Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Songdo-dong and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,202 a month against $1,415 in Songdo-dong, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

67

Cost of Living Index in Songdo-dong
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Songdo-dong Living Index
57

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index

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Songdo-dong

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,415

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,415 per month in Songdo-dong vs $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Songdo-dong $1,415
Playa del Carmen $1,202

A couple spends around $2,248 per month in Songdo-dong vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Songdo-dong $2,248
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $3,080 per month in Songdo-dong vs $2,962 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Songdo-dong $3,080
Playa del Carmen $2,962

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

Songdo-dong 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

$5.86 ₩7,877

$10.67 MX$201

-45.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.02 ₩47.1K

$43.80 MX$824

-20.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.60 ₩8,871

$11.79 MX$222

-44.02%

Cappuccino

$3.71 ₩4,992

$3.79 MX$71.2

-2.11%

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

$1.58 ₩2,117

$1.30 MX$24.41

21.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.62 ₩833

$0.83 MX$15.69

-25.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.04 ₩4,089

$3.15 MX$59.2

-3.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.56 ₩6,132

$4.93 MX$92.9

-7.51%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.28 ₩3,066

$1.41 MX$26.51

61.70%

White Bread (500g)

$3.07 ₩4,119

$2.20 MX$41.32

39.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.62 ₩3,523

$1.47 MX$27.71

78.23%

Eggs

$3.29 ₩4,426

$2.50 MX$46.99

31.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.41 ₩20.7K

$7.29 MX$137

111.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.39 ₩14.0K

$7.95 MX$150

30.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.08 ₩14.9K

$12.86 MX$242

-13.84%

Apples (1kg)

$6.99 ₩9,389

$2.90 MX$54.5

141.03%

Banana (1kg)

$2.45 ₩3,295

$1.38 MX$26.03

77.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.47 ₩6,013

$2.49 MX$46.88

79.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.96 ₩9,354

$2.03 MX$38.20

242.86%

Potato (1kg)

$3.25 ₩4,373

$2.02 MX$38.11

60.89%

Onion (1kg)

$2.55 ₩3,429

$1.90 MX$35.82

34.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.03 ₩2,726

$1.14 MX$21.54

78.07%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.47 ₩1,977

$1.24 MX$23.32

18.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.43 ₩4,614

$4.27 MX$80.4

-19.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.63 ₩18.3K

$9.81 MX$185

38.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 MX$29.85

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 MX$51.7

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.69

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$515

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.54 ₩4,763

$4.76 MX$89.6

-25.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.66 ₩886

$3.25 MX$61.1

-79.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 MX$101

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.41 ₩1,889

$1.53 MX$28.76

-7.84%

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

$28.8K ₩38.7M

$21.2K MX$399.2K

35.80%

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

$35.8K ₩48.0M

$23.3K MX$437.8K

53.68%

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

$214 ₩287.4K

$83.5 MX$1,571

156.17%

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

$42.76 ₩57.5K

$23.19 MX$436

84.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.06 ₩28.3K

$27.61 MX$520

-23.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,062

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$531

Cinema Ticket

$11.11 ₩14.9K

$5.00 MX$94.1

122.20%

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

$367 ₩493.1K

$207 MX$3,897

77.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K ₩23.6M

$5,231 MX$98.4K

236.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$66.3 ₩89.1K

$43.45 MX$818

52.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$63.7 ₩85.6K

$42.54 MX$801

49.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.3 ₩101.2K

$72.8 MX$1,369

3.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$100.0 ₩134.4K

$88.4 MX$1,663

13.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 MX$18.7K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$448 ₩602.1K

$382 MX$7,197

17.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,934 ₩2.6M

$1,674 MX$31.5K

15.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,048 ₩1.4M

$1,081 MX$20.3K

-3.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,909 MX$73.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,138 MX$115.5K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,341 ₩4.5M

$832 MX$15.7K

301.47%

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 Songdo-dong: 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.

Accommodation & Living

Songdo-dong

$448 31.7%

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8% 14.7% $66

Groceries & Markets

Songdo-dong

$379 * 26.8%

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4% 32% $121

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Songdo-dong

$278 19.6%

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2% 51.6% $143

Eating Out

Songdo-dong

$144 10.2%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7% 38.7% $56

Clothing & Footwear

Songdo-dong

$137 9.7%

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3% 19% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Songdo-dong

$22 * 1.6%

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5% 199% $44

Getting Around

Songdo-dong

$6.8 * 0.5%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 638% $44

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

Cost Breakdown

Salaries in Songdo-dong are about 4 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $35 in Songdo-dong versus $44 in Playa del Carmen. Groceries tell a different story – $379 in Songdo-dong vs $257 in Playa del Carmen – so Playa del Carmen wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Songdo-dong

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

20:20 8:20 PM

06:20 6:20 AM

14 h behind Songdo-dong

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

💱 Currency

South Korean Won KRW ₩

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KRW = 7.44 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.64 EUR

100 MXN = 5.31 USD

100 MXN = 4.74 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 = 1,344 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.44 USD). 1 EUR = 1,506 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.64 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 18.82 MXN (100 MXN = 5.31 USD). 1 EUR = 21.1 MXN (100 MXN = 4.74 EUR).

USD to KRW in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Songdo-dong Playa del Carmen 12,660 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Songdo-dong
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

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

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

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,123 per month in Songdo-dong and $1,804 in Playa del Carmen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,415 in Songdo-dong and $1,202 in Playa del Carmen. That makes Playa del Carmen about 15% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $367 per month in Songdo-dong 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 $1,415 in Songdo-dong. 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, Songdo-dong makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.