Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Pohang and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,210 a month against $1,362 in Pohang, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

66

Cost of Living Index in Pohang
Learn more

Pohang Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

Jump to prices

Pohang

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,362

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Pohang and in Playa del Carmen actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,362 per month in Pohang vs $1,210 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Pohang $1,362
Playa del Carmen $1,210

A couple spends around $1,682 per month in Pohang vs $2,113 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Pohang $1,682
Playa del Carmen $2,113

A family of three spends $2,002 per month in Pohang vs $3,016 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Pohang $2,002
Playa del Carmen $3,016

Pohang costs about 13% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Pohang sits 1% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 10% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.91 ₩7,857

$10.76 MX$199

-45.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.55 ₩30.0K

$43.03 MX$795

-47.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.52 ₩8,675

$11.79 MX$218

-44.70%

Cappuccino

$3.02 ₩4,012

$3.87 MX$71.4

-21.96%

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

$1.48 ₩1,967

$1.37 MX$25.29

8.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.53 ₩710

$0.84 MX$15.44

-36.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.64 ₩4,836

$3.10 MX$57.3

17.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.81 ₩5,062

$5.07 MX$93.6

-24.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.36 ₩3,142

$1.44 MX$26.55

63.89%

White Bread (500g)

$3.25 ₩4,319

$2.23 MX$41.23

45.74%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.46 ₩1,940

$1.47 MX$27.17

-0.68%

Eggs

$2.73 ₩3,634

$2.53 MX$46.71

7.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.95 ₩14.6K

$7.30 MX$135

50.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.36 ₩13.8K

$7.86 MX$145

31.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$24.86 ₩33.1K

$12.79 MX$236

94.37%

Apples (1kg)

$2.20 ₩2,929

$2.90 MX$53.6

-24.14%

Banana (1kg)

$3.61 ₩4,798

$1.44 MX$26.53

150.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$7.91 ₩10.5K

$2.55 MX$47.07

210.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.92 ₩3,879

$2.06 MX$38.03

41.75%

Potato (1kg)

$5.00 ₩6,653

$2.00 MX$36.97

150.00%

Onion (1kg)

$3.41 ₩4,532

$2.01 MX$37.07

69.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.27 ₩3,015

$1.19 MX$22.02

90.76%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.34 ₩1,785

$1.26 MX$23.23

6.35%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.31 ₩4,407

$4.40 MX$81.4

-24.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.49 ₩8,631

$9.59 MX$177

-32.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.53 ₩2,031

$1.59 MX$29.41

-3.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.49 ₩4,638

$2.81 MX$51.9

24.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 MX$10.47

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.82 MX$514

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.30 ₩4,388

$4.98 MX$92.1

-33.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.58 ₩766

$3.50 MX$64.6

-83.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.64 ₩22.1K

$5.40 MX$99.8

208.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.24 ₩1,647

$1.47 MX$27.08

-15.65%

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

$29.5K ₩39.2M

$21.0K MX$387.8K

40.46%

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

$28.4K ₩37.8M

$23.9K MX$441.8K

18.79%

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

$102 ₩136.1K

$84.2 MX$1,556

21.54%

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

$36.26 ₩48.2K

$23.99 MX$443

51.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.84 ₩35.7K

$29.02 MX$536

-7.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.38 ₩40.4K

$63.0 MX$1,164

-51.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.43 ₩9,884

$29.14 MX$539

-74.50%

Cinema Ticket

$11.38 ₩15.1K

$4.94 MX$91.3

130.36%

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

$637 ₩847.5K

$204 MX$3,763

213.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.8K ₩29.0M

$3,941 MX$72.8K

452.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$105 ₩139.2K

$43.60 MX$806

140.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$64.3 ₩85.5K

$43.12 MX$797

49.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.5 ₩122.9K

$75.8 MX$1,400

22.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$111 ₩147.9K

$88.6 MX$1,637

25.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 MX$18.6K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$447 ₩594.3K

$374 MX$6,911

19.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$31.6K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,106 MX$20.4K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,944 MX$72.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,990 ₩4.0M

$6,169 MX$114.0K

-51.53%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,240 ₩3.0M

$754 MX$13.9K

197.00%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.22

11.45

-63.14%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Pohang: October 11, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Pohang

$447 32.8%

Playa del Carmen

$374 30.9% 16.3% $73

Groceries & Markets

Pohang

$386 28.3%

Playa del Carmen

$258 21.4% 33% $127

Clothing & Footwear

Pohang

$168 12.3%

Playa del Carmen

$113 9.3% 32.6% $55

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Pohang

$165 12.2%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.3% 17.1% $28

Eating Out

Pohang

$137 10.1%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.7% 47.7% $65

Sport & Entertainment

Pohang

$53 3.9%

Playa del Carmen

$73 6% 37.1% $20

Getting Around

Pohang

$6.2 * 0.5%

Playa del Carmen

$53 4.3% 751% $46

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

Cost Breakdown

Salaries run about 197% higher in Pohang, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $23.00 in Pohang versus $43.00 in Playa del Carmen. Groceries tell a different story – $386 in Pohang vs $258 in Playa del Carmen – so Playa del Carmen wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Pohang

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

12:25 12:25 PM

22:25 10:25 PM

14 h behind Pohang

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

514,869

149,923

💱 Currency

South Korean Won KRW ₩

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KRW = 7.52 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to KRW – South Korean Won Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇰🇷 South Korean Won (₩)

South Korean Won exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1,330 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.52 USD). 1 EUR = 1,495 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to KRW in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Pohang Playa del Carmen 12,640 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Pohang
Playa del Carmen

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

Pohang vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Pohang is pricier by about 13%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,043 per month in Pohang and $1,816 in Playa del Carmen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,362 in Pohang and $1,210 in Playa del Carmen. That's a gap of about 13%.

Kindergarten costs $637 per month in Pohang and $204 in Playa del Carmen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,210, than in Pohang at $1,362. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Pohang it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Playa del Carmen – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Playa del Carmen. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Pohang makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.