Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Gyeonggi

For one person, living is cheaper in Gyeonggi: $1,084 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $1,400 less a year. The total is higher in Playa del Carmen despite lower rent and utilities.

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

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Gyeonggi

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,084

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,084 in Gyeonggi.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Gyeonggi $1,084

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,107 in Gyeonggi.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Gyeonggi $2,107

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,959 in Playa del Carmen versus $3,129 in Gyeonggi.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Gyeonggi $3,129

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 11% more expensive than in Gyeonggi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Gyeonggi 20% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$205

$7.51 ₩10.0K

45.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$814

$60.3 ₩80.5K

-28.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$221

$6.12 ₩8,172

92.48%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.5

$3.94 ₩5,259

-3.30%

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

$1.28 MX$24.07

$1.18 ₩1,571

8.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.70

$0.73 ₩969

6.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.5

$3.45 ₩4,606

-8.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.7

$3.08 ₩4,117

60.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.40

$1.86 ₩2,483

-24.19%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.62

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.61

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.36

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$136

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$144

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$238

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.3

$11.11 ₩14.8K

-74.98%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.68

$3.82 ₩5,104

-64.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.89

$7.76 ₩10.4K

-67.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.86

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.39

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.41

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.53

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.13

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.6

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$187

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.73

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$50.1

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.39

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$500

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$93.3

$3.24 ₩4,332

53.40%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.5

$0.62 ₩823

437.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$101

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$27.11

$1.41 ₩1,880

2.13%

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

$20.7K MX$388.0K

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

$23.5K MX$440.5K

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

$84.8 MX$1,592

$195 ₩260.0K

-56.46%

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

$23.41 MX$439

$40.69 ₩54.3K

-42.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$538

$21.48 ₩28.7K

33.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,071

$57.0 ₩76.2K

0.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$543

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.5

$10.24 ₩13.7K

-49.80%

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

$207 MX$3,878

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.7K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$814

$60.5 ₩80.8K

-28.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$778

$42.02 ₩56.1K

-1.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,393

$85.4 ₩114.0K

-13.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,676

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.4K

$533 ₩712.1K

83.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,150

$374 ₩498.8K

1.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$32.1K

$2,164 ₩2.9M

-21.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.2K

$1,533 ₩2.0M

-29.88%

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

$2,228 ₩3.0M

-67.03%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

3.5

227.14%

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 Gyeonggi: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Gyeonggi

–

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Gyeonggi

–

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Gyeonggi

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Gyeonggi

–

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Gyeonggi

–

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Gyeonggi

–

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Gyeonggi

–

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $980 in Playa del Carmen and $533 in Gyeonggi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Gyeonggi pays about 3 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $43 in Playa del Carmen vs $60 in Gyeonggi. Groceries flip the comparison at $255 vs $128, with Gyeonggi cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇰🇷 Gyeonggi

🕒 Local time

12:26 12:26 PM

02:26 2:26 AM

14 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

1,234,582

💱 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 →

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Gyeonggi 12,650 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Gyeonggi

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 Gyeonggi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Gyeonggi is about 10% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 67% 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 $533 in Gyeonggi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 99% higher in Playa del Carmen. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Playa del Carmen – a meal for two runs $43 versus $60 in Gyeonggi. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $1,500 a month, though Gyeonggi 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.