Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seoul and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,848 in Seoul, rent and utilities included – about $7,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

89

Cost of Living Index in Seoul
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Seoul Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

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Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,848

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,848 per month in Seoul vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Seoul $1,848
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $2,986 per month in Seoul vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Seoul $2,986
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $4,125 per month in Seoul vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Seoul $4,125
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Seoul costs about 53% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Seoul sits 36% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 12% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.05 ₩12.0K

$10.92 MX$204

-17.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.3 ₩90.7K

$43.37 MX$810

57.57%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.35 ₩9,751

$11.78 MX$220

-37.61%

Cappuccino

$4.12 ₩5,464

$3.81 MX$71.2

8.14%

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

$1.64 ₩2,181

$1.28 MX$23.96

28.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.81 ₩1,070

$0.78 MX$14.63

3.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 ₩4,921

$3.17 MX$59.2

17.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.13 ₩8,138

$4.93 MX$92.2

24.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.04 ₩2,709

$1.41 MX$26.28

44.68%

White Bread (500g)

$3.21 ₩4,260

$2.22 MX$41.43

44.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.39 ₩5,822

$1.42 MX$26.48

209.15%

Eggs

$3.59 ₩4,765

$2.52 MX$47.14

42.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.23 ₩24.2K

$7.26 MX$136

151.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.51 ₩13.9K

$7.70 MX$144

36.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$26.89 ₩35.7K

$12.69 MX$237

111.90%

Apples (1kg)

$7.86 ₩10.4K

$2.78 MX$52.0

182.73%

Banana (1kg)

$3.53 ₩4,683

$1.37 MX$25.56

157.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.70 ₩7,569

$2.55 MX$47.66

123.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.18 ₩8,198

$2.12 MX$39.67

191.51%

Potato (1kg)

$3.76 ₩4,993

$1.94 MX$36.22

93.81%

Onion (1kg)

$2.51 ₩3,333

$1.89 MX$35.24

32.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.82 ₩3,735

$1.15 MX$21.42

145.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 ₩1,472

$1.18 MX$22.03

-5.93%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.30 ₩4,379

$4.30 MX$80.3

-23.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.64 ₩24.7K

$9.95 MX$186

87.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 ₩3,209

$1.58 MX$29.59

53.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.36 ₩4,456

$2.67 MX$49.91

25.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.19 ₩1,581

$0.55 MX$10.34

116.36%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.13 ₩61.2K

$26.62 MX$497

73.29%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.55 ₩4,713

$4.97 MX$92.9

-28.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.60 ₩801

$3.33 MX$62.2

-81.98%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.08 ₩12.0K

$5.36 MX$100

69.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 ₩1,908

$1.44 MX$26.98

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

$30.3K ₩40.2M

$20.7K MX$386.2K

46.45%

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

$28.9K ₩38.3M

$23.5K MX$438.5K

23.14%

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

$213 ₩282.0K

$84.8 MX$1,584

150.65%

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

$35.83 ₩47.5K

$23.41 MX$437

53.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.39 ₩28.4K

$28.66 MX$535

-25.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.6 ₩81.8K

$57.1 MX$1,066

8.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.41 ₩21.8K

$28.91 MX$540

-43.24%

Cinema Ticket

$11.42 ₩15.1K

$5.14 MX$96.0

122.18%

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

$1,948 ₩2.6M

$207 MX$3,860

843.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.8K ₩30.2M

$3,927 MX$73.4K

479.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.8 ₩79.3K

$43.35 MX$810

37.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.19 ₩45.4K

$41.44 MX$774

-17.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$66.0 ₩87.6K

$74.2 MX$1,386

-11.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$81.9 ₩108.7K

$89.3 MX$1,668

-8.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$924 ₩1.2M

$980 MX$18.3K

-5.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ₩874.6K

$381 MX$7,116

73.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,012 ₩4.0M

$1,708 MX$31.9K

76.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,440 ₩1.9M

$1,075 MX$20.1K

33.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$27.2K ₩36.0M

$3,943 MX$73.7K

588.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.3K ₩15.0M

$6,158 MX$115.1K

83.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,570 ₩4.7M

$735 MX$13.7K

385.99%

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 Seoul: October 26, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seoul

$659 35.7%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 42.2% $278

Groceries & Markets

Seoul

$483 26.2%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 47.3% $229

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seoul

$270 14.6%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 49.3% $133

Eating Out

Seoul

$184 10%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 9.7% $18

Clothing & Footwear

Seoul

$109 5.9%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 2.6% $2.9

Sport & Entertainment

Seoul

$84 4.6%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 20.3% $17

Getting Around

Seoul

$57 3.1%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 12.2% $7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $924 in Seoul versus $980 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 in Seoul are about 4.9 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68 in Seoul versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $483 vs $255 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Seoul

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

22:04 10:04 PM

08:04 8:04 AM

14 h behind Seoul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,509,458 Capital

149,923

💱 Currency

South Korean Won KRW ₩

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KRW = 7.54 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.77 EUR

100 MXN = 5.35 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1,327 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.54 USD). 1 EUR = 1,477 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.77 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.69 MXN (100 MXN = 5.35 USD). 1 EUR = 20.8 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to KRW in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

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

From you

Seoul
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

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

Yes – Seoul is pricier by about 53%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,771 per month in Seoul and $1,806 in Playa del Carmen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $924 in Seoul and $980 in Playa del Carmen. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,848 in Seoul and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That’s a gap of about 53%.

Public transport costs about 42% less in Playa del Carmen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,204, than in Seoul at $1,848. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Seoul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Carmen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,204 in Playa del Carmen to $1,848 in Seoul. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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