Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Pangyo

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,215 a month against $1,460 in Pangyo, rent and utilities included – about $2,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

60

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index
72

Cost of Living Index in Pangyo
Learn more

Pangyo Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,215

/mo nomad

Pangyo

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,460

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,215 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,460 in Pangyo, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,215
Pangyo $1,460

A couple spends around $2,144 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,303 in Pangyo, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,144
Pangyo $2,303

A family of three spends $3,072 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $3,145 in Pangyo, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $3,072
Pangyo $3,145

Playa del Carmen is about 17% cheaper than Pangyo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Playa del Carmen sits 9% below the global median, while Pangyo is 9% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.97 MX$201

$7.17 ₩9,612

53.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.85 MX$823

$30.05 ₩40.3K

49.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.92 MX$219

$6.54 ₩8,768

82.26%

Cappuccino

$3.80 MX$69.9

$4.03 ₩5,394

-5.71%

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

$1.31 MX$24.08

$1.51 ₩2,023

-13.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.86 MX$15.72

$0.71 ₩953

21.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.21 MX$59.0

$2.96 ₩3,973

8.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.01 MX$92.0

$3.98 ₩5,335

25.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.46 MX$26.77

$2.30 ₩3,084

-36.52%

White Bread (500g)

$2.33 MX$42.72

$3.19 ₩4,274

-26.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.44 MX$26.48

$2.74 ₩3,674

-47.45%

Eggs

$2.46 MX$45.20

$2.69 ₩3,607

-8.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.70 MX$141

$10.88 ₩14.6K

-29.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.89 MX$145

$7.91 ₩10.6K

-0.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.80 MX$235

$21.43 ₩28.7K

-40.27%

Apples (1kg)

$2.92 MX$53.6

$7.68 ₩10.3K

-61.98%

Banana (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.11

$3.62 ₩4,847

-60.77%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.57 MX$47.10

$7.50 ₩10.1K

-65.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 MX$39.24

$6.11 ₩8,182

-64.98%

Potato (1kg)

$1.95 MX$35.75

$3.62 ₩4,848

-46.13%

Onion (1kg)

$1.94 MX$35.55

$2.68 ₩3,587

-27.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.13

$2.78 ₩3,732

-58.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 MX$22.42

$1.28 ₩1,715

-4.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.38 MX$80.3

$3.45 ₩4,624

26.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.85 MX$181

$18.84 ₩25.3K

-47.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 MX$28.23

$2.29 ₩3,071

-32.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.72 MX$49.86

$3.46 ₩4,639

-21.39%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.52 MX$9.64

$1.10 ₩1,476

-52.73%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.42 MX$503

$47.53 ₩63.7K

-42.31%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.91 MX$90.2

$3.36 ₩4,504

46.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.52 MX$64.7

$0.66 ₩882

433.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.69 MX$104

$13.05 ₩17.5K

-56.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 MX$28.27

$1.41 ₩1,887

9.22%

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

$21.2K MX$389.9K

$30.8K ₩41.2M

-30.94%

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

$24.5K MX$449.6K

$38.4K ₩51.4M

-36.22%

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

$83.6 MX$1,535

$199 ₩266.8K

-58.01%

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

$24.03 MX$441

$36.74 ₩49.2K

-34.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.33 MX$539

$22.15 ₩29.7K

32.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.9 MX$1,191

$51.2 ₩68.6K

26.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.46 MX$541

$11.91 ₩16.0K

147.36%

Cinema Ticket

$5.09 MX$93.4

$11.13 ₩14.9K

-54.27%

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

$208 MX$3,813

$526 ₩704.4K

-60.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,045 MX$74.3K

$21.7K ₩29.0M

-81.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.55 MX$818

$65.7 ₩88.0K

-32.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.06 MX$772

$64.1 ₩85.9K

-34.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.5 MX$1,387

$74.5 ₩99.8K

1.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.4 MX$1,678

$101 ₩135.3K

-9.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$986 MX$18.1K

$478 ₩641.1K

106.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$385 MX$7,072

$361 ₩483.8K

6.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,713 MX$31.5K

$1,182 ₩1.6M

44.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,108 MX$20.4K

$735 ₩985.5K

50.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,016 MX$73.7K

$7,053 ₩9.5M

-43.06%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,247 MX$114.7K

$5,546 ₩7.4M

12.65%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$758 MX$13.9K

$5,262 ₩7.1M

-85.59%

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: October 4, 2026

Last update for Pangyo: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$385 31.4%

Pangyo

$361 24.4% 6.3% $24

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$260 21.2%

Pangyo

$433 29.3% 66.2% $172

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$204 16.6%

Pangyo

$157 10.6% 23% $47

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.2%

Pangyo

$258 17.5% 88.4% $121

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$114 9.3%

Pangyo

$137 9.3% 20.4% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$75 6.1%

Pangyo

$73 5% 2.1% $1.6

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$52 4.2%

Pangyo

$59 4% 12.6% $6.6

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $986 in Playa del Carmen versus $478 in Pangyo. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 594% higher in Pangyo, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $45.00 in Playa del Carmen versus $30.00 in Pangyo. Groceries tell a different story – $260 in Playa del Carmen vs $433 in Pangyo – so Playa del Carmen wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇰🇷 Pangyo

🕒 Local time

08:06 8:06 AM

22:06 10:06 PM

14 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

South Korean Won KRW ₩

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.45 USD

100 MXN = 4.86 EUR

10,000 KRW = 7.46 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.66 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 18.36 MXN (100 MXN = 5.45 USD). 1 EUR = 20.57 MXN (100 MXN = 4.86 EUR).

South Korean Won exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1,340 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.46 USD). 1 EUR = 1,502 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.66 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Pangyo 12,640 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Pangyo

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 Pangyo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Pangyo is pricier by about 20%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,823 per month in Playa del Carmen and $2,191 in Pangyo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Playa del Carmen, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 73% less in Playa del Carmen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $208 per month in Playa del Carmen and $526 in Pangyo. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,215, than in Pangyo at $1,460. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Pangyo it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Playa del Carmen – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Playa del Carmen. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Pangyo makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.