Last update: Oct 2026
Cost of Living Comparison Between South Korea and Playa del Carmen
For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,215 a month against $1,543 in South Korea, rent and utilities included – about $3,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.
-
South Korea Living Index76Cost of Living Index in South KoreaLearn more -
Playa del Carmen Living Index60Cost of Living Index in Playa del CarmenLearn more
😐 Solo nomad: South Korea is 8.9% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 27% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: South Korea is 18.7% more expensive than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 12.3% more expensive with rent.
🍽 Eating Out
South Korea
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$7.67 ₩10.3K
$10.97 MX$200
-30.08%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$45.23 ₩60.7K
$44.85 MX$816
0.85%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.43 ₩8,637
$11.92 MX$217
-46.06%
Cappuccino
$3.92 ₩5,266
$3.80 MX$69.2
3.16%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.64 ₩2,199
$1.31 MX$23.86
25.19%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.83 ₩1,117
$0.86 MX$15.58
-3.49%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.63 ₩4,874
$3.21 MX$58.4
13.08%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.55 ₩6,112
$5.01 MX$91.2
-9.18%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
South Korea
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.09 ₩2,810
$1.46 MX$26.53
43.15%
White Bread (500g)
$3.02 ₩4,060
$2.33 MX$42.33
29.61%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.38 ₩4,545
$1.44 MX$26.24
134.72%
Eggs
$3.22 ₩4,321
$2.46 MX$44.78
30.89%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$13.53 ₩18.2K
$7.70 MX$140
75.71%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.81 ₩11.8K
$7.89 MX$144
11.66%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$26.06 ₩35.0K
$12.80 MX$233
103.59%
Apples (1kg)
$8.59 ₩11.5K
$2.92 MX$53.1
194.18%
Banana (1kg)
$3.38 ₩4,546
$1.42 MX$25.87
138.03%
Oranges (1kg)
$6.23 ₩8,364
$2.57 MX$46.66
142.41%
Tomato (1kg)
$6.09 ₩8,185
$2.14 MX$38.88
184.58%
Potato (1kg)
$3.97 ₩5,331
$1.95 MX$35.42
103.59%
Onion (1kg)
$2.72 ₩3,653
$1.94 MX$35.22
40.21%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.60 ₩3,492
$1.15 MX$20.94
126.09%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.20 ₩1,612
$1.22 MX$22.21
-1.64%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.38 ₩4,542
$4.38 MX$79.6
-22.83%
Wine (Bottle)
$15.90 ₩21.3K
$9.85 MX$179
61.42%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.02 ₩2,712
$1.54 MX$27.97
31.17%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.89 ₩3,875
$2.72 MX$49.40
6.25%
🚌 Getting Around
South Korea
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.14 ₩1,532
$0.52 MX$9.55
119.23%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$46.85 ₩62.9K
$27.42 MX$499
70.86%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.43 ₩4,610
$4.91 MX$89.4
-30.14%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.64 ₩862
$3.52 MX$64.1
-81.82%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$9.10 ₩12.2K
$5.69 MX$103
59.93%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.38 ₩1,856
$1.54 MX$28.01
-10.39%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$29.8K ₩40.0M
$21.2K MX$386.3K
40.16%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$29.9K ₩40.2M
$24.5K MX$445.4K
22.12%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
South Korea
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$206 ₩276.3K
$83.6 MX$1,521
146.07%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$39.21 ₩52.7K
$24.03 MX$437
63.17%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$23.22 ₩31.2K
$29.33 MX$534
-20.83%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
South Korea
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$52.8 ₩70.9K
$64.9 MX$1,180
-18.64%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$16.59 ₩22.3K
$29.46 MX$536
-43.69%
Cinema Ticket
$10.99 ₩14.8K
$5.09 MX$92.5
115.91%
🧸 Childcare & Education
South Korea
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$906 ₩1.2M
$208 MX$3,778
336.47%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$23.3K ₩31.3M
$4,045 MX$73.6K
476.16%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
South Korea
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$56.7 ₩76.2K
$44.55 MX$810
27.32%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$43.14 ₩57.9K
$42.06 MX$765
2.57%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$79.5 ₩106.8K
$75.5 MX$1,374
5.28%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$96.1 ₩129.1K
$91.4 MX$1,662
5.20%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
South Korea
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$593 ₩796.1K
$986 MX$17.9K
-39.91%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$423 ₩568.2K
$385 MX$7,007
9.82%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,531 ₩2.1M
$1,713 MX$31.2K
-10.63%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$922 ₩1.2M
$1,108 MX$20.2K
-16.79%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$16.5K ₩22.1M
$4,016 MX$73.0K
310.13%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$8,341 ₩11.2M
$6,247 MX$113.6K
33.52%
💵 Salaries & Financials
South Korea
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,293 ₩3.1M
$758 MX$13.8K
202.48%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.23
11.45
-63.06%
CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.
Last update for South Korea: October 4, 2026
Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 4, 2026
Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Share of the monthly basket for a family of three, rent included.
Groceries & Markets
South Korea $449 28.7%
Playa del Carmen $260 21.2% 42% $188
Accommodation & Living
South Korea $423 27.1%
Playa del Carmen $385 31.4% 8.9% $38
Monthly Utilities & Internet
South Korea $268 17.2%
Playa del Carmen $137 11.2% 48.9% $131
Eating Out
South Korea $165 10.6%
Playa del Carmen $204 16.6% 23.8% $39
Clothing & Footwear
South Korea $124 7.9%
Playa del Carmen $114 9.3% 8% $9.9
Sport & Entertainment
South Korea $75 4.8%
Playa del Carmen $75 6.1% 0.4% $0.3
Getting Around
South Korea $58 3.7%
Playa del Carmen $52 4.2% 10.4% $6
Groceries & Markets
South Korea $1.1K 31%
Playa del Carmen $602 19.8% 42.9% $452
Accommodation & Living
South Korea $922 27.2%
Playa del Carmen $1.1K 36.5% 20.2% $186
Monthly Utilities & Internet
South Korea $307 9.1%
Playa del Carmen $161 5.3% 47.6% $146
Eating Out
South Korea $552 16.3%
Playa del Carmen $631 20.8% 14.3% $79
Clothing & Footwear
South Korea $276 8.1%
Playa del Carmen $254 8.3% 8% $22
Sport & Entertainment
South Korea $166 4.9%
Playa del Carmen $180 5.9% 8.1% $13
Getting Around
South Korea $118 3.5%
Playa del Carmen $105 3.5% 11.2% $13
Good to know
🇰🇷 South Korea
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
Weather
Population
51,466,201
149,923
Exchange rates and currency converter
On the map
Lowest
Highest
Between locations
- South Korea Playa del Carmen 12,630 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight
From you
- South Korea
- 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
South Korea vs other spots: cost of living compared
Similar countries
75
Cost of Living Index in Poland
Learn more
🇬🇷 Greece
75
Cost of Living Index in Greece
Learn more
🇭🇷 Croatia
77
Cost of Living Index in Croatia
Learn more
🇸🇰 Slovakia
74
Cost of Living Index in Slovakia
Learn more
🇺🇾 Uruguay
79
Cost of Living Index in Uruguay
Learn more
🇵🇦 Panama
77
Cost of Living Index in Panama
Learn more
🇱🇧 Lebanon
73
Cost of Living Index in Lebanon
Learn more
🇧🇭 Bahrain
77
Cost of Living Index in Bahrain
Learn more