Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seongnam and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,202 a month against $1,413 in Seongnam, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

67

Cost of Living Index in Seongnam
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Seongnam Living Index
57

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

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Seongnam

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,413

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,413 per month in Seongnam vs $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Seongnam $1,413
Playa del Carmen $1,202

A couple spends around $2,344 per month in Seongnam vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Seongnam $2,344
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $3,274 per month in Seongnam vs $2,962 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Seongnam $3,274
Playa del Carmen $2,962

Seongnam costs about 18% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Seongnam sits 5% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 11% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.81 ₩9,112

$10.67 MX$199

-36.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.39 ₩54.1K

$43.80 MX$815

-7.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.59 ₩8,821

$11.79 MX$219

-44.11%

Cappuccino

$4.09 ₩5,470

$3.79 MX$70.5

7.92%

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

$1.61 ₩2,151

$1.30 MX$24.14

23.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.79 ₩1,061

$0.83 MX$15.51

-4.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.43 ₩4,593

$3.15 MX$58.6

8.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ₩4,896

$4.93 MX$91.8

-25.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.20 ₩2,940

$1.41 MX$26.22

56.03%

White Bread (500g)

$3.16 ₩4,235

$2.20 MX$40.86

43.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.74 ₩5,006

$1.47 MX$27.40

154.42%

Eggs

$3.68 ₩4,926

$2.50 MX$46.47

47.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.50 ₩12.7K

$7.29 MX$136

30.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.84 ₩10.5K

$7.95 MX$148

-1.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.49 ₩28.8K

$12.86 MX$239

67.11%

Apples (1kg)

$7.68 ₩10.3K

$2.90 MX$53.9

164.83%

Banana (1kg)

$3.43 ₩4,588

$1.38 MX$25.74

148.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.77 ₩7,722

$2.49 MX$46.36

131.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$7.09 ₩9,499

$2.03 MX$37.78

249.26%

Potato (1kg)

$3.59 ₩4,811

$2.02 MX$37.69

77.72%

Onion (1kg)

$2.57 ₩3,440

$1.90 MX$35.42

35.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.84 ₩3,804

$1.14 MX$21.30

149.12%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 ₩1,707

$1.24 MX$23.06

2.42%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.27 ₩4,373

$4.27 MX$79.5

-23.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.62 ₩18.2K

$9.81 MX$183

38.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.05 ₩2,749

$1.59 MX$29.51

28.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 ₩2,455

$2.75 MX$51.1

-33.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.04 ₩1,393

$0.51 MX$9.58

103.92%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$510

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.61 ₩4,840

$4.76 MX$88.6

-24.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.61 ₩823

$3.25 MX$60.5

-81.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.85 ₩11.8K

$5.39 MX$100

64.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 ₩1,801

$1.53 MX$28.44

-11.76%

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

$29.5K ₩39.5M

$21.2K MX$394.8K

39.08%

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

$27.8K ₩37.2M

$23.3K MX$432.9K

19.32%

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

$211 ₩282.2K

$83.5 MX$1,554

152.49%

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

$36.70 ₩49.1K

$23.19 MX$431

58.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.66 ₩27.7K

$27.61 MX$514

-25.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.2 ₩68.5K

$56.4 MX$1,050

-9.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.39 ₩17.9K

$28.19 MX$525

-52.50%

Cinema Ticket

$11.25 ₩15.1K

$5.00 MX$93.1

125.00%

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

$444 ₩593.8K

$207 MX$3,854

114.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K ₩23.5M

$5,231 MX$97.4K

235.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.9 ₩84.2K

$43.45 MX$809

44.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.99 ₩44.2K

$42.54 MX$792

-22.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.3 ₩91.4K

$72.8 MX$1,354

-6.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$80.9 ₩108.4K

$88.4 MX$1,645

-8.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$488 ₩653.3K

$995 MX$18.5K

-50.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$376 ₩503.9K

$382 MX$7,116

-1.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,250 ₩1.7M

$1,674 MX$31.2K

-25.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,051 ₩1.4M

$1,081 MX$20.1K

-2.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,009 ₩9.4M

$3,909 MX$72.7K

79.33%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,574 ₩7.5M

$6,138 MX$114.2K

-9.19%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.08

11.45

-64.37%

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

Last update for Seongnam: November 3, 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

Seongnam

$417 29.5%

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4% 38.2% $159

Accommodation & Living

Seongnam

$376 26.6%

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8% 1.6% $6.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seongnam

$268 19%

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2% 49.9% $134

Eating Out

Seongnam

$157 11.1%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7% 27.3% $43

Clothing & Footwear

Seongnam

$110 7.8%

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3% 0.8% $0.9

Sport & Entertainment

Seongnam

$74 5.2%

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5% 9.8% $7.2

Getting Around

Seongnam

$11 * 0.8%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 365% $40

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $488 in Seongnam 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $40 in Seongnam versus $44 in Playa del Carmen. Groceries tell a different story – $417 in Seongnam vs $257 in Playa del Carmen – so Playa del Carmen wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Seongnam

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

02:29 2:29 AM

12:29 12:29 PM

14 h behind Seongnam

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

967,510

149,923

💱 Currency

South Korean Won KRW ₩

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KRW = 7.47 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.66 EUR

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.79 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 4, 2026: 1 USD = 1,339 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.47 USD). 1 EUR = 1,501 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.66 EUR).

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).

USD to KRW in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Seongnam Playa del Carmen 12,630 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Seongnam
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

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

Yes – Seongnam is pricier by about 18%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,120 per month in Seongnam 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 Seongnam, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $488 there versus $995 in Playa del Carmen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,413 in Seongnam and $1,202 in Playa del Carmen. That makes Playa del Carmen about 15% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $444 per month in Seongnam 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 $1,413 in Seongnam. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.