Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Jeonju

For one person, living costs are similar in Playa del Carmen and in Jeonju: $1,204 and $1,149 a month, rent and utilities included.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
55

Cost of Living Index in Jeonju
Learn more

Jeonju Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Jeonju

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,149

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,204 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,149 in Jeonju.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Jeonju $1,149

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,082 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,796 in Jeonju.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Jeonju $1,796

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,959 in Playa del Carmen versus $2,443 in Jeonju.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Jeonju $2,443

Living in Playa del Carmen is roughly 5% more expensive than in Jeonju, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Playa del Carmen 12% lower, Jeonju 16% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$204

$7.48 ₩9,930

45.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$810

$22.90 ₩30.4K

89.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$220

$5.43 ₩7,201

116.94%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.2

$3.81 ₩5,052

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

$1.28 MX$23.96

$1.12 ₩1,485

14.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.63

$0.61 ₩814

27.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.2

$2.85 ₩3,781

11.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.2

$4.16 ₩5,524

18.51%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.28

$2.15 ₩2,851

-34.42%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.43

$2.30 ₩3,058

-3.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.48

$3.12 ₩4,136

-54.49%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.14

$2.30 ₩3,054

9.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$136

$10.99 ₩14.6K

-33.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$144

$10.53 ₩14.0K

-26.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$237

$25.57 ₩33.9K

-50.37%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.0

$11.45 ₩15.2K

-75.72%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.56

$3.33 ₩4,419

-58.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.66

$8.37 ₩11.1K

-69.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.67

$4.61 ₩6,123

-54.01%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.22

$6.20 ₩8,220

-68.71%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.24

$2.29 ₩3,039

-17.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.42

$2.91 ₩3,861

-60.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.03

$0.77 ₩1,019

53.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.3

$3.47 ₩4,607

23.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$186

$18.83 ₩25.0K

-47.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.59

$1.49 ₩1,974

6.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$49.91

$3.51 ₩4,654

-23.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.34

$1.22 ₩1,615

-54.92%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$497

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$92.9

$3.32 ₩4,407

49.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.2

$0.76 ₩1,010

338.16%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$100

$16.74 ₩22.2K

-67.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.98

$1.21 ₩1,612

19.01%

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

$20.7K MX$386.2K

$39.1K ₩51.9M

-47.14%

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

$23.5K MX$438.5K

$34.6K ₩46.0M

-32.25%

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

$84.8 MX$1,584

$72.0 ₩95.5K

17.76%

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

$23.41 MX$437

$30.65 ₩40.7K

-23.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$535

$27.49 ₩36.5K

4.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,066

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$540

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.0

$11.98 ₩15.9K

-57.10%

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

$207 MX$3,860

$638 ₩846.6K

-67.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.4K

$22.0K ₩29.2M

-82.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$810

$105 ₩138.7K

-58.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$774

$64.9 ₩86.1K

-36.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,386

$44.53 ₩59.1K

66.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,668

$37.95 ₩50.4K

135.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.3K

$266 ₩352.3K

268.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,116

$259 ₩344.3K

46.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.1K

$460 ₩609.8K

133.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.7K

$2,295 ₩3.0M

-68.00%

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 Jeonju: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Jeonju

$259 22.6% 31.9% $121

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Jeonju

$458 39.9% 79.9% $204

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Jeonju

$151 13.2% 25.2% $51

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Jeonju

$130 11.3% 4.9% $6.7

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Jeonju

$113 9.9% 1.5% $1.7

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Jeonju

$24 * 2.1% 64.4% $43

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Jeonju

$12 * 1% 76.2% $38

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $980 in Playa del Carmen and $266 in Jeonju. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Jeonju pays about 3.1 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 $23 in Jeonju. Groceries flip the comparison at $255 vs $458, with Playa del Carmen cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇰🇷 Jeonju

🕒 Local time

06:19 6:19 AM

20:19 8:19 PM

14 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

653,387

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

South Korean Won KRW ₩

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.35 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

10,000 KRW = 7.54 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.77 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.69 MXN (100 MXN = 5.35 USD). 1 EUR = 20.8 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

South Korean Won exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1,327 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.54 USD). 1 EUR = 1,477 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.77 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

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

From you

Playa del Carmen
Jeonju

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 Jeonju: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Jeonju is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, leisure, and transport. The 5% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 68% 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 $266 in Jeonju. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $207 in Playa del Carmen versus $638 in Jeonju. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Jeonju – a meal for two runs $23 versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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