Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and South Korea

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,215 a month against $1,543 in South Korea, rent and utilities included – about $3,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,215
/mo nomad
🇰🇷 South Korea
$1,543
/mo nomad
🙂 Solo nomad: Playa del Carmen is 8.2% cheaper than South Korea without rent, and 21.3% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Playa del Carmen is 15.7% cheaper than South Korea without rent, and 10.9% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
South Korea
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.97 MX$201
$7.67 ₩10.3K
43.02%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$44.85 MX$823
$45.23 ₩60.6K
-0.84%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.92 MX$219
$6.43 ₩8,617
85.38%
Cappuccino
$3.80 MX$69.9
$3.92 ₩5,254
-3.06%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.31 MX$24.08
$1.64 ₩2,194
-20.12%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.86 MX$15.72
$0.83 ₩1,115
3.61%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.21 MX$59.0
$3.63 ₩4,863
-11.57%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.01 MX$92.0
$4.55 ₩6,098
10.11%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
South Korea
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.46 MX$26.77
$2.09 ₩2,804
-30.14%
White Bread (500g)
$2.33 MX$42.72
$3.02 ₩4,051
-22.85%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.44 MX$26.48
$3.38 ₩4,534
-57.40%
Eggs
$2.46 MX$45.20
$3.22 ₩4,311
-23.60%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.70 MX$141
$13.53 ₩18.1K
-43.09%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.89 MX$145
$8.81 ₩11.8K
-10.44%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.80 MX$235
$26.06 ₩34.9K
-50.88%
Apples (1kg)
$2.92 MX$53.6
$8.59 ₩11.5K
-66.01%
Banana (1kg)
$1.42 MX$26.11
$3.38 ₩4,535
-57.99%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.57 MX$47.10
$6.23 ₩8,345
-58.75%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.14 MX$39.24
$6.09 ₩8,166
-64.86%
Potato (1kg)
$1.95 MX$35.75
$3.97 ₩5,319
-50.88%
Onion (1kg)
$1.94 MX$35.55
$2.72 ₩3,645
-28.68%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.15 MX$21.13
$2.60 ₩3,484
-55.77%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.22 MX$22.42
$1.20 ₩1,608
1.67%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.38 MX$80.3
$3.38 ₩4,531
29.59%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.85 MX$181
$15.90 ₩21.3K
-38.05%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.54 MX$28.23
$2.02 ₩2,706
-23.76%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.72 MX$49.86
$2.89 ₩3,866
-5.88%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
South Korea
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.52 MX$9.64
$1.14 ₩1,529
-54.39%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$27.42 MX$503
$46.85 ₩62.8K
-41.47%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.91 MX$90.2
$3.43 ₩4,599
43.15%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.52 MX$64.7
$0.64 ₩860
450.00%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.69 MX$104
$9.10 ₩12.2K
-37.47%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.54 MX$28.27
$1.38 ₩1,852
11.59%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.2K MX$389.9K
$29.8K ₩39.9M
-28.65%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.5K MX$449.6K
$29.9K ₩40.1M
-18.11%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
South Korea
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$83.6 MX$1,535
$206 ₩275.7K
-59.36%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$24.03 MX$441
$39.21 ₩52.5K
-38.71%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$29.33 MX$539
$23.22 ₩31.1K
26.31%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
South Korea
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$64.9 MX$1,191
$52.8 ₩70.7K
22.91%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$29.46 MX$541
$16.59 ₩22.2K
77.58%
Cinema Ticket
$5.09 MX$93.4
$10.99 ₩14.7K
-53.69%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
South Korea
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$208 MX$3,813
$906 ₩1.2M
-77.09%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$4,045 MX$74.3K
$23.3K ₩31.2M
-82.64%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
South Korea
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$44.55 MX$818
$56.7 ₩76.0K
-21.46%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$42.06 MX$772
$43.14 ₩57.8K
-2.50%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$75.5 MX$1,387
$79.5 ₩106.6K
-5.02%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$91.4 MX$1,678
$96.1 ₩128.8K
-4.94%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
South Korea
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$986 MX$18.1K
$593 ₩794.3K
66.43%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$385 MX$7,072
$423 ₩566.8K
-8.94%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,713 MX$31.5K
$1,531 ₩2.1M
11.89%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,108 MX$20.4K
$922 ₩1.2M
20.18%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,016 MX$73.7K
$16.5K ₩22.1M
-75.62%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,247 MX$114.7K
$8,341 ₩11.2M
-25.11%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
South Korea
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$758 MX$13.9K
$2,293 ₩3.1M
-66.94%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.45
4.23
170.69%

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 South Korea: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
$385
South Korea
$423 9.8% $38
Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
$260
South Korea
$449 72.4% $188
Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
$204
South Korea
$165 19.2% $39
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
$137
South Korea
$268 95.8% $131
Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
$114
South Korea
$124 8.7% $9.9
Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
$75
South Korea
$75 0.4% $0.3
Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
$52
South Korea
$58 11.6% $6
Good to know
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🇰🇷 South Korea
🕒 Local time
04:00 4:00 AM
18:00 6:00 PM
14 h ahead of Playa del Carmen
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
149,923
51,466,201
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

KRW, 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 = 20.59 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 = 1,503 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.65 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Playa del Carmen South Korea 12,630 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Playa del Carmen
  • South 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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