Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seogwipo and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,202 a month against $1,435 in Seogwipo, rent and utilities included – about $2,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

68

Cost of Living Index in Seogwipo
Learn more

Seogwipo Living Index
57

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

Jump to prices

Seogwipo

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,435

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Seogwipo 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 Seogwipo and in Playa del Carmen actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,435 per month in Seogwipo vs $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Seogwipo $1,435
Playa del Carmen $1,202

A couple spends around $2,282 per month in Seogwipo vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Seogwipo $2,282
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $3,129 per month in Seogwipo vs $2,962 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Seogwipo $3,129
Playa del Carmen $2,962

Seogwipo costs about 19% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Seogwipo sits 6% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 11% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.30 ₩9,899

$10.67 MX$200

-31.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.72 ₩51.2K

$43.80 MX$819

-13.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.69 ₩9,076

$11.79 MX$220

-43.26%

Cappuccino

$3.67 ₩4,979

$3.79 MX$70.8

-3.17%

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

$1.54 ₩2,091

$1.30 MX$24.26

18.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.74 ₩997

$0.83 MX$15.59

-10.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.49 ₩4,738

$3.15 MX$58.9

10.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.28 ₩5,803

$4.93 MX$92.3

-13.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.18 ₩2,952

$1.41 MX$26.35

54.61%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₩4,100

$2.20 MX$41.07

37.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.67 ₩3,627

$1.47 MX$27.54

81.63%

Eggs

$2.32 ₩3,152

$2.50 MX$46.70

-7.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.23 ₩13.9K

$7.29 MX$136

40.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.65 ₩13.1K

$7.95 MX$149

21.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.92 ₩31.1K

$12.86 MX$241

78.23%

Apples (1kg)

$7.58 ₩10.3K

$2.90 MX$54.2

161.38%

Banana (1kg)

$3.23 ₩4,385

$1.38 MX$25.87

134.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.71 ₩7,753

$2.49 MX$46.59

129.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.76 ₩7,809

$2.03 MX$37.97

183.74%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₩5,156

$2.02 MX$37.88

88.12%

Onion (1kg)

$2.42 ₩3,285

$1.90 MX$35.60

27.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.96 ₩4,022

$1.14 MX$21.41

159.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 ₩1,622

$1.24 MX$23.17

-3.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.93 ₩3,976

$4.27 MX$79.9

-31.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.48 ₩18.3K

$9.81 MX$184

37.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.39 ₩3,239

$1.59 MX$29.66

50.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ₩4,983

$2.75 MX$51.3

33.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.24 ₩1,686

$0.51 MX$9.63

143.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$512

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.95 ₩5,365

$4.76 MX$89.1

-17.02%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ₩775

$3.25 MX$60.8

-82.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.93 ₩12.1K

$5.39 MX$101

65.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.37 ₩1,865

$1.53 MX$28.58

-10.46%

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

$29.6K ₩40.2M

$21.2K MX$396.8K

39.51%

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

$30.2K ₩41.0M

$23.3K MX$435.1K

29.91%

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

$185 ₩250.8K

$83.5 MX$1,562

121.44%

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

$38.67 ₩52.5K

$23.19 MX$434

66.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.90 ₩25.6K

$27.61 MX$516

-31.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.13 ₩63.9K

$56.4 MX$1,056

-16.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.06 ₩16.4K

$28.19 MX$527

-57.22%

Cinema Ticket

$11.65 ₩15.8K

$5.00 MX$93.5

133.00%

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

$456 ₩618.8K

$207 MX$3,873

120.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K ₩29.2M

$5,231 MX$97.8K

311.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.1 ₩72.0K

$43.45 MX$813

22.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$65.1 ₩88.3K

$42.54 MX$796

52.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 ₩115.0K

$72.8 MX$1,361

16.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.5 ₩124.2K

$88.4 MX$1,653

3.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$524 ₩711.5K

$995 MX$18.6K

-47.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$402 ₩546.0K

$382 MX$7,152

5.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 ₩1.9M

$1,674 MX$31.3K

-16.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$899 ₩1.2M

$1,081 MX$20.2K

-16.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,846 ₩10.6M

$3,909 MX$73.1K

100.74%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,101 ₩6.9M

$6,138 MX$114.8K

-16.89%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,134 ₩1.5M

$832 MX$15.6K

36.20%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.1

11.45

-64.19%

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

Last update for Seogwipo: November 1, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Seogwipo

$417 29.1%

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4% 38.3% $160

Accommodation & Living

Seogwipo

$402 28.1%

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8% 5% $20

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seogwipo

$242 16.9%

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2% 44.6% $108

Eating Out

Seogwipo

$158 11%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7% 27.1% $43

Clothing & Footwear

Seogwipo

$133 9.2%

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3% 16.1% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Seogwipo

$70 4.9%

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5% 5.7% $4

Getting Around

Seogwipo

$12 * 0.8%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 328% $39

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $524 in Seogwipo versus $995 in Playa del Carmen. 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 Seogwipo. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $38 in Seogwipo versus $44 in Playa del Carmen. Groceries tell a different story – $417 in Seogwipo vs $257 in Playa del Carmen – so Playa del Carmen wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Seogwipo

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

22:33 10:33 PM

08:33 8:33 AM

14 h behind Seogwipo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

155,641

149,923

💱 Currency

South Korean Won KRW ₩

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KRW = 7.37 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.56 EUR

100 MXN = 5.35 USD

100 MXN = 4.76 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 November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 1,357 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.37 USD). 1 EUR = 1,524 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.56 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 18.7 MXN (100 MXN = 5.35 USD). 1 EUR = 21.01 MXN (100 MXN = 4.76 EUR).

USD to KRW in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Seogwipo Playa del Carmen 13,040 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Seogwipo
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

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

Yes – Seogwipo is pricier by about 19%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,152 per month in Seogwipo and $1,804 in Playa del Carmen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Seogwipo, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $524 there versus $995 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,435 in Seogwipo and $1,202 in Playa del Carmen. That makes Playa del Carmen about 16% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $456 per month in Seogwipo and $207 in Playa del Carmen. 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 $1,435 in Seogwipo. 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, Seogwipo makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.