Cost of Living Comparison Between Seoul and Playa del Carmen Cost of Living Comparison Between Seoul and Playa del Carmen

😐 Solo nomad: Seoul is 39.5% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 37.7% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Seoul is 40.1% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 28.6% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Seoul
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$8.57 ₩12.7K
$11.85 MX$210
-27.68%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$55.6 ₩82.1K
$42.16 MX$746
31.93%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.25 ₩9,229
$10.75 MX$190
-41.86%
Cappuccino
$3.81 ₩5,630
$3.47 MX$61.5
9.80%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.66 ₩2,453
$1.45 MX$25.72
14.48%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.83 ₩1,229
$0.90 MX$15.98
-7.78%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.78 ₩5,576
$3.05 MX$54.1
23.93%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.75 ₩8,492
$4.42 MX$78.2
30.09%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Seoul
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.18 ₩3,217
$1.37 MX$24.24
59.12%
White Bread (500g)
$3.46 ₩5,113
$1.87 MX$33.14
85.03%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.21 ₩4,736
$1.54 MX$27.32
108.44%
Eggs
$3.19 ₩4,709
$2.50 MX$44.31
27.60%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$14.37 ₩21.2K
$8.61 MX$152
66.90%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.89 ₩16.1K
$8.63 MX$153
26.19%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$34.35 ₩50.7K
$11.02 MX$195
211.71%
Apples (1kg)
$7.95 ₩11.7K
$2.75 MX$48.67
189.09%
Banana (1kg)
$3.60 ₩5,323
$1.43 MX$25.28
151.75%
Oranges (1kg)
$5.53 ₩8,164
$1.87 MX$33.15
195.72%
Tomato (1kg)
$6.67 ₩9,852
$2.17 MX$38.37
207.37%
Potato (1kg)
$3.96 ₩5,847
$1.88 MX$33.33
110.64%
Onion (1kg)
$2.95 ₩4,361
$2.25 MX$39.76
31.11%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.54 ₩3,747
$1.07 MX$18.90
137.38%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.28 ₩1,896
$1.07 MX$19.00
19.63%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.29 ₩4,858
$4.15 MX$73.5
-20.72%
Wine (Bottle)
$20.17 ₩29.8K
$10.34 MX$183
95.07%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.42 ₩3,575
$1.68 MX$29.72
44.05%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.37 ₩4,984
$2.48 MX$43.97
35.89%
🚌 Getting Around
Seoul
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.07 ₩1,578
$0.55 MX$9.82
94.55%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$47.79 ₩70.6K
$26.53 MX$470
80.14%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.49 ₩5,156
$3.22 MX$56.9
8.39%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.54 ₩797
$2.48 MX$43.93
-78.23%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$9.08 ₩13.4K
$3.11 MX$55.0
191.96%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.19 ₩1,764
$1.26 MX$22.22
-5.56%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$27.8K ₩41.0M
$30.7K MX$542.7K
-9.44%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.8K ₩36.7M
$24.0K MX$425.5K
3.32%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Seoul
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$163 ₩241.1K
$82.5 MX$1,460
97.94%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$35.22 ₩52.0K
$22.29 MX$394
58.01%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$22.55 ₩33.3K
$30.02 MX$531
-24.88%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Seoul
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$57.2 ₩84.5K
$51.4 MX$911
11.22%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$23.27 ₩34.4K
$18.29 MX$324
27.23%
Cinema Ticket
$11.11 ₩16.4K
$4.98 MX$88.2
123.09%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Seoul
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$406 ₩599.9K
$200 MX$3,540
103.08%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$23.1K ₩34.1M
$5,304 MX$93.9K
334.82%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Seoul
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$59.0 ₩87.2K
$35.71 MX$632
65.30%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$47.26 ₩69.8K
$39.56 MX$700
19.46%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$78.2 ₩115.5K
$80.6 MX$1,426
-2.91%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$116 ₩171.3K
$88.3 MX$1,563
31.33%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Seoul
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$936 ₩1.4M
$969 MX$17.2K
-3.44%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$584 ₩861.9K
$482 MX$8,535
21.03%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,602 ₩3.8M
$1,595 MX$28.2K
63.12%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,340 ₩2.0M
$1,184 MX$21.0K
13.16%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$23.1K ₩34.1M
$4,050 MX$71.7K
469.92%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$11.8K ₩17.4M
$6,522 MX$115.4K
81.03%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Seoul
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,136 ₩4.6M
$756 MX$13.4K
314.56%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.14
11.42
-63.75%

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

Last update for Seoul: March 2, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: March 3, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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