Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Gwangju

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,341 in Gwangju, rent and utilities included – about $1,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index
64

Cost of Living Index in Gwangju
Learn more

Gwangju Living Index

Jump to prices

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Gwangju

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,341

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,341 in Gwangju.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Gwangju $1,341

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,048 in Gwangju.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Gwangju $2,048

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,959 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,756 in Gwangju.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Gwangju $2,756

Living in Playa del Carmen costs roughly 10% less than in Gwangju, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Gwangju 2% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$203

$6.02 ₩8,066

81.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$808

$34.32 ₩46.0K

26.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$219

$5.82 ₩7,803

102.41%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.0

$3.17 ₩4,251

20.19%

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

$1.28 MX$23.89

$1.59 ₩2,137

-19.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.58

$0.63 ₩846

23.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.0

$2.38 ₩3,191

33.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$91.9

$4.59 ₩6,159

7.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.20

$1.72 ₩2,308

-18.02%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.30

$2.49 ₩3,342

-10.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.40

$2.29 ₩3,069

-37.99%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.00

$2.64 ₩3,534

-4.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$135

$8.80 ₩11.8K

-17.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$143

$7.82 ₩10.5K

-1.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$236

$11.15 ₩14.9K

13.81%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.9

$5.16 ₩6,922

-46.12%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.49

$3.02 ₩4,043

-54.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.52

$3.72 ₩4,991

-31.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.55

$3.09 ₩4,137

-31.39%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.11

$3.60 ₩4,826

-46.11%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.13

$1.89 ₩2,537

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.36

$2.11 ₩2,833

-45.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$21.96

$1.28 ₩1,722

-7.81%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.0

$3.36 ₩4,507

27.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$185

$11.19 ₩15.0K

-11.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.50

$1.51 ₩2,027

4.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$49.76

$2.31 ₩3,095

15.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.31

$1.01 ₩1,348

-45.54%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$496

$68.8 ₩92.3K

-61.33%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$92.6

$3.06 ₩4,095

62.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.1

$0.64 ₩852

420.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$99.8

$7.84 ₩10.5K

-31.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.90

$1.20 ₩1,614

20.00%

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

$20.7K MX$385.0K

$28.1K ₩37.6M

-26.37%

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

$23.5K MX$437.2K

$35.2K ₩47.2M

-33.38%

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

$84.8 MX$1,580

$212 ₩284.0K

-59.98%

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

$23.41 MX$436

$44.13 ₩59.2K

-46.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$534

$20.64 ₩27.7K

38.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,063

$55.4 ₩74.2K

3.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$539

$14.36 ₩19.2K

101.32%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$95.7

$11.20 ₩15.0K

-54.11%

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

$207 MX$3,848

$299 ₩400.5K

-30.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.2K

$17.5K ₩23.5M

-77.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$808

$32.50 ₩43.6K

33.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$772

$26.36 ₩35.3K

57.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,382

$63.9 ₩85.6K

16.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,663

$89.9 ₩120.5K

-0.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.2K

$508 ₩681.4K

92.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,095

$370 ₩495.5K

3.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.8K

$1,163 ₩1.6M

46.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.0K

$744 ₩996.8K

44.57%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.5K

$7,980 ₩10.7M

-50.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$114.7K

$6,343 ₩8.5M

-2.92%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.7K

$2,834 ₩3.8M

-74.08%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

3.6

218.06%

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 Gwangju: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Gwangju

$370 27.6% 2.9% $11

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Gwangju

$308 23% 20.9% $53

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Gwangju

$134 10% 33.9% $69

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Gwangju

$277 20.6% 102% $140

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Gwangju

$96 7.1% 14.3% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Gwangju

$78 5.8% 15.5% $10

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Gwangju

$79 5.9% 56.8% $29

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $980 in Playa del Carmen and $508 in Gwangju. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Gwangju pays about 3.9 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $43 in Playa del Carmen vs $34 in Gwangju. Groceries flip the comparison at $255 vs $308, with Playa del Carmen cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇰🇷 Gwangju

🕒 Local time

00:27 12:27 AM

14:27 2:27 PM

14 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

1,467,996

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

South Korean Won KRW ₩

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

10,000 KRW = 7.46 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.7 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 29, 2026: 1 USD = 18.63 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.74 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

South Korean Won exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 1,340 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.46 USD). 1 EUR = 1,492 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.7 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Gwangju 12,850 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Gwangju

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 Gwangju: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Carmen is about 10% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, transport, and utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 74% 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 $508 in Gwangju. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Gwangju – a meal for two runs $34 versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen versus $1,341 in Gwangju – Playa del Carmen is about 10% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Either city works on $1,500 a month, though Playa del Carmen gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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