Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Gyeongju

For one person, living is cheaper in Gyeongju: $1,227 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $4,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Gyeongju
Learn more

Gyeongju Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Gyeongju

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,227

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,608 per month in Mexico City vs $1,227 in Gyeongju, rent included.

Mexico City $1,608
Gyeongju $1,227

A couple spends around $2,549 per month in Mexico City vs $2,008 in Gyeongju, rent included.

Mexico City $2,549
Gyeongju $2,008

A family of three spends $3,490 per month in Mexico City vs $2,788 in Gyeongju, rent included.

Mexico City $3,490
Gyeongju $2,788

Mexico City costs about 31% more than Gyeongju, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Mexico City sits 18% above the global median, while Gyeongju is 10% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$198

$7.65 ₩10.2K

38.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$901

$49.45 ₩66.3K

-2.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$193

$6.60 ₩8,848

56.82%

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$68.7

$3.05 ₩4,092

20.98%

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

$1.67 MX$31.05

$1.10 ₩1,477

51.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.58

$0.36 ₩485

252.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$59.5

$2.68 ₩3,592

19.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$98.9

$4.23 ₩5,663

25.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.13

$2.25 ₩3,018

-23.56%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$56.6

$2.53 ₩3,392

20.16%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.17

$3.07 ₩4,114

-36.81%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$53.8

$2.65 ₩3,554

9.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$204

$11.17 ₩15.0K

-1.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$172

$10.46 ₩14.0K

-11.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$282

$19.08 ₩25.6K

-20.70%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$56.8

$4.61 ₩6,185

-33.84%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.17

$2.69 ₩3,604

-27.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.73

$3.86 ₩5,168

-47.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.12

$3.68 ₩4,933

-37.23%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$37.91

$2.61 ₩3,504

-21.84%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.53

$2.28 ₩3,057

-21.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.56

$2.24 ₩3,002

-33.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.62

$1.29 ₩1,726

-1.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$98.8

$3.32 ₩4,444

59.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$300

$15.13 ₩20.3K

6.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$36.95

$1.16 ₩1,549

70.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.2

$2.29 ₩3,068

85.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.68

$1.02 ₩1,373

-69.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$368

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.23

$2.98 ₩3,994

-38.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$9.94

$0.78 ₩1,042

-32.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$98.7

$16.95 ₩22.7K

-68.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.14

$1.07 ₩1,435

41.12%

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

$21.8K MX$405.3K

$40.1K ₩53.7M

-45.69%

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

$24.0K MX$446.9K

$33.3K ₩44.7M

-28.02%

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

$63.0 MX$1,173

$81.2 ₩108.8K

-22.42%

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

$27.39 MX$510

$35.92 ₩48.1K

-23.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$664

$27.37 ₩36.7K

30.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,098

$55.1 ₩73.8K

7.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$441

$13.94 ₩18.7K

69.58%

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$119

$11.09 ₩14.9K

-42.29%

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

$432 MX$8,041

$633 ₩848.8K

-31.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$212.8K

$22.0K ₩29.6M

-48.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,271

$44.48 ₩59.6K

53.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$990

$22.62 ₩30.3K

134.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,008

$93.1 ₩124.8K

15.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,185

$130 ₩174.4K

-9.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.7K

$490 ₩657.0K

127.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.2K

$354 ₩475.0K

100.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.2K

$1,170 ₩1.6M

121.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.2K

$739 ₩991.0K

90.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$67.6K

$7,222 ₩9.7M

-49.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$39.8K

$5,555 ₩7.4M

-61.57%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.6K

$1,898 ₩2.5M

-50.16%

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 Gyeongju: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Gyeongju

$354 28.9% 50.1% $356

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Gyeongju

$364 29.7% 14% $45

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Gyeongju

$145 11.8% 26.8% $53

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Gyeongju

$131 10.7% 16.2% $25

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Gyeongju

$144 11.8% 14.6% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Gyeongju

$77 6.3% 7.7% $5.5

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Gyeongju

$11 * 0.9% 57% $15

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,113 in Mexico City versus $490 in Gyeongju. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Gyeongju are about 2 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 $49 in Gyeongju. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $320 vs $364 – making Mexico City the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇰🇷 Gyeongju

🕒 Local time

01:33 1:33 AM

16:33 4:33 PM

15 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

258,156

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

South Korean Won KRW ₩

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

10,000 KRW = 7.46 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.69 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 October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 18.63 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.79 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

South Korean Won exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 1,340 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.46 USD). 1 EUR = 1,496 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Gyeongju 12,040 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Gyeongju

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 Gyeongju: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Mexico City is pricier by about 31%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,412 per month in Mexico City and $1,841 in Gyeongju. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Gyeongju, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $490 there versus $1,113 in Mexico City.

Interestingly, groceries are about 12% cheaper in Mexico City – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

Kindergarten costs $432 per month in Mexico City and $633 in Gyeongju. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Gyeongju, where all-in costs run around $1,227, than in Mexico City at $1,608. In Gyeongju it covers expenses comfortably, while in Mexico City it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Mexico City has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,227 in Gyeongju to $1,608 in Mexico City. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.