Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and North Korea

For one person, living is cheaper in North Korea: $836 a month against $1,215 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $4,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,215
/mo nomad
🇰🇵 North Korea
$836
/mo nomad
😐 Solo nomad: Playa del Carmen is 21.6% more expensive than North Korea without rent, and 45.3% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Playa del Carmen is 22.5% more expensive than North Korea without rent, and 72% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
North Korea
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.97 MX$201
$2.75 $2.75
298.91%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$44.85 MX$823
$22.54 $22.54
98.98%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.92 MX$219
$19.33 $19.33
-38.33%
Cappuccino
$3.80 MX$69.9
$1.09 $1.09
248.62%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.31 MX$24.08
$2.25 $2.25
-41.78%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.86 MX$15.72
$1.28 $1.28
-32.81%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.21 MX$59.0
$13.50 $13.50
-76.22%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.01 MX$92.0
$3.46 $3.46
44.80%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
North Korea
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.46 MX$26.77
$0.90 $0.90
62.22%
White Bread (500g)
$2.33 MX$42.72
$2.52 $2.52
-7.54%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.44 MX$26.48
$1.56 $1.56
-7.69%
Eggs
$2.46 MX$45.20
$2.89 $2.89
-14.88%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.70 MX$141
$4.91 $4.91
56.82%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.89 MX$145
$3.86 $3.86
104.40%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.80 MX$235
$5.50 $5.50
132.73%
Apples (1kg)
$2.92 MX$53.6
$6.12 $6.12
-52.29%
Banana (1kg)
$1.42 MX$26.11
$5.13 $5.13
-72.32%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.57 MX$47.10
$2.28 $2.28
12.72%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.14 MX$39.24
$2.18 $2.18
-1.83%
Potato (1kg)
$1.95 MX$35.75
$4.53 $4.53
-56.95%
Onion (1kg)
$1.94 MX$35.55
$4.53 $4.53
-57.17%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.15 MX$21.13
$2.26 $2.26
-49.12%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.22 MX$22.42
$0.46 $0.46
165.22%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.38 MX$80.3
$4.52 $4.52
-3.10%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.85 MX$181
$7.94 $7.94
24.06%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.54 MX$28.23
$1.15 $1.15
33.91%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.72 MX$49.86
$2.18 $2.18
24.77%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
North Korea
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.52 MX$9.64
$1.00 $1.00
-48.00%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$27.42 MX$503
$38.72 $38.72
-29.18%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.91 MX$90.2
$1.52 $1.52
223.03%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.52 MX$64.7
$2.25 $2.25
56.44%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.69 MX$104
$39.80 $39.80
-85.70%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.54 MX$28.27
$0.71 $0.71
116.90%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.2K MX$389.9K
$22.2K $22.2K
-4.36%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.5K MX$449.6K
$27.9K $27.9K
-12.20%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
North Korea
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$83.6 MX$1,535
$33.64 $33.64
148.54%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$24.03 MX$441
$11.23 $11.23
113.98%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$29.33 MX$539
$45.44 $45.44
-35.45%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
North Korea
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$64.9 MX$1,191
$59.4 $59.4
9.15%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$29.46 MX$541
$14.41 $14.41
104.44%
Cinema Ticket
$5.09 MX$93.4
$7.78 $7.78
-34.58%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
North Korea
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$208 MX$3,813
$106 $106
96.66%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$4,045 MX$74.3K
$2,149 $2,149
88.27%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
North Korea
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$44.55 MX$818
$22.12 $22.12
101.40%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$42.06 MX$772
$28.19 $28.19
49.20%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$75.5 MX$1,387
$62.9 $62.9
20.10%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$91.4 MX$1,678
$84.7 $84.7
7.84%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
North Korea
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$986 MX$18.1K
$97.2 $97.2
914.87%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$385 MX$7,072
$104 $104
271.58%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,713 MX$31.5K
$1,399 $1,399
22.46%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,108 MX$20.4K
$208 $208
432.71%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,016 MX$73.7K
$1,684 $1,684
138.47%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,247 MX$114.7K
$1,392 $1,392
348.68%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
North Korea
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$758 MX$13.9K
$232 $232
227.04%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.45
7.11
61.04%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 4, 2026

Last update for North Korea: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
$385
North Korea
$104 73.1% $282
Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
$260
North Korea
$247 5% $13
Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
$204
North Korea
$182 10.9% $22
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
$137
North Korea
$90 34.1% $47
Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
$114
North Korea
$89 21.9% $25
Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
$75
North Korea
$75 0.1% $0.1
Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
$52
North Korea
$56 6.6% $3.5
Good to know
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🇰🇵 North Korea
🕒 Local time
05:01 5:01 AM
19:01 7:01 PM
14 h ahead of Playa del Carmen
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
149,923
26,418,204
💱 Currency
USD USD
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 18.36 MXN (100 MXN = 5.45 USD). 1 EUR = 20.57 MXN (100 MXN = 4.86 EUR).

USD exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Playa del Carmen North Korea 12,550 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Playa del Carmen
  • North Korea

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 other spots: cost of living compared

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