

$12.17 ₩16.3K

-57.76%

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

$207 MX$3,878

$633 ₩845.4K

-67.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.7K

$22.3K ₩29.8M

-82.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$814

$104 ₩139.3K

-58.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$778

$65.7 ₩87.7K

-36.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,393

$52.5 ₩70.1K

41.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,676

$127 ₩169.9K

-29.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.4K

$671 ₩896.0K

45.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,150

$576 ₩768.8K

-33.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$32.1K

$1,184 ₩1.6M

44.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.2K

$1,038 ₩1.4M

3.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$74.0K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

$1,770 ₩2.4M

-58.51%

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 Geoje: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Geoje

$576 32.7% 51.2% $195

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Geoje

$441 25% 72.9% $186

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Geoje

$153 8.7% 24.3% $49

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Geoje

$267 15.2% 95.1% $130

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Geoje

$157 8.9% 40.9% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Geoje

$156 8.9% 132% $89

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Geoje

$12 * 0.7% 76.5% $39

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $671 in Geoje. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Geoje are about 2.4 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 $50 in Geoje. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $441 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇰🇷 Geoje

🕒 Local time

16:16 4:16 PM

06:16 6:16 AM

14 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

254,073

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

South Korean Won KRW ₩

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

10,000 KRW = 7.49 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.71 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 November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 18.77 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 20.96 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

South Korean Won exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 1,335 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.49 USD). 1 EUR = 1,491 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.71 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Geoje 12,780 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Geoje

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 Geoje: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Geoje costs about 46% 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 $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $2,643 in Geoje. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Geoje, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $671 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $1,762 in Geoje. That makes Playa del Carmen about 32% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $207 per month in Playa del Carmen and $633 in Geoje. 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 $1,204, than in Geoje at $1,762. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Geoje it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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 $1,762 in Geoje. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Playa del Carmen. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Geoje makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.