Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Sangju

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,425 in Sangju, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 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
68

Cost of Living Index in Sangju
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Sangju Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Sangju

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,425

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,425 in Sangju, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
Sangju $1,425

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,201 in Sangju, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Sangju $2,201

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,978 in Sangju, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
Sangju $2,978

Playa del Carmen is about 15% cheaper than Sangju, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Playa del Carmen sits 12% below the global median, while Sangju is 5% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$203

$6.06 ₩8,116

80.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$808

$34.86 ₩46.7K

24.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$219

$6.84 ₩9,169

72.22%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.0

$3.65 ₩4,898

4.38%

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

$1.28 MX$23.89

$1.59 ₩2,136

-19.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.58

$0.63 ₩840

23.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.0

$3.42 ₩4,579

-7.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$91.9

$4.39 ₩5,883

12.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.20

$2.23 ₩2,986

-36.77%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.30

$3.21 ₩4,303

-30.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.40

$2.36 ₩3,164

-39.83%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.00

$3.26 ₩4,373

-22.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$135

$15.90 ₩21.3K

-54.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$143

$7.99 ₩10.7K

-3.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$236

$11.16 ₩15.0K

13.71%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$51.9

$7.78 ₩10.4K

-64.27%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.49

$3.27 ₩4,388

-58.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.52

$7.55 ₩10.1K

-66.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.55

$7.20 ₩9,652

-70.56%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.11

$3.53 ₩4,736

-45.04%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.13

$2.45 ₩3,291

-22.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.36

$2.07 ₩2,777

-44.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$21.96

$1.29 ₩1,723

-8.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.0

$3.44 ₩4,610

25.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$185

$18.78 ₩25.2K

-47.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.50

$2.29 ₩3,069

-31.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$49.76

$3.45 ₩4,627

-22.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.31

$1.11 ₩1,488

-50.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$496

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$92.6

$3.71 ₩4,976

33.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.1

$0.66 ₩889

404.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$99.8

$9.11 ₩12.2K

-41.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$26.90

$1.35 ₩1,811

6.67%

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

$20.7K MX$385.0K

$30.0K ₩40.2M

-31.08%

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

$23.5K MX$437.2K

$35.2K ₩47.2M

-33.36%

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

$84.8 MX$1,580

$210 ₩280.9K

-59.54%

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

$23.41 MX$436

$43.44 ₩58.2K

-46.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$534

$20.80 ₩27.9K

37.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,063

$53.6 ₩71.9K

6.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$539

$14.02 ₩18.8K

106.21%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$95.7

$11.28 ₩15.1K

-54.43%

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

$207 MX$3,848

$300 ₩402.2K

-31.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.2K

$17.8K ₩23.9M

-77.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$808

$66.3 ₩88.8K

-34.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$772

$64.5 ₩86.5K

-35.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,382

$73.8 ₩99.0K

0.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,663

$100 ₩134.1K

-10.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.2K

$483 ₩647.7K

102.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,095

$361 ₩483.8K

5.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.8K

$1,157 ₩1.6M

47.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.0K

$739 ₩989.9K

45.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$73.5K

$7,248 ₩9.7M

-45.60%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$114.7K

$5,516 ₩7.4M

11.64%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.7K

$1,492 ₩2.0M

-50.78%

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 25, 2026

Last update for Sangju: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

Sangju

$361 25.3% 5.2% $20

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

Sangju

$418 29.3% 64% $163

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

Sangju

$148 10.4% 27.1% $55

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

Sangju

$274 19.2% 100% $137

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

Sangju

$137 9.6% 22.7% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

Sangju

$76 5.4% 13.1% $8.9

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Sangju

$11 * 0.8% 77.3% $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 $483 in Sangju. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Sangju are about 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 $35 in Sangju. Groceries tell a different story – $255 in Playa del Carmen vs $418 in Sangju – so Playa del Carmen wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇰🇷 Sangju

🕒 Local time

21:14 9:14 PM

11:14 11:14 AM

14 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

100,947

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

South Korean Won KRW ₩

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

10,000 KRW = 7.46 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.7 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 29, 2026: 1 USD = 18.63 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.74 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

South Korean Won exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 1,340 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.46 USD). 1 EUR = 1,492 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.7 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Playa del Carmen Sangju 12,670 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Sangju

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 Sangju: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Sangju is pricier by about 18%, 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 $2,137 in Sangju. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Sangju, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $483 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,204 in Playa del Carmen and $1,425 in Sangju. That makes Playa del Carmen about 15% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $207 per month in Playa del Carmen and $300 in Sangju. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

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 $1,425 in Sangju. 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, Sangju makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.