Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cheongju and San Miguel de Allende

For one person, living is cheaper in Cheongju: $1,409 a month against $1,581 in San Miguel de Allende, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in San Miguel de Allende outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

68

Cost of Living Index in Cheongju
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Cheongju Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in San Miguel de Allende
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San Miguel de Allende Living Index

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Cheongju

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,409

/mo nomad

San Miguel de Allende

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,581

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cheongju and in San Miguel de Allende

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Cheongju and in San Miguel de Allende actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,409 in Cheongju versus $1,581 in San Miguel de Allende.

Cheongju $1,409
San Miguel de Allende $1,581

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,329 in Cheongju versus $2,514 in San Miguel de Allende.

Cheongju $2,329
San Miguel de Allende $2,514

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,249 in Cheongju versus $3,448 in San Miguel de Allende.

Cheongju $3,249
San Miguel de Allende $3,448

Living in Cheongju costs roughly 11% less than in San Miguel de Allende, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Cheongju 4% above, San Miguel de Allende 16% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.47 ₩9,913

$14.61 MX$273

-48.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.95 ₩64.9K

$41.89 MX$783

16.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.88 ₩7,805

$10.35 MX$193

-43.19%

Cappuccino

$3.66 ₩4,851

$3.71 MX$69.2

-1.35%

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

$1.84 ₩2,446

$1.59 MX$29.67

15.72%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.40 ₩1,852

$1.05 MX$19.61

33.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.65 ₩4,848

$3.56 MX$66.5

2.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.33 ₩5,747

$6.01 MX$112

-27.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.25 ₩2,990

$1.52 MX$28.47

48.03%

White Bread (500g)

$3.25 ₩4,319

$3.16 MX$59.1

2.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.05 ₩4,054

$1.83 MX$34.24

66.67%

Eggs

$2.73 ₩3,629

$3.02 MX$56.4

-9.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.16 ₩14.8K

$8.39 MX$157

33.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.65 ₩14.1K

$12.10 MX$226

-11.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$24.55 ₩32.6K

$17.94 MX$335

36.85%

Apples (1kg)

$11.40 ₩15.1K

$3.98 MX$74.4

186.43%

Banana (1kg)

$3.59 ₩4,762

$1.62 MX$30.30

121.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$8.30 ₩11.0K

$2.75 MX$51.3

201.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.85 ₩7,762

$2.88 MX$53.7

103.13%

Potato (1kg)

$5.84 ₩7,749

$2.61 MX$48.74

123.75%

Onion (1kg)

$3.43 ₩4,548

$3.05 MX$57.0

12.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.87 ₩3,808

$1.11 MX$20.71

158.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.33 ₩1,758

$1.33 MX$24.94

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.45 ₩4,572

$4.36 MX$81.5

-20.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.71 ₩24.8K

$16.43 MX$307

13.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.46 ₩3,263

$2.33 MX$43.54

5.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.40 ₩4,518

$3.69 MX$68.9

-7.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.15 ₩1,519

$0.56 MX$10.52

105.36%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.06 MX$356

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.50 ₩4,646

$4.29 MX$80.2

-18.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.76 ₩1,009

$4.38 MX$81.9

-82.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.67 ₩22.1K

$10.76 MX$201

54.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 ₩1,802

$1.51 MX$28.17

-9.93%

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

$39.0K ₩51.8M

$24.5K MX$457.2K

59.52%

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

$33.7K ₩44.8M

$23.3K MX$435.1K

44.87%

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

$205 ₩271.7K

$40.27 MX$752

408.54%

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

$24.30 ₩32.2K

$15.51 MX$290

56.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.72 ₩36.8K

$41.04 MX$767

-32.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.6 ₩71.1K

$36.69 MX$686

46.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.97 ₩18.5K

$41.08 MX$768

-65.99%

Cinema Ticket

$11.81 ₩15.7K

$6.58 MX$123

79.48%

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

$651 ₩863.1K

$349 MX$6,517

86.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.8K ₩29.0M

$4,839 MX$90.4K

350.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$36.84 ₩48.9K

$65.5 MX$1,223

-43.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$65.4 ₩86.7K

$59.3 MX$1,109

10.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.9 ₩124.5K

$110 MX$2,060

-14.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 ₩150.3K

$146 MX$2,737

-22.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$342 ₩454.3K

$1,046 MX$19.5K

-67.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$275 ₩365.3K

$635 MX$11.9K

-56.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,197 ₩1.6M

$2,351 MX$43.9K

-49.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$760 ₩1.0M

$1,237 MX$23.1K

-38.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,228 ₩9.6M

$2,652 MX$49.5K

172.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,619 ₩7.5M

$1,605 MX$30.0K

250.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,613 ₩3.5M

$604 MX$11.3K

332.73%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.22

12.05

-64.98%

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

Last update for Cheongju: October 27, 2026

Last update for San Miguel de Allende: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Cheongju

$488 34.6%

San Miguel de Allende

$347 22% 28.9% $141

Accommodation & Living

Cheongju

$275 19.5%

San Miguel de Allende

$635 40.2% 131% $360

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cheongju

$257 18.2%

San Miguel de Allende

$97 6.1% 62.3% $160

Eating Out

Cheongju

$161 11.4%

San Miguel de Allende

$233 14.7% 44.4% $72

Clothing & Footwear

Cheongju

$139 9.9%

San Miguel de Allende

$172 10.9% 23.4% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Cheongju

$77 5.5%

San Miguel de Allende

$50 3.2% 35.4% $27

Getting Around

Cheongju

$12 * 0.8%

San Miguel de Allende

$48 3% 300% $36

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $342 in Cheongju and $1,046 in San Miguel de Allende. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cheongju pays about 4.3 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $49 in Cheongju vs $42 in San Miguel de Allende for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $488 vs $347 per month, with San Miguel de Allende cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Cheongju

🇲🇽 San Miguel de Allende

🕒 Local time

21:02 9:02 PM

06:02 6:02 AM

15 h behind Cheongju

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

835,669

72,452

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cheongju San Miguel de Allende 11,860 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Cheongju
San Miguel de Allende

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

Cheongju vs San Miguel de Allende: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cheongju wins on cost – living expenses run 11% lower than in San Miguel de Allende. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Cheongju the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Cheongju is about 4.3 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $342 in Cheongju versus $1,046 in San Miguel de Allende. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $651 in Cheongju versus $349 in San Miguel de Allende. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in San Miguel de Allende – a meal for two runs $42 versus $49 in Cheongju. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Cheongju is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Cheongju and San Miguel de Allende are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.