Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Uijeongbu and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living costs are similar in Uijeongbu and in Playa del Carmen: $1,239 and $1,204 a month, rent and utilities included.

Uijeongbu, South Korea
Playa del Carmen, Mexico
Uijeongbu
🇰🇷 South Korea
$1,239
/mo nomad
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,204
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,239 per month in Uijeongbu vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Uijeongbu $1,239
  • Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $1,889 per month in Uijeongbu vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Uijeongbu $1,889
  • Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $2,538 per month in Uijeongbu vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Uijeongbu $2,538
  • Playa del Carmen $2,959

Uijeongbu costs about 3% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Uijeongbu and Playa del Carmen are more affordable than the global median – Uijeongbu 9% lower, Playa del Carmen 12% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Uijeongbu
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$6.64 ₩8,807
$10.92 MX$204
-39.19%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$34.36 ₩45.6K
$43.37 MX$810
-20.77%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.66 ₩8,844
$11.78 MX$220
-43.46%
Cappuccino
$3.72 ₩4,941
$3.81 MX$71.2
-2.36%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.54 ₩2,050
$1.28 MX$23.96
20.31%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.75 ₩989
$0.78 MX$14.63
-3.85%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.55 ₩4,705
$3.17 MX$59.2
11.99%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.45 ₩5,900
$4.93 MX$92.2
-9.74%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Uijeongbu
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.05 ₩2,715
$1.41 MX$26.28
45.39%
White Bread (500g)
$3.15 ₩4,178
$2.22 MX$41.43
41.89%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.25 ₩2,992
$1.42 MX$26.48
58.45%
Eggs
$3.32 ₩4,404
$2.52 MX$47.14
31.75%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$15.46 ₩20.5K
$7.26 MX$136
112.95%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.91 ₩10.5K
$7.70 MX$144
2.73%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.49 ₩15.2K
$12.69 MX$237
-9.46%
Apples (1kg)
$7.62 ₩10.1K
$2.78 MX$52.0
174.10%
Banana (1kg)
$3.26 ₩4,326
$1.37 MX$25.56
137.96%
Oranges (1kg)
$5.67 ₩7,520
$2.55 MX$47.66
122.35%
Tomato (1kg)
$6.17 ₩8,193
$2.12 MX$39.67
191.04%
Potato (1kg)
$3.59 ₩4,766
$1.94 MX$36.22
85.05%
Onion (1kg)
$2.37 ₩3,146
$1.89 MX$35.24
25.40%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.05 ₩2,719
$1.15 MX$21.42
78.26%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.16 ₩1,544
$1.18 MX$22.03
-1.69%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.41 ₩4,522
$4.30 MX$80.3
-20.70%
Wine (Bottle)
$18.92 ₩25.1K
$9.95 MX$186
90.15%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.27 ₩3,012
$1.58 MX$29.59
43.67%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.23 ₩4,284
$2.67 MX$49.91
20.97%
🚌 Getting Around
Uijeongbu
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.14 ₩1,516
$0.55 MX$10.34
107.27%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$26.62 MX$497
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.51 ₩4,656
$4.97 MX$92.9
-29.38%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.59 ₩787
$3.33 MX$62.2
-82.28%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$9.13 ₩12.1K
$5.36 MX$100
70.34%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.40 ₩1,858
$1.44 MX$26.98
-2.78%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$29.5K ₩39.1M
$20.7K MX$386.2K
42.66%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$28.2K ₩37.4M
$23.5K MX$438.5K
20.21%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Uijeongbu
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$210 ₩278.9K
$84.8 MX$1,584
147.86%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$34.87 ₩46.3K
$23.41 MX$437
48.95%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$21.08 ₩28.0K
$28.66 MX$535
-26.45%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Uijeongbu
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$53.6 ₩71.1K
$57.1 MX$1,066
-6.10%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$13.84 ₩18.4K
$28.91 MX$540
-52.13%
Cinema Ticket
$11.16 ₩14.8K
$5.14 MX$96.0
117.12%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Uijeongbu
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$373 ₩495.0K
$207 MX$3,860
80.62%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$18.1K ₩24.0M
$3,927 MX$73.4K
360.32%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Uijeongbu
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$59.2 ₩78.5K
$43.35 MX$810
36.49%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$32.30 ₩42.9K
$41.44 MX$774
-22.06%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$71.3 ₩94.7K
$74.2 MX$1,386
-3.85%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$81.3 ₩107.9K
$89.3 MX$1,668
-8.87%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Uijeongbu
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$267 ₩354.2K
$980 MX$18.3K
-72.75%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$224 ₩296.8K
$381 MX$7,116
-41.27%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$487 ₩646.0K
$1,708 MX$31.9K
-71.49%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$411 ₩545.5K
$1,075 MX$20.1K
-61.76%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$7,146 ₩9.5M
$3,943 MX$73.7K
81.23%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$5,504 ₩7.3M
$6,158 MX$115.1K
-10.62%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Uijeongbu
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,265 ₩3.0M
$735 MX$13.7K
208.39%
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 Uijeongbu: October 25, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Groceries & Markets
Uijeongbu
$399
Playa del Carmen
$255 36.2% $144
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Uijeongbu
$266
Playa del Carmen
$137 48.6% $129
Accommodation & Living
Uijeongbu
$224
Playa del Carmen
$381 70.3% $157
Eating Out
Uijeongbu
$154
Playa del Carmen
$202 31.8% $49
Clothing & Footwear
Uijeongbu
$110
Playa del Carmen
$112 1.7% $1.8
Sport & Entertainment
Uijeongbu
$76
Playa del Carmen
$67 11.3% $8.6
Getting Around
Uijeongbu
$11 *
Playa del Carmen
$50 357% $39

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $267 in Uijeongbu 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 Uijeongbu are about 3.1 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $34 in Uijeongbu versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Groceries tell a different story – $399 in Uijeongbu vs $255 in Playa del Carmen – so Playa del Carmen wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇰🇷 Uijeongbu
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🕒 Local time
19:17 7:17 PM
05:17 5:17 AM
14 h behind Uijeongbu
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
463,077
149,923
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to KRW – South Korean Won Converter

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Uijeongbu Playa del Carmen 12,610 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Uijeongbu
  • 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
Uijeongbu vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Playa del Carmen cheaper than Uijeongbu?
Yes – Uijeongbu is pricier by about 3%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,859 per month in Uijeongbu and $1,806 in Playa del Carmen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Uijeongbu, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $267 there versus $980 in Playa del Carmen.
What are total monthly expenses in Uijeongbu and in Playa del Carmen?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,239 in Uijeongbu and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That’s a gap of about 3%.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Kindergarten costs $373 per month in Uijeongbu and $207 in Playa del Carmen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Is $1,500 enough for either Uijeongbu or Playa del Carmen?
$1,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,239 in Uijeongbu and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.
Is it better to live in Uijeongbu or in Playa del Carmen?
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 $1,239 in Uijeongbu. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Playa del Carmen. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Uijeongbu makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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