Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Yeosu

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,202 a month against $1,444 in Yeosu, rent and utilities included – about $2,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Playa del Carmen, Mexico
Yeosu, South Korea
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,202
/mo nomad
Yeosu
🇰🇷 South Korea
$1,444
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,202 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $1,444 in Yeosu, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $1,202
  • Yeosu $1,444

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,351 in Yeosu, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,082
  • Yeosu $2,351

A family of three spends $2,962 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $3,259 in Yeosu, rent included.

  • Playa del Carmen $2,962
  • Yeosu $3,259

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

Playa del Carmen sits 11% below the global median, while Yeosu is 7% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Yeosu
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.67 MX$199
$5.67 ₩7,602
88.18%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$43.80 MX$815
$37.32 ₩50.0K
17.36%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.79 MX$219
$6.05 ₩8,110
94.88%
Cappuccino
$3.79 MX$70.5
$3.73 ₩4,998
1.61%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.30 MX$24.14
$1.30 ₩1,749
-
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.83 MX$15.51
$0.76 ₩1,018
9.21%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.15 MX$58.6
$3.82 ₩5,116
-17.54%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.93 MX$91.8
$4.18 ₩5,610
17.94%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Yeosu
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.41 MX$26.22
$2.05 ₩2,742
-31.22%
White Bread (500g)
$2.20 MX$40.86
$2.90 ₩3,881
-24.14%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.47 MX$27.40
$3.15 ₩4,224
-53.33%
Eggs
$2.50 MX$46.46
$2.73 ₩3,654
-8.42%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.29 MX$136
$10.79 ₩14.5K
-32.44%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.95 MX$148
$10.26 ₩13.8K
-22.51%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.86 MX$239
$25.27 ₩33.9K
-49.11%
Apples (1kg)
$2.90 MX$53.9
$7.48 ₩10.0K
-61.23%
Banana (1kg)
$1.38 MX$25.74
$3.66 ₩4,909
-62.30%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.49 MX$46.35
$7.24 ₩9,709
-65.61%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.03 MX$37.77
$6.04 ₩8,099
-66.39%
Potato (1kg)
$2.02 MX$37.68
$3.81 ₩5,102
-46.98%
Onion (1kg)
$1.90 MX$35.42
$3.23 ₩4,324
-41.18%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.14 MX$21.30
$2.20 ₩2,949
-48.18%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.24 MX$23.05
$1.13 ₩1,513
9.73%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.27 MX$79.5
$3.27 ₩4,378
30.58%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.81 MX$183
$14.98 ₩20.1K
-34.51%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.59 MX$29.51
$2.18 ₩2,917
-27.06%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.75 MX$51.1
$2.21 ₩2,958
24.43%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Yeosu
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.51 MX$9.58
$1.08 ₩1,446
-52.78%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$27.39 MX$510
$41.67 ₩55.9K
-34.27%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.76 MX$88.6
$2.95 ₩3,950
61.36%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.25 MX$60.5
$0.67 ₩896
385.07%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.39 MX$100
$10.08 ₩13.5K
-46.53%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.53 MX$28.44
$1.14 ₩1,530
34.21%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.2K MX$394.8K
$31.3K ₩42.0M
-32.22%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.3K MX$432.9K
$26.5K ₩35.6M
-12.32%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Yeosu
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$83.5 MX$1,554
$182 ₩244.5K
-54.23%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$23.19 MX$431
$36.93 ₩49.5K
-37.21%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$27.61 MX$514
$22.47 ₩30.1K
22.87%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Yeosu
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$56.4 MX$1,050
$50.5 ₩67.6K
11.83%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$28.19 MX$525
$14.21 ₩19.0K
98.38%
Cinema Ticket
$5.00 MX$93.1
$10.57 ₩14.2K
-52.70%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Yeosu
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$207 MX$3,854
$370 ₩495.3K
-43.96%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,231 MX$97.3K
$18.4K ₩24.6M
-71.52%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Yeosu
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$43.45 MX$809
$56.6 ₩75.8K
-23.19%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$42.54 MX$792
$37.66 ₩50.5K
12.96%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$72.8 MX$1,354
$75.0 ₩100.5K
-2.96%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$88.4 MX$1,645
$113 ₩151.4K
-21.73%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Yeosu
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$995 MX$18.5K
$484 ₩649.4K
105.33%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$382 MX$7,116
$371 ₩496.7K
3.20%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,674 MX$31.2K
$1,228 ₩1.6M
36.35%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,081 MX$20.1K
$939 ₩1.3M
15.11%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,909 MX$72.7K
$6,962 ₩9.3M
-43.86%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,138 MX$114.2K
$5,558 ₩7.5M
10.43%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Yeosu
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$832 MX$15.5K
$2,146 ₩2.9M
-61.22%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.45
4
186.25%

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 Yeosu: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
$382
Yeosu
$371 3.1% $12
Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
$257
Yeosu
$436 69.5% $179
Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
$200
Yeosu
$144 28.1% $56
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
$134
Yeosu
$242 80.1% $108
Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
$111
Yeosu
$127 14.2% $16
Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
$66
Yeosu
$72 7.8% $5.2
Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
$50
Yeosu
$52 3.6% $1.8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $995 in Playa del Carmen versus $484 in Yeosu. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Yeosu are about 2.6 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 $37 in Yeosu. Groceries tell a different story – $257 in Playa del Carmen vs $436 in Yeosu – so Playa del Carmen wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🇰🇷 Yeosu
🕒 Local time
00:53 12:53 AM
14:53 2:53 PM
14 h ahead of Playa del Carmen
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
149,923
288,988
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

KRW, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Playa del Carmen Yeosu 12,850 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Playa del Carmen
  • Yeosu

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 Yeosu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Playa del Carmen cheaper than Yeosu?
Yes – Yeosu is pricier by about 20%, 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 $2,165 in Yeosu. 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 Yeosu, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $484 there versus $995 in Playa del Carmen.
What are total monthly expenses in Playa del Carmen and in Yeosu?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,202 in Playa del Carmen and $1,444 in Yeosu. That makes Playa del Carmen about 17% cheaper.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
Public transport costs about 34% less in Playa del Carmen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
Is it better to live in Playa del Carmen or in Yeosu?
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 $1,444 in Yeosu. 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, Yeosu makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

Playa del Carmen vs other spots: cost of living compared

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