Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Icheon

For one person, living costs are similar in Mexico City and in Icheon: $1,567 and $1,595 a month, rent and utilities included.

76

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
77

Cost of Living Index in Icheon
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Icheon Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,567

/mo nomad

Icheon

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,595

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,567 per month in Mexico City vs $1,595 in Icheon, rent included.

Mexico City $1,567
Icheon $1,595

A couple spends around $2,450 per month in Mexico City vs $2,043 in Icheon, rent included.

Mexico City $2,450
Icheon $2,043

A family of three spends $3,333 per month in Mexico City vs $2,491 in Icheon, rent included.

Mexico City $3,333
Icheon $2,491

Mexico City is about 2% cheaper than Icheon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Mexico City and Icheon sit above the global median – Mexico City by 16%, Icheon by 18%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.75 MX$199

$6.20 ₩8,267

73.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.3 MX$929

$48.38 ₩64.5K

3.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.10 MX$205

$6.62 ₩8,834

67.67%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.1

$3.70 ₩4,941

-0.54%

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

$1.65 MX$30.42

$1.33 ₩1,780

24.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.30 MX$24.08

$1.17 ₩1,558

11.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.32 MX$61.3

$3.80 ₩5,070

-12.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.54 MX$102

$4.22 ₩5,626

31.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.77 MX$32.68

$2.23 ₩2,980

-20.63%

White Bread (500g)

$3.05 MX$56.4

$3.27 ₩4,361

-6.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.01 MX$37.20

$3.21 ₩4,278

-37.38%

Eggs

$2.77 MX$51.1

$2.74 ₩3,662

1.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.91 MX$220

$10.97 ₩14.6K

8.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.33 MX$172

$10.56 ₩14.1K

-11.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.02 MX$278

$25.36 ₩33.8K

-40.77%

Apples (1kg)

$3.08 MX$56.8

$11.33 ₩15.1K

-72.82%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 MX$35.97

$3.56 ₩4,748

-45.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.54

$8.13 ₩10.8K

-75.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.21 MX$40.92

$5.90 ₩7,876

-62.54%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.41

$6.05 ₩8,071

-66.61%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 MX$33.67

$3.38 ₩4,505

-46.15%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.52 MX$28.07

$2.74 ₩3,660

-44.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 MX$23.65

$1.28 ₩1,707

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.27 MX$97.4

$3.29 ₩4,393

60.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.12 MX$298

$18.65 ₩24.9K

-13.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.95 MX$36.05

$2.44 ₩3,256

-20.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$78.6

$3.42 ₩4,561

24.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.82

$1.10 ₩1,471

-71.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.85 MX$367

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.00 MX$36.93

$3.64 ₩4,853

-45.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$9.86

$0.77 ₩1,031

-31.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.62 MX$104

$16.77 ₩22.4K

-66.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 MX$28.07

$1.37 ₩1,827

10.95%

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

$21.0K MX$388.7K

$29.9K ₩39.9M

-29.72%

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

$25.2K MX$465.3K

$33.4K ₩44.6M

-24.60%

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

$62.5 MX$1,155

$200 ₩266.2K

-68.68%

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

$28.77 MX$532

$36.02 ₩48.1K

-20.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.45 MX$637

$27.21 ₩36.3K

26.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,055

$22.45 ₩29.9K

154.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.81 MX$458

Cinema Ticket

$6.67 MX$123

$11.28 ₩15.1K

-40.87%

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

$431 MX$7,964

$642 ₩856.1K

-32.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.7K MX$216.9K

$22.1K ₩29.5M

-46.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.8 MX$1,308

$106 ₩141.7K

-33.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.8 MX$958

$65.5 ₩87.4K

-20.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 MX$2,011

$93.9 ₩125.2K

15.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 MX$2,076

$129 ₩172.2K

-12.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,051 MX$19.4K

$748 ₩998.0K

40.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$665 MX$12.3K

$459 ₩611.9K

45.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,346 MX$43.3K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,227 MX$22.7K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,554 MX$65.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,977 MX$36.5K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$975 MX$18.0K

$2,317 ₩3.1M

-57.94%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

3.9

189.74%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 11, 2026

Last update for Icheon: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$665 42.4%

Icheon

$459 28.8% 31% $206

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$323 20.6%

Icheon

$488 30.6% 51.3% $166

Eating Out

Mexico City

$203 13%

Icheon

$151 9.5% 25.5% $52

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$155 9.9%

Icheon

$178 11.1% 14.8% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 8%

Icheon

$263 16.5% 109% $137

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$70 4.5%

Icheon

$45 2.8% 36.1% $25

Getting Around

Mexico City

$26 1.6%

Icheon

$12 * 0.8% 53.8% $14

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,051 in Mexico City versus $748 in Icheon. 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 138% higher in Icheon, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $50.0 in Mexico City versus $48.00 in Icheon. Groceries tell a different story – $323 in Mexico City vs $488 in Icheon – so Mexico City wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇰🇷 Icheon

🕒 Local time

12:17 12:17 PM

03:17 3:17 AM

15 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

213,059

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

South Korean Won KRW ₩

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

10,000 KRW = 7.5 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.67 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 17, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.78 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

South Korean Won exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1,334 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.5 USD). 1 EUR = 1,500 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.67 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

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

From you

Mexico City
Icheon

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 Icheon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Icheon is pricier by about 2%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,351 per month in Mexico City and $2,393 in Icheon. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Mexico City, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $50.0 in Mexico City and $48.00 in Icheon. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 51% more in Icheon, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Mexico City, where all-in costs run around $1,567, than in Icheon at $1,595. In Mexico City it covers expenses comfortably, while in Icheon it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Mexico City. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Icheon makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.