Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Icheon

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,599 in Icheon, rent and utilities included – about $4,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
77

Cost of Living Index in Icheon
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Icheon Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Icheon

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,599

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,599 in Icheon, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Icheon $1,599

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,052 in Icheon, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Icheon $2,052

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,506 in Icheon, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Icheon $2,506

Playa del Carmen is about 25% cheaper than Icheon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Playa del Carmen sits 12% below the global median, while Icheon is 17% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$205

$6.24 ₩8,328

75.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$815

$49.61 ₩66.2K

-12.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$221

$6.65 ₩8,863

77.14%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.6

$3.67 ₩4,888

3.81%

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

$1.28 MX$24.10

$1.33 ₩1,776

-3.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.71

$1.18 ₩1,569

-33.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.5

$3.86 ₩5,145

-17.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.7

$4.24 ₩5,648

16.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.43

$2.29 ₩3,059

-38.43%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.66

$3.19 ₩4,254

-30.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.64

$3.12 ₩4,157

-54.49%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.41

$2.65 ₩3,539

-4.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$137

$11.29 ₩15.1K

-35.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$145

$10.73 ₩14.3K

-28.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$239

$25.00 ₩33.3K

-49.24%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.3

$11.46 ₩15.3K

-75.74%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.71

$3.59 ₩4,794

-61.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.94

$7.97 ₩10.6K

-68.01%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.90

$6.08 ₩8,111

-65.13%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.43

$5.89 ₩7,855

-67.06%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.44

$3.31 ₩4,408

-42.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.55

$2.84 ₩3,789

-59.51%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.16

$1.34 ₩1,792

-11.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.7

$3.42 ₩4,563

25.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$187

$18.77 ₩25.0K

-46.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.76

$2.43 ₩3,239

-34.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$50.2

$3.45 ₩4,599

-22.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.40

$1.10 ₩1,472

-50.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$500

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$93.4

$3.52 ₩4,693

41.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.6

$0.74 ₩983

350.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$101

$17.15 ₩22.9K

-68.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$27.14

$1.42 ₩1,895

1.41%

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

$20.7K MX$388.4K

$40.4K ₩53.8M

-48.82%

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

$23.5K MX$441.0K

$33.6K ₩44.8M

-30.19%

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

$84.8 MX$1,594

$205 ₩274.0K

-58.74%

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

$23.41 MX$440

$36.50 ₩48.7K

-35.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$539

$27.50 ₩36.7K

4.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,072

$22.67 ₩30.2K

151.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$543

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.6

$11.46 ₩15.3K

-55.15%

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

$207 MX$3,882

$631 ₩841.0K

-67.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.8K

$22.3K ₩29.8M

-82.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$815

$107 ₩142.1K

-59.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$779

$64.9 ₩86.5K

-36.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,394

$94.2 ₩125.6K

-21.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,677

$127 ₩169.1K

-29.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.4K

$763 ₩1.0M

28.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,157

$454 ₩605.3K

-16.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$32.1K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.2K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$74.1K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

$2,314 ₩3.1M

-68.26%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

3.9

193.59%

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 Icheon: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Icheon

$454 28.4% 19.2% $73

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Icheon

$490 30.6% 92.3% $235

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Icheon

$152 9.5% 25% $51

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Icheon

$269 16.9% 96.9% $133

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Icheon

$177 11% 58.1% $65

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Icheon

$46 2.9% 32.3% $22

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Icheon

$12 * 0.7% 77% $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 $763 in Icheon. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Icheon are about 3.2 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 Icheon. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $490 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇰🇷 Icheon

🕒 Local time

23:09 11:09 PM

13:09 1:09 PM

14 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

213,059

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

South Korean Won KRW ₩

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

10,000 KRW = 7.5 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.72 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 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.79 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 20.98 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

South Korean Won exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 1,334 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.5 USD). 1 EUR = 1,489 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.72 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Icheon 12,630 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Icheon

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 Icheon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Icheon is pricier by about 33%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $2,398 in Icheon. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Icheon, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $763 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen and $50 in Icheon. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 92% more in Icheon, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,204, than in Icheon at $1,599. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Icheon 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 $1,599 in Icheon. 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, Icheon makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.