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

๐Ÿ˜ Solo nomad: Seoul is 21% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 42.5% more expensive with rent.
๐Ÿ˜ Family of 3: Seoul is 61.7% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 31.6% more expensive with rent.
Currency
๐Ÿฝ Eating Out
Seoul
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$8.57 โ‚ฉ11.6K
$11.99 MX$227
-28.52%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$55.8 โ‚ฉ75.7K
$42.47 MX$803
31.41%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.48 โ‚ฉ8,798
$10.47 MX$198
-38.11%
Cappuccino
$3.94 โ‚ฉ5,341
$3.6 MX$68.2
9.44%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.68 โ‚ฉ2,275
$1.44 MX$27.16
16.67%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.81 โ‚ฉ1,098
$0.89 MX$16.79
-8.99%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.72 โ‚ฉ5,050
$3.09 MX$58.5
20.39%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.91 โ‚ฉ8,020
$4.58 MX$86.6
29.04%
๐Ÿ›’ Groceries & Markets
Seoul
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.26 โ‚ฉ3,069
$1.38 MX$26.04
63.77%
White Bread (500g)
$3.31 โ‚ฉ4,489
$1.85 MX$34.9
78.92%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.1 โ‚ฉ4,205
$1.57 MX$29.68
97.45%
Eggs
$3.22 โ‚ฉ4,374
$2.55 MX$48.3
26.27%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$14.06 โ‚ฉ19.1K
$8.61 MX$163
63.30%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.93 โ‚ฉ14.8K
$8.54 MX$161
27.99%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$34.17 โ‚ฉ46.4K
$10.98 MX$208
211.20%
Apples (1kg)
$7.69 โ‚ฉ10.4K
$2.72 MX$51.4
182.72%
Banana (1kg)
$3.48 โ‚ฉ4,728
$1.51 MX$28.57
130.46%
Oranges (1kg)
$5.66 โ‚ฉ7,685
$1.88 MX$35.63
201.06%
Tomato (1kg)
$6.72 โ‚ฉ9,119
$2.19 MX$41.42
206.85%
Potato (1kg)
$3.84 โ‚ฉ5,209
$1.87 MX$35.3
105.35%
Onion (1kg)
$2.87 โ‚ฉ3,888
$2.19 MX$41.37
31.05%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.53 โ‚ฉ3,438
$1.07 MX$20.23
136.45%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.33 โ‚ฉ1,802
$1.09 MX$20.64
22.02%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.36 โ‚ฉ4,554
$3.96 MX$74.9
-15.15%
Wine (Bottle)
$20.58 โ‚ฉ27.9K
$8.86 MX$167
132.28%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.44 โ‚ฉ3,309
$1.72 MX$32.53
41.86%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.35 โ‚ฉ4,547
$2.61 MX$49.37
28.35%
๐ŸšŒ Getting Around
Seoul
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.12 โ‚ฉ1,516
$0.52 MX$9.74
115.38%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$46.88 โ‚ฉ63.6K
$26.59 MX$503
76.31%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.57 โ‚ฉ4,847
$3.24 MX$61.2
10.19%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.57 โ‚ฉ779
$2.38 MX$44.94
-76.05%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.66 โ‚ฉ11.8K
$3.11 MX$58.7
178.46%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.25 โ‚ฉ1,692
$1.31 MX$24.85
-4.58%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$27.4K โ‚ฉ37.2M
$30.3K MX$573K
-9.64%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.8K โ‚ฉ33.7M
$24K MX$453.6K
3.55%
๐Ÿงพ Monthly Utilities & Internet
Seoul
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$165 โ‚ฉ224.5K
$84.2 MX$1,592
96.38%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$34.61 โ‚ฉ47K
$22.14 MX$419
56.32%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$22.4 โ‚ฉ30.4K
$30.14 MX$570
-25.68%
๐ŸŽ‰ Sport & Entertainment
Seoul
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$56.9 โ‚ฉ77.2K
$52 MX$983
9.47%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$23.73 โ‚ฉ32.2K
$18.72 MX$354
26.76%
Cinema Ticket
$11.1 โ‚ฉ15.1K
$5.07 MX$95.9
118.93%
๐Ÿงธ Childcare & Education
Seoul
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$413 โ‚ฉ560.9K
$200 MX$3,787
106.40%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$23K โ‚ฉ31.2M
$5,333 MX$100.8K
331.76%
๐Ÿ‘•๐Ÿ‘Ÿ Clothing & Footwear
Seoul
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$58.7 โ‚ฉ79.7K
$35.74 MX$676
64.33%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$46.88 โ‚ฉ63.6K
$39.8 MX$753
17.79%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$79 โ‚ฉ107.2K
$79 MX$1,493
-
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$115 โ‚ฉ155.7K
$88.4 MX$1,671
29.82%
๐Ÿ  Accommodation & Living
Seoul
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$933 โ‚ฉ1.3M
$965 MX$18.3K
-3.38%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$587 โ‚ฉ797.1K
$474 MX$8,968
23.85%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,582 โ‚ฉ3.5M
$1,653 MX$31.2K
56.21%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,302 โ‚ฉ1.8M
$1,202 MX$22.7K
8.32%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$21.4K โ‚ฉ29M
$3,081 MX$58.3K
594.14%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$11.1K โ‚ฉ15M
$7,529 MX$142.3K
47.07%
๐Ÿ’ต Salaries & Financials
Seoul
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,244 โ‚ฉ4.4M
$792 MX$15K
309.72%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.14
11.42
-63.75%

Citycost data is based on AI and user input โ€“ minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Seoul: October 29, 2025

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 28, 2025

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