Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Cheongju

For one person, living is cheaper in Cheongju: $1,409 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Mexico City outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
Learn more

Mexico City Living Index
68

Cost of Living Index in Cheongju
Learn more

Cheongju Living Index

Jump to prices

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Cheongju

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,409

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mexico City and in Cheongju

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City versus $1,409 in Cheongju.

Mexico City $1,608
Cheongju $1,409

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,549 in Mexico City versus $2,329 in Cheongju.

Mexico City $2,549
Cheongju $2,329

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,490 in Mexico City versus $3,249 in Cheongju.

Mexico City $3,490
Cheongju $3,249

Living in Mexico City is roughly 14% more expensive than in Cheongju, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Mexico City 18% above, Cheongju 4% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$200

$7.47 ₩9,963

42.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$909

$48.95 ₩65.3K

-1.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$194

$5.88 ₩7,844

76.02%

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$69.4

$3.66 ₩4,875

0.82%

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

$1.67 MX$31.32

$1.84 ₩2,458

-9.24%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.78

$1.40 ₩1,861

-9.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$60.0

$3.65 ₩4,872

-12.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$99.7

$4.33 ₩5,776

22.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.41

$2.25 ₩3,005

-23.56%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$57.1

$3.25 ₩4,340

-6.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.48

$3.05 ₩4,074

-36.39%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$54.3

$2.73 ₩3,647

5.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$206

$11.16 ₩14.9K

-1.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$174

$10.65 ₩14.2K

-13.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$284

$24.55 ₩32.7K

-38.37%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$57.3

$11.40 ₩15.2K

-73.25%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.48

$3.59 ₩4,786

-45.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$38.06

$8.30 ₩11.1K

-75.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.50

$5.85 ₩7,801

-60.51%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$38.25

$5.84 ₩7,788

-65.07%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.83

$3.43 ₩4,570

-47.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.80

$2.87 ₩3,828

-48.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.82

$1.33 ₩1,767

-4.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$99.7

$3.45 ₩4,595

53.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$303

$18.71 ₩25.0K

-13.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$37.27

$2.46 ₩3,280

-19.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.9

$3.40 ₩4,541

25.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.73

$1.15 ₩1,527

-73.04%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$371

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.53

$3.50 ₩4,669

-47.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$10.03

$0.76 ₩1,014

-30.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$99.5

$16.67 ₩22.2K

-68.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.39

$1.36 ₩1,811

11.03%

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

$21.8K MX$408.8K

$39.0K ₩52.1M

-44.27%

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

$24.0K MX$450.8K

$33.7K ₩45.0M

-28.90%

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

$63.0 MX$1,184

$205 ₩273.1K

-69.25%

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

$27.39 MX$515

$24.30 ₩32.4K

12.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$670

$27.72 ₩37.0K

28.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,108

$53.6 ₩71.4K

10.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$444

$13.97 ₩18.6K

69.22%

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$120

$11.81 ₩15.7K

-45.81%

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

$432 MX$8,111

$651 ₩867.5K

-33.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$214.7K

$21.8K ₩29.1M

-47.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,282

$36.84 ₩49.1K

85.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$999

$65.4 ₩87.1K

-18.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,026

$93.9 ₩125.2K

14.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,204

$113 ₩151.0K

3.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.9K

$342 ₩456.6K

225.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.4K

$275 ₩367.1K

158.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.6K

$1,197 ₩1.6M

116.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.4K

$760 ₩1.0M

84.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$68.2K

$7,228 ₩9.6M

-49.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$40.1K

$5,619 ₩7.5M

-62.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.8K

$2,613 ₩3.5M

-63.79%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

4.22

168.96%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Last update for Cheongju: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Cheongju

$275 19.5% 61.2% $435

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Cheongju

$488 34.6% 52.7% $168

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Cheongju

$161 11.4% 18.9% $37

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Cheongju

$139 9.9% 10.7% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Cheongju

$257 18.2% 104% $131

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Cheongju

$77 5.5% 7.6% $5.5

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Cheongju

$12 * 0.8% 53.3% $14

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 $1,113 in Mexico City and $342 in Cheongju. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cheongju pays about 2.8 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $48 in Mexico City vs $49 in Cheongju for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $488 per month, with Mexico City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇰🇷 Cheongju

🕒 Local time

23:33 11:33 PM

14:33 2:33 PM

15 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

835,669

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

South Korean Won KRW ₩

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

10,000 KRW = 7.5 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.72 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KRW, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.79 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 20.98 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

South Korean Won exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 1,334 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.5 USD). 1 EUR = 1,489 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.72 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Mexico City Cheongju 12,090 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Cheongju

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

Mexico City vs Cheongju: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cheongju wins on cost – living expenses run 12% lower than in Mexico City. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Cheongju the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 64% lower in Mexico City. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,113 in Mexico City versus $342 in Cheongju. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,608 per month in Mexico City versus $1,409 in Cheongju – Cheongju is about 12% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Shoppers in Mexico City pay roughly 35% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

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.