Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Daejeon

For one person, living is cheaper in Daejeon: $1,365 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $2,900 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
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Mexico City Living Index
66

Cost of Living Index in Daejeon
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Daejeon Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Daejeon

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,365

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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 Daejeon actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,608 per month in Mexico City vs $1,365 in Daejeon, rent included.

Mexico City $1,608
Daejeon $1,365

A couple spends around $2,549 per month in Mexico City vs $2,140 in Daejeon, rent included.

Mexico City $2,549
Daejeon $2,140

A family of three spends $3,490 per month in Mexico City vs $2,915 in Daejeon, rent included.

Mexico City $3,490
Daejeon $2,915

Mexico City costs about 18% more than Daejeon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$199

$7.62 ₩10.2K

39.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$908

$37.50 ₩50.1K

28.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$194

$5.66 ₩7,563

82.86%

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$69.3

$3.75 ₩5,007

-1.60%

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

$1.67 MX$31.29

$1.22 ₩1,626

36.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.76

$0.69 ₩922

84.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$59.9

$3.69 ₩4,932

-13.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$99.6

$3.82 ₩5,100

39.01%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.38

$2.11 ₩2,812

-18.48%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$57.1

$2.80 ₩3,744

8.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.44

$2.68 ₩3,578

-27.61%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$54.2

$2.62 ₩3,495

10.31%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$206

$11.27 ₩15.0K

-2.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$174

$8.29 ₩11.1K

11.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$284

$20.93 ₩27.9K

-27.71%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$57.2

$11.19 ₩14.9K

-72.74%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.45

$5.54 ₩7,402

-64.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$38.02

$5.82 ₩7,770

-65.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.46

$6.06 ₩8,089

-61.88%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$38.21

$5.21 ₩6,956

-60.84%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.79

$2.87 ₩3,830

-37.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.77

$1.72 ₩2,299

-13.95%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.80

$1.09 ₩1,450

16.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$99.6

$3.50 ₩4,674

51.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$302

$18.83 ₩25.1K

-14.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$37.23

$2.66 ₩3,552

-25.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.8

$3.45 ₩4,607

23.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.73

$1.15 ₩1,531

-73.04%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$371

$11.53 ₩15.4K

71.12%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.50

$3.29 ₩4,387

-44.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$10.02

$0.73 ₩976

-27.40%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$99.4

$16.77 ₩22.4K

-68.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.36

$1.24 ₩1,651

21.77%

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

$21.8K MX$408.4K

$29.0K ₩38.7M

-24.95%

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

$24.0K MX$450.3K

$23.4K ₩31.2M

2.52%

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

$63.0 MX$1,182

$173 ₩230.9K

-63.59%

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

$27.39 MX$514

$43.00 ₩57.4K

-36.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$670

$22.62 ₩30.2K

57.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,107

$33.83 ₩45.2K

74.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$444

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$120

$11.39 ₩15.2K

-43.81%

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

$432 MX$8,103

$302 ₩403.2K

42.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$214.5K

$21.9K ₩29.2M

-47.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,281

$65.3 ₩87.2K

4.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$997

$40.89 ₩54.6K

29.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,023

$93.9 ₩125.3K

14.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,202

$107 ₩142.7K

9.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.9K

$371 ₩495.8K

199.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.3K

$301 ₩402.3K

135.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.6K

$1,041 ₩1.4M

148.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.4K

$612 ₩816.6K

129.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$68.2K

$5,603 ₩7.5M

-35.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$40.1K

$4,492 ₩6.0M

-52.47%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.8K

$2,366 ₩3.2M

-60.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

3.65

210.96%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Last update for Daejeon: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Daejeon

$301 22.1% 57.6% $409

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Daejeon

$450 33% 40.9% $131

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Daejeon

$157 11.5% 21.1% $42

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Daejeon

$138 10.1% 11.4% $18

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Daejeon

$239 17.5% 89.3% $113

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Daejeon

$57 4.2% 21.1% $15

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Daejeon

$23 1.7% 9.5% $2.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,113 in Mexico City versus $371 in Daejeon. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Daejeon are about 2.5 times higher, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $48 in Mexico City versus $37 in Daejeon. Groceries tell a different story – $320 in Mexico City vs $450 in Daejeon – so Mexico City wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇰🇷 Daejeon

🕒 Local time

19:04 7:04 PM

10:04 10:04 AM

15 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

1,537,324

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

South Korean Won KRW ₩

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

10,000 KRW = 7.49 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.71 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 = 18.77 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 20.96 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

South Korean Won exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 1,335 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.49 USD). 1 EUR = 1,491 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.71 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Daejeon 12,120 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

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Mexico City
Daejeon

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 Daejeon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mexico City costs about 18% more than Daejeon, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,412 per month in Mexico City and $2,047 in Daejeon. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Daejeon, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $371 there versus $1,113 in Mexico City.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,608 in Mexico City and $1,365 in Daejeon. That makes Daejeon about 15% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 42% less in Daejeon. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,608 in Mexico City and $1,365 in Daejeon. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Daejeon – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.