Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Wonju and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,202 a month against $1,549 in Wonju, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Wonju, South Korea
Playa del Carmen, Mexico
Wonju
🇰🇷 South Korea
$1,549
/mo nomad
Playa del Carmen
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,202
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,549 per month in Wonju vs $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Wonju $1,549
  • Playa del Carmen $1,202

A couple spends around $2,516 per month in Wonju vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Wonju $2,516
  • Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $3,483 per month in Wonju vs $2,962 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

  • Wonju $3,483
  • Playa del Carmen $2,962

Wonju costs about 29% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Wonju sits 15% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 11% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Wonju
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$7.44 ₩9,980
$10.67 MX$199
-30.27%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$48.11 ₩64.5K
$43.80 MX$815
9.84%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.72 ₩9,004
$11.79 MX$219
-43.00%
Cappuccino
$3.68 ₩4,938
$3.79 MX$70.5
-2.90%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.86 ₩2,488
$1.30 MX$24.14
43.08%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.40 ₩1,876
$0.83 MX$15.51
68.67%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.77 ₩5,048
$3.15 MX$58.6
19.68%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.30 ₩5,763
$4.93 MX$91.8
-12.78%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Wonju
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.22 ₩2,980
$1.41 MX$26.22
57.45%
White Bread (500g)
$3.19 ₩4,272
$2.20 MX$40.86
45.00%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.05 ₩4,090
$1.47 MX$27.40
107.48%
Eggs
$2.63 ₩3,530
$2.50 MX$46.46
5.20%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.97 ₩14.7K
$7.29 MX$136
50.48%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.34 ₩13.9K
$7.95 MX$148
30.06%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$24.64 ₩33.0K
$12.86 MX$239
91.60%
Apples (1kg)
$11.24 ₩15.1K
$2.90 MX$53.9
287.59%
Banana (1kg)
$3.58 ₩4,803
$1.38 MX$25.74
159.42%
Oranges (1kg)
$7.84 ₩10.5K
$2.49 MX$46.35
214.86%
Tomato (1kg)
$6.08 ₩8,155
$2.03 MX$37.77
199.51%
Potato (1kg)
$5.80 ₩7,776
$2.02 MX$37.68
187.13%
Onion (1kg)
$3.25 ₩4,353
$1.90 MX$35.42
71.05%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.75 ₩3,680
$1.14 MX$21.30
141.23%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.27 ₩1,700
$1.24 MX$23.05
2.42%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.27 ₩4,383
$4.27 MX$79.5
-23.42%
Wine (Bottle)
$18.24 ₩24.5K
$9.81 MX$183
85.93%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.44 ₩3,267
$1.59 MX$29.51
53.46%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.63 ₩4,868
$2.75 MX$51.1
32.00%
🚌 Getting Around
Wonju
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.97 ₩1,306
$0.51 MX$9.58
90.20%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$27.39 MX$510
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.55 ₩4,755
$4.76 MX$88.6
-25.42%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.64 ₩854
$3.25 MX$60.5
-80.31%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$14.85 ₩19.9K
$5.39 MX$100
175.51%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.18 ₩1,575
$1.53 MX$28.44
-22.88%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$38.6K ₩51.8M
$21.2K MX$394.8K
82.05%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$33.3K ₩44.6M
$23.3K MX$432.9K
43.12%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Wonju
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$202 ₩271.0K
$83.5 MX$1,554
142.18%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$36.46 ₩48.9K
$23.19 MX$431
57.22%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$27.33 ₩36.6K
$27.61 MX$514
-1.01%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Wonju
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$52.4 ₩70.2K
$56.4 MX$1,050
-7.19%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$11.90 ₩16.0K
$28.19 MX$525
-57.79%
Cinema Ticket
$12.10 ₩16.2K
$5.00 MX$93.1
142.00%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Wonju
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$477 ₩639.6K
$207 MX$3,854
130.39%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$21.8K ₩29.3M
$5,231 MX$97.3K
317.62%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Wonju
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$104 ₩139.2K
$43.45 MX$809
139.03%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$64.7 ₩86.7K
$42.54 MX$792
52.05%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$91.5 ₩122.6K
$72.8 MX$1,354
25.70%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$128 ₩171.1K
$88.4 MX$1,645
44.41%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Wonju
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$507 ₩679.9K
$995 MX$18.5K
-49.02%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$377 ₩504.7K
$382 MX$7,116
-1.54%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,239 ₩1.7M
$1,674 MX$31.2K
-25.97%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$916 ₩1.2M
$1,081 MX$20.1K
-15.25%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$6,883 ₩9.2M
$3,909 MX$72.7K
76.09%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,178 ₩8.3M
$6,138 MX$114.2K
0.66%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Wonju
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$832 MX$15.5K
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.22
11.45
-63.14%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Wonju: November 2, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Groceries & Markets
Wonju
$481
Playa del Carmen
$257 46.5% $223
Accommodation & Living
Wonju
$377
Playa del Carmen
$382 1.6% $5.9
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Wonju
$266
Playa del Carmen
$134 49.5% $132
Clothing & Footwear
Wonju
$174
Playa del Carmen
$111 36.2% $63
Eating Out
Wonju
$164
Playa del Carmen
$200 21.8% $36
Sport & Entertainment
Wonju
$77
Playa del Carmen
$66 13.2% $10
Getting Around
Wonju
$11 *
Playa del Carmen
$50 375% $40

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $507 in Wonju versus $995 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $48 in Wonju versus $44 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $481 vs $257 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇰🇷 Wonju
🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen
🕒 Local time
13:45 1:45 PM
23:45 11:45 PM
14 h behind Wonju
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
340,196
149,923
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

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

South Korean Won exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 1,341 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.46 USD). 1 EUR = 1,509 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.63 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.95 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Wonju Playa del Carmen 12,600 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Wonju
  • 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
Wonju vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Playa del Carmen cheaper than Wonju?
Yes – Wonju is pricier by about 29%, 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 $2,324 per month in Wonju and $1,804 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 Wonju, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $507 there versus $995 in Playa del Carmen.
What are total monthly expenses in Wonju and in Playa del Carmen?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,549 in Wonju and $1,202 in Playa del Carmen. That makes Playa del Carmen about 22% cheaper.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Kindergarten costs $477 per month in Wonju 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 a realistic budget for living in Wonju or in Playa del Carmen?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,202, than in Wonju at $1,549. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Wonju it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is it better to live in Wonju or in Playa del Carmen?
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 $1,549 in Wonju. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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