Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Gongju

For one person, living is cheaper in Gongju: $1,522 a month against $1,674 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Mexico City outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

80

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Gongju
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Gongju Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,674

/mo nomad

Gongju

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,522

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,674 per month in Mexico City vs $1,522 in Gongju, rent included.

Mexico City $1,674
Gongju $1,522

A couple spends around $2,606 per month in Mexico City vs $2,522 in Gongju, rent included.

Mexico City $2,606
Gongju $2,522

A family of three spends $3,537 per month in Mexico City vs $3,522 in Gongju, rent included.

Mexico City $3,537
Gongju $3,522

Mexico City costs about 10% more than Gongju, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Mexico City and Gongju sit above the global median – Mexico City by 24%, Gongju by 13%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.59 MX$199

$7.24 ₩9,731

46.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$52.0 MX$978

$47.72 ₩64.1K

8.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.73 MX$202

$6.68 ₩8,978

60.63%

Cappuccino

$3.80 MX$71.4

$3.70 ₩4,973

2.70%

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

$1.61 MX$30.35

$1.80 ₩2,423

-10.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.21 MX$22.81

$1.38 ₩1,854

-12.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 MX$59.8

$3.65 ₩4,909

-12.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.44 MX$102

$4.18 ₩5,620

30.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.32

$2.34 ₩3,139

-26.50%

White Bread (500g)

$2.97 MX$55.8

$3.22 ₩4,331

-7.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.93 MX$36.24

$3.03 ₩4,071

-36.30%

Eggs

$2.77 MX$52.2

$2.68 ₩3,598

3.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.67 MX$220

$10.83 ₩14.6K

7.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.48 MX$178

$10.45 ₩14.0K

-9.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.37 MX$289

$24.97 ₩33.6K

-38.45%

Apples (1kg)

$3.10 MX$58.4

$11.02 ₩14.8K

-71.87%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 MX$36.90

$3.65 ₩4,907

-46.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.98 MX$37.30

$8.16 ₩11.0K

-75.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.34 MX$43.95

$6.03 ₩8,101

-61.19%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$38.08

$5.80 ₩7,792

-65.17%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 MX$34.34

$3.25 ₩4,361

-44.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.54 MX$29.06

$2.86 ₩3,837

-46.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 MX$24.70

$1.27 ₩1,710

3.15%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.35 MX$101

$3.41 ₩4,586

56.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.19 MX$305

$18.26 ₩24.5K

-11.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.96 MX$36.87

$2.38 ₩3,193

-17.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.35 MX$81.9

$3.60 ₩4,839

20.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.30 MX$5.74

$1.20 ₩1,609

-75.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.49 MX$367

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.92 MX$36.08

$3.64 ₩4,887

-47.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.47 MX$8.90

$0.67 ₩897

-29.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.41 MX$102

$14.65 ₩19.7K

-63.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 MX$27.92

$1.39 ₩1,873

6.47%

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

$21.4K MX$402.2K

$39.8K ₩53.4M

-46.24%

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

$23.8K MX$447.1K

$33.7K ₩45.2M

-29.41%

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

$62.0 MX$1,167

$200 ₩269.2K

-69.06%

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

$28.47 MX$536

$36.89 ₩49.6K

-22.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.11 MX$642

$26.87 ₩36.1K

26.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.4 MX$1,099

$58.3 ₩78.3K

0.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.50 MX$461

$15.41 ₩20.7K

58.99%

Cinema Ticket

$6.59 MX$124

$11.77 ₩15.8K

-44.01%

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

$434 MX$8,172

$636 ₩855.1K

-31.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.0K MX$264.1K

$21.6K ₩29.0M

-34.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.4 MX$1,286

$105 ₩141.2K

-34.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.8 MX$1,031

$64.5 ₩86.6K

-14.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 MX$2,086

$92.4 ₩124.2K

19.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 MX$2,183

$128 ₩172.0K

-9.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,179 MX$22.2K

$424 ₩569.2K

178.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$771 MX$14.5K

$343 ₩460.6K

124.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,570 MX$48.4K

$1,406 ₩1.9M

82.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,420 MX$26.7K

$936 ₩1.3M

51.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,586 MX$67.5K

$6,877 ₩9.2M

-47.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,064 MX$38.8K

$5,486 ₩7.4M

-62.37%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,003 MX$18.9K

$1,309 ₩1.8M

-23.37%

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: November 1, 2026

Last update for Gongju: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$771 46.1%

Gongju

$343 22.5% 55.5% $428

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$324 19.3%

Gongju

$484 31.8% 49.6% $161

Eating Out

Mexico City

$201 12%

Gongju

$162 10.6% 19.4% $39

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$158 9.4%

Gongju

$175 11.5% 11.4% $18

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$125 7.4%

Gongju

$264 17.4% 112% $140

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.3%

Gongju

$82 5.4% 14.3% $10

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.5%

Gongju

$12 * 0.8% 52.9% $13

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,179 in Mexico City versus $424 in Gongju. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 30% higher in Gongju, 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 $52 in Mexico City versus $48 in Gongju. Groceries tell a different story – $324 in Mexico City vs $484 in Gongju – so Mexico City wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇰🇷 Gongju

🕒 Local time

06:52 6:52 AM

21:52 9:52 PM

15 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

110,428

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

South Korean Won KRW ₩

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.31 USD

100 MXN = 4.74 EUR

10,000 KRW = 7.44 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.64 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 4, 2026: 1 USD = 18.82 MXN (100 MXN = 5.31 USD). 1 EUR = 21.1 MXN (100 MXN = 4.74 EUR).

South Korean Won exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 1,344 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.44 USD). 1 EUR = 1,506 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.64 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Gongju 12,130 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Gongju

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 Gongju: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,674 in Mexico City, $1,522 in Gongju – Gongju comes out roughly 9% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,510 per month in Mexico City and $2,283 in Gongju. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Gongju, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $424 there versus $1,179 in Mexico City.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,674 in Mexico City and $1,522 in Gongju. That makes Gongju about 9% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $434 per month in Mexico City and $636 in Gongju. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,674 in Mexico City and $1,522 in Gongju, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Mexico City has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,522 in Gongju to $1,674 in Mexico City. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.