Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Songdo-dong

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,202 a month against $1,415 in Songdo-dong, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
67

Cost of Living Index in Songdo-dong
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Songdo-dong Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Songdo-dong

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,415

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Songdo-dong

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 Songdo-dong actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,202 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,415 in Songdo-dong, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,202
Songdo-dong $1,415

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,248 in Songdo-dong, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
Songdo-dong $2,248

A family of three spends $2,962 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $3,080 in Songdo-dong, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,962
Songdo-dong $3,080

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

Playa del Carmen sits 11% below the global median, while Songdo-dong is 5% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.67 MX$199

$5.86 ₩7,858

82.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.80 MX$815

$35.02 ₩46.9K

25.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 MX$219

$6.60 ₩8,850

78.64%

Cappuccino

$3.79 MX$70.5

$3.71 ₩4,980

2.16%

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

$1.30 MX$24.14

$1.58 ₩2,112

-17.72%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 MX$15.51

$0.62 ₩831

33.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 MX$58.6

$3.04 ₩4,079

3.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$91.8

$4.56 ₩6,117

8.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.22

$2.28 ₩3,058

-38.16%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 MX$40.86

$3.07 ₩4,109

-28.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 MX$27.40

$2.62 ₩3,515

-43.89%

Eggs

$2.50 MX$46.46

$3.29 ₩4,415

-24.01%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.29 MX$136

$15.41 ₩20.7K

-52.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.95 MX$148

$10.39 ₩13.9K

-23.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.86 MX$239

$11.08 ₩14.8K

16.06%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 MX$53.9

$6.99 ₩9,367

-58.51%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 MX$25.74

$2.45 ₩3,287

-43.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 MX$46.35

$4.47 ₩5,998

-44.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.77

$6.96 ₩9,331

-70.83%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.68

$3.25 ₩4,362

-37.85%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 MX$35.42

$2.55 ₩3,421

-25.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 MX$21.30

$2.03 ₩2,720

-43.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 MX$23.05

$1.47 ₩1,972

-15.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 MX$79.5

$3.43 ₩4,603

24.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.81 MX$183

$13.63 ₩18.3K

-28.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.51

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 MX$51.1

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.58

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$510

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.76 MX$88.6

$3.54 ₩4,751

34.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.25 MX$60.5

$0.66 ₩883

392.42%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 MX$100

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 MX$28.44

$1.41 ₩1,884

8.51%

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

$21.2K MX$394.8K

$28.8K ₩38.6M

-26.36%

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

$23.3K MX$432.9K

$35.8K ₩47.9M

-34.93%

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

$83.5 MX$1,554

$214 ₩286.7K

-60.96%

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

$23.19 MX$431

$42.76 ₩57.3K

-45.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.61 MX$514

$21.06 ₩28.2K

31.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,050

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$525

Cinema Ticket

$5.00 MX$93.1

$11.11 ₩14.9K

-55.00%

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

$207 MX$3,854

$367 ₩491.9K

-43.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,231 MX$97.3K

$17.6K ₩23.6M

-70.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.45 MX$809

$66.3 ₩88.8K

-34.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.54 MX$792

$63.7 ₩85.4K

-33.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.8 MX$1,354

$75.3 ₩100.9K

-3.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.4 MX$1,645

$100.0 ₩134.0K

-11.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 MX$18.5K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 MX$7,116

$448 ₩600.6K

-14.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,674 MX$31.2K

$1,934 ₩2.6M

-13.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 MX$20.1K

$1,048 ₩1.4M

3.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,909 MX$72.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,138 MX$114.2K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.5K

$3,341 ₩4.5M

-75.09%

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 Songdo-dong: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8%

Songdo-dong

$448 31.7% 17.2% $66

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4%

Songdo-dong

$379 * 26.8% 47.1% $121

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7%

Songdo-dong

$144 10.2% 27.9% $56

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2%

Songdo-dong

$278 19.6% 107% $143

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3%

Songdo-dong

$137 9.7% 23.5% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5%

Songdo-dong

$22 * 1.6% 66.6% $44

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

Songdo-dong

$6.8 * 0.5% 86.4% $44

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

Cost Breakdown

Salaries in Songdo-dong are about 4 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Playa del Carmen versus $35 in Songdo-dong. Groceries tell a different story – $257 in Playa del Carmen vs $379 in Songdo-dong – so Playa del Carmen wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇰🇷 Songdo-dong

🕒 Local time

01:47 1:47 AM

15:47 3:47 PM

14 h ahead of Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

South Korean Won KRW ₩

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

10,000 KRW = 7.46 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.63 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 November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.95 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

South Korean Won exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 1,341 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.46 USD). 1 EUR = 1,509 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.63 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen Songdo-dong 12,660 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
Songdo-dong

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 Songdo-dong: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Songdo-dong is pricier by about 18%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,804 per month in Playa del Carmen and $2,123 in Songdo-dong. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,202 in Playa del Carmen and $1,415 in Songdo-dong. That makes Playa del Carmen about 15% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $207 per month in Playa del Carmen and $367 in Songdo-dong. 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 $1,202 in Playa del Carmen to $1,415 in Songdo-dong. 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, Songdo-dong makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.