Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Gongju

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,202 a month against $1,522 in Gongju, rent and utilities included – about $3,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Gongju
Learn more

Gongju Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Gongju

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,522

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,202 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,522 in Gongju, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,202
Gongju $1,522

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,522 in Gongju, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Gongju $2,522

A family of three spends $2,962 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $3,522 in Gongju, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,962
Gongju $3,522

Playa del Carmen is about 21% cheaper than Gongju, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Playa del Carmen sits 11% below the global median, while Gongju is 13% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.67 MX$199

$7.24 ₩9,708

47.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.80 MX$815

$47.72 ₩64.0K

-8.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$219

$6.68 ₩8,956

76.50%

Cappuccino

$3.79 MX$70.5

$3.70 ₩4,961

2.43%

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

$1.30 MX$24.14

$1.80 ₩2,417

-27.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 MX$15.51

$1.38 ₩1,850

-39.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 MX$58.6

$3.65 ₩4,898

-13.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$91.8

$4.18 ₩5,606

17.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.22

$2.34 ₩3,132

-39.74%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 MX$40.86

$3.22 ₩4,320

-31.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.40

$3.03 ₩4,061

-51.49%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$46.46

$2.68 ₩3,590

-6.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.29 MX$136

$10.83 ₩14.5K

-32.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.95 MX$148

$10.45 ₩14.0K

-23.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.86 MX$239

$24.97 ₩33.5K

-48.50%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$53.9

$11.02 ₩14.8K

-73.68%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 MX$25.74

$3.65 ₩4,895

-62.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 MX$46.35

$8.16 ₩10.9K

-69.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.77

$6.03 ₩8,082

-66.33%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.68

$5.80 ₩7,773

-65.17%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 MX$35.42

$3.25 ₩4,350

-41.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.30

$2.86 ₩3,828

-60.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$23.05

$1.27 ₩1,705

-2.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 MX$79.5

$3.41 ₩4,575

25.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.81 MX$183

$18.26 ₩24.5K

-46.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.51

$2.38 ₩3,185

-33.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 MX$51.1

$3.60 ₩4,827

-23.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.58

$1.20 ₩1,605

-57.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$510

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.76 MX$88.6

$3.64 ₩4,875

30.77%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.25 MX$60.5

$0.67 ₩895

385.07%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 MX$100

$14.65 ₩19.6K

-63.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 MX$28.44

$1.39 ₩1,868

10.07%

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

$21.2K MX$394.8K

$39.8K ₩53.3M

-46.64%

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

$23.3K MX$432.9K

$33.7K ₩45.1M

-30.87%

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

$83.5 MX$1,554

$200 ₩268.6K

-58.33%

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

$23.19 MX$431

$36.89 ₩49.5K

-37.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.61 MX$514

$26.87 ₩36.0K

2.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,050

$58.3 ₩78.1K

-3.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$525

$15.41 ₩20.7K

82.93%

Cinema Ticket

$5.00 MX$93.1

$11.77 ₩15.8K

-57.52%

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

$207 MX$3,854

$636 ₩853.1K

-67.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,231 MX$97.3K

$21.6K ₩28.9M

-75.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.45 MX$809

$105 ₩140.8K

-58.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.54 MX$792

$64.5 ₩86.4K

-34.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.8 MX$1,354

$92.4 ₩123.9K

-21.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.4 MX$1,645

$128 ₩171.6K

-30.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 MX$18.5K

$424 ₩567.9K

134.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MX$7,116

$343 ₩459.4K

11.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,674 MX$31.2K

$1,406 ₩1.9M

19.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 MX$20.1K

$936 ₩1.3M

15.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,909 MX$72.7K

$6,877 ₩9.2M

-43.16%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,138 MX$114.2K

$5,486 ₩7.4M

11.88%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.5K

$1,309 ₩1.8M

-36.40%

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: November 2, 2026

Last update for Gongju: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8%

Gongju

$343 22.5% 10.4% $40

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4%

Gongju

$484 31.8% 88.1% $227

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7%

Gongju

$162 10.6% 19.2% $39

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2%

Gongju

$264 17.4% 96.7% $130

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3%

Gongju

$175 11.5% 57.8% $64

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5%

Gongju

$82 5.4% 23.1% $15

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Gongju

$12 * 0.8% 76.7% $39

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $995 in Playa del Carmen versus $424 in Gongju. 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 57% higher in Gongju. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Playa del Carmen versus $48 in Gongju. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $257 vs $484 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇰🇷 Gongju

🕒 Local time

01:47 1:47 AM

15:47 3:47 PM

14 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

110,428

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

South Korean Won KRW ₩

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

10,000 KRW = 7.46 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.63 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 5, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.95 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

South Korean Won exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 1,341 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.46 USD). 1 EUR = 1,509 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.63 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

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

From you

Playa del Carmen
Gongju

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 Gongju: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, $1,522 in Gongju – Playa del Carmen comes out roughly 21% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,804 per month in Playa del Carmen and $2,283 in Gongju. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Gongju, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $424 there versus $995 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,202 in Playa del Carmen and $1,522 in Gongju. That makes Playa del Carmen about 21% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $207 per month in Playa del Carmen and $636 in Gongju. 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 $1,202, than in Gongju at $1,522. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Gongju 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 $1,202 in Playa del Carmen to $1,522 in Gongju. 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, Gongju makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.