Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Mokpo

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,202 a month against $1,406 in Mokpo, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Playa del Carmen, Mexico
Mokpo, South Korea
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,202
/mo nomad
Mokpo
🇰🇷 South Korea
$1,406
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,202 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,406 in Mokpo, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $1,202
  • Mokpo $1,406

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,304 in Mokpo, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,082
  • Mokpo $2,304

A family of three spends $2,962 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $3,202 in Mokpo, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,962
  • Mokpo $3,202

Playa del Carmen is about 14% cheaper than Mokpo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Playa del Carmen sits 11% below the global median, while Mokpo is 4% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Mokpo
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.67 MX$201
$7.40 ₩9,949
44.19%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$43.80 MX$824
$37.40 ₩50.3K
17.11%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.79 MX$222
$6.67 ₩8,969
76.76%
Cappuccino
$3.79 MX$71.2
$3.55 ₩4,775
6.76%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.30 MX$24.41
$1.58 ₩2,128
-17.72%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.83 MX$15.69
$0.69 ₩921
20.29%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.15 MX$59.2
$3.38 ₩4,544
-6.80%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.93 MX$92.9
$4.16 ₩5,594
18.51%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Mokpo
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.41 MX$26.51
$2.14 ₩2,882
-34.11%
White Bread (500g)
$2.20 MX$41.32
$3.15 ₩4,231
-30.16%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.47 MX$27.71
$2.73 ₩3,674
-46.15%
Eggs
$2.50 MX$46.99
$2.62 ₩3,525
-4.58%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.29 MX$137
$10.55 ₩14.2K
-30.90%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.95 MX$150
$10.58 ₩14.2K
-24.86%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.86 MX$242
$21.61 ₩29.0K
-40.49%
Apples (1kg)
$2.90 MX$54.5
$7.48 ₩10.1K
-61.23%
Banana (1kg)
$1.38 MX$26.03
$3.03 ₩4,068
-54.46%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.49 MX$46.88
$5.30 ₩7,120
-53.02%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.03 MX$38.20
$5.35 ₩7,184
-62.06%
Potato (1kg)
$2.02 MX$38.11
$3.75 ₩5,042
-46.13%
Onion (1kg)
$1.90 MX$35.82
$2.71 ₩3,639
-29.89%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.14 MX$21.54
$2.75 ₩3,700
-58.55%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.24 MX$23.32
$1.25 ₩1,677
-0.80%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.27 MX$80.4
$3.25 ₩4,364
31.38%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.81 MX$185
$13.48 ₩18.1K
-27.23%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.59 MX$29.85
$2.35 ₩3,159
-32.34%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.75 MX$51.7
$3.62 ₩4,861
-24.03%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Mokpo
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.51 MX$9.69
$1.00 ₩1,341
-49.00%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$27.39 MX$515
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.76 MX$89.6
$4.09 ₩5,490
16.38%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.25 MX$61.1
$0.59 ₩794
450.85%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.39 MX$101
$9.80 ₩13.2K
-45.00%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.53 MX$28.76
$1.41 ₩1,901
8.51%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.2K MX$399.2K
$30.2K ₩40.6M
-29.83%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.3K MX$437.8K
$30.1K ₩40.5M
-22.78%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Mokpo
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$83.5 MX$1,571
$207 ₩277.8K
-59.61%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$23.19 MX$436
$35.80 ₩48.1K
-35.22%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$27.61 MX$520
$22.26 ₩29.9K
24.03%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Mokpo
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$56.4 MX$1,062
$50.6 ₩68.0K
11.48%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$28.19 MX$531
$12.38 ₩16.6K
127.71%
Cinema Ticket
$5.00 MX$94.1
$11.94 ₩16.0K
-58.12%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Mokpo
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$207 MX$3,897
$416 ₩559.3K
-50.25%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,231 MX$98.4K
$22.6K ₩30.4M
-76.90%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Mokpo
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$43.45 MX$818
$62.6 ₩84.1K
-30.57%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$42.54 MX$801
$62.0 ₩83.3K
-31.42%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$72.8 MX$1,369
$74.6 ₩100.2K
-2.45%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$88.4 MX$1,663
$109 ₩147.0K
-19.20%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Mokpo
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$995 MX$18.7K
$533 ₩716.0K
86.69%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$382 MX$7,197
$344 ₩462.9K
11.02%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,674 MX$31.5K
$1,118 ₩1.5M
49.72%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,081 MX$20.3K
$940 ₩1.3M
14.94%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,909 MX$73.6K
$6,862 ₩9.2M
-43.04%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,138 MX$115.5K
$5,612 ₩7.5M
9.36%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Mokpo
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$832 MX$15.7K
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.45
4.1
179.27%

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 Mokpo: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
$382
Mokpo
$344 9.9% $38
Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
$257
Mokpo
$416 61.6% $158
Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
$200
Mokpo
$156 22% $44
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
$134
Mokpo
$265 97.2% $130
Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
$111
Mokpo
$139 24.9% $28
Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
$66
Mokpo
$74 12.1% $8
Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
$50
Mokpo
$11 * 78.1% $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 $533 in Mokpo. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Playa del Carmen versus $37 in Mokpo. Groceries tell a different story – $257 in Playa del Carmen vs $416 in Mokpo – so Playa del Carmen wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🇰🇷 Mokpo
🕒 Local time
01:49 1:49 AM
15:49 3:49 PM
14 h ahead of Playa del Carmen
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
149,923
237,739
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

KRW, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 18.82 MXN (100 MXN = 5.31 USD). 1 EUR = 21.05 MXN (100 MXN = 4.75 EUR).

South Korean Won exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 1,344 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.44 USD). 1 EUR = 1,503 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.65 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Playa del Carmen Mokpo 12,910 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Playa del Carmen
  • Mokpo

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 Mokpo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Playa del Carmen cheaper than Mokpo?
Yes – Mokpo is pricier by about 17%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,804 per month in Playa del Carmen and $2,109 in Mokpo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Mokpo, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $533 there versus $995 in Playa del Carmen.
What are total monthly expenses in Playa del Carmen and in Mokpo?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,202 in Playa del Carmen and $1,406 in Mokpo. That makes Playa del Carmen about 14% cheaper.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Kindergarten costs $207 per month in Playa del Carmen and $416 in Mokpo. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Is it better to live in Playa del Carmen or in Mokpo?
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 $1,406 in Mokpo. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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