Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Suji-gu

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,202 a month against $1,362 in Suji-gu, rent and utilities included – about $1,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Playa del Carmen, Mexico
Suji-gu, South Korea
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,202
/mo nomad
Suji-gu
🇰🇷 South Korea
$1,362
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in Suji-gu

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 Suji-gu actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,202 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,362 in Suji-gu, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $1,202
  • Suji-gu $1,362

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,251 in Suji-gu, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,082
  • Suji-gu $2,251

A family of three spends $2,962 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $3,139 in Suji-gu, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,962
  • Suji-gu $3,139

Playa del Carmen is about 12% cheaper than Suji-gu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Suji-gu
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.67 MX$199
$5.86 ₩7,845
82.08%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$43.80 MX$815
$34.38 ₩46.0K
27.40%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.79 MX$219
$6.87 ₩9,199
71.62%
Cappuccino
$3.79 MX$70.5
$3.71 ₩4,972
2.16%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.30 MX$24.14
$1.53 ₩2,046
-15.03%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.83 MX$15.51
$0.62 ₩825
33.87%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.15 MX$58.6
$3.54 ₩4,737
-11.02%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.93 MX$91.8
$4.44 ₩5,944
11.04%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Suji-gu
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.41 MX$26.22
$2.02 ₩2,702
-30.20%
White Bread (500g)
$2.20 MX$40.86
$3.05 ₩4,085
-27.87%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.47 MX$27.40
$2.63 ₩3,516
-44.11%
Eggs
$2.50 MX$46.47
$3.26 ₩4,358
-23.31%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.29 MX$136
$15.46 ₩20.7K
-52.85%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.95 MX$148
$10.41 ₩13.9K
-23.63%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.86 MX$239
$10.99 ₩14.7K
17.02%
Apples (1kg)
$2.90 MX$53.9
$6.85 ₩9,165
-57.66%
Banana (1kg)
$1.38 MX$25.74
$2.43 ₩3,257
-43.21%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.49 MX$46.36
$4.51 ₩6,043
-44.79%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.03 MX$37.78
$6.28 ₩8,405
-67.68%
Potato (1kg)
$2.02 MX$37.69
$3.35 ₩4,486
-39.70%
Onion (1kg)
$1.90 MX$35.42
$2.50 ₩3,352
-24.00%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.14 MX$21.30
$2.07 ₩2,775
-44.93%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.24 MX$23.06
$1.14 ₩1,526
8.77%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.27 MX$79.5
$3.30 ₩4,417
29.39%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.81 MX$183
$13.76 ₩18.4K
-28.71%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.59 MX$29.51
$2.30 ₩3,085
-30.87%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.75 MX$51.1
$3.20 ₩4,280
-14.06%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Suji-gu
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.51 MX$9.58
$1.09 ₩1,457
-53.21%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$27.39 MX$510
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.76 MX$88.6
$3.67 ₩4,910
29.70%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.25 MX$60.5
$0.57 ₩757
470.18%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.39 MX$100
$8.90 ₩11.9K
-39.44%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.53 MX$28.44
$1.34 ₩1,789
14.18%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.2K MX$394.8K
$29.7K ₩39.8M
-28.68%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.3K MX$432.9K
$27.9K ₩37.4M
-16.68%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Suji-gu
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$83.5 MX$1,554
$211 ₩283.0K
-60.49%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$23.19 MX$431
$35.23 ₩47.2K
-34.18%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$27.61 MX$514
$20.77 ₩27.8K
32.93%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Suji-gu
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$56.4 MX$1,050
$48.66 ₩65.2K
15.97%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$28.19 MX$525
$13.08 ₩17.5K
115.52%
Cinema Ticket
$5.00 MX$93.1
$11.11 ₩14.9K
-55.00%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Suji-gu
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$207 MX$3,854
$447 ₩598.4K
-53.66%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,231 MX$97.4K
$17.6K ₩23.5M
-70.23%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Suji-gu
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$43.45 MX$809
$62.8 ₩84.1K
-30.79%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$42.54 MX$792
$32.96 ₩44.1K
29.07%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$72.8 MX$1,354
$68.3 ₩91.5K
6.53%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$88.4 MX$1,645
$80.5 ₩107.7K
9.84%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Suji-gu
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$995 MX$18.5K
$536 ₩717.4K
85.67%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$382 MX$7,116
$369 ₩494.6K
3.53%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,674 MX$31.2K
$1,386 ₩1.9M
20.81%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,081 MX$20.1K
$1,061 ₩1.4M
1.85%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,909 MX$72.7K
$6,456 ₩8.6M
-39.46%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,138 MX$114.2K
$6,213 ₩8.3M
-1.21%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Suji-gu
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$832 MX$15.5K
$1,132 ₩1.5M
-26.47%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.45
4.08
180.64%

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 Suji-gu: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
$382
Suji-gu
$369 3.4% $13
Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
$257
Suji-gu
$386 50.1% $129
Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
$200
Suji-gu
$147 26.5% $53
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
$134
Suji-gu
$267 99.1% $133
Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
$111
Suji-gu
$110 1.1% $1.2
Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
$66
Suji-gu
$71 6.7% $4.5
Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
$50
Suji-gu
$11 * 78.5% $40

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $995 in Playa del Carmen versus $536 in Suji-gu. 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 36% higher in Suji-gu. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Playa del Carmen versus $34 in Suji-gu. Groceries tell a different story – $257 in Playa del Carmen vs $386 in Suji-gu – so Playa del Carmen wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🇰🇷 Suji-gu
🕒 Local time
07:45 7:45 AM
21:45 9:45 PM
14 h ahead of Playa del Carmen
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
149,923
374,948
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

KRW, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.86 MXN (100 MXN = 4.79 EUR).

South Korean Won exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 1,339 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.47 USD). 1 EUR = 1,501 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.66 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Playa del Carmen Suji-gu 12,640 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Playa del Carmen
  • Suji-gu

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 Suji-gu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Playa del Carmen cheaper than Suji-gu?
Yes – Suji-gu is pricier by about 13%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,804 per month in Playa del Carmen and $2,043 in Suji-gu. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Suji-gu, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $536 there versus $995 in Playa del Carmen.
What are total monthly expenses in Playa del Carmen and in Suji-gu?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,202 in Playa del Carmen and $1,362 in Suji-gu. That makes Playa del Carmen about 12% cheaper.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Kindergarten costs $207 per month in Playa del Carmen and $447 in Suji-gu. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Is $1,500 enough for either Playa del Carmen or Suji-gu?
$1,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,202 in Playa del Carmen and $1,362 in Suji-gu, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.
Is it better to live in Playa del Carmen or in Suji-gu?
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 $1,362 in Suji-gu. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Playa del Carmen. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Suji-gu makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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