Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Seongnam

For one person, living is cheaper in Seongnam: $1,413 a month against $1,674 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
67

Cost of Living Index in Seongnam
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Seongnam Living Index

Jump to prices

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,674

/mo nomad

Seongnam

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,413

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,674 in Mexico City versus $1,413 in Seongnam.

Mexico City $1,674
Seongnam $1,413

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,606 in Mexico City versus $2,344 in Seongnam.

Mexico City $2,606
Seongnam $2,344

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,537 in Mexico City versus $3,274 in Seongnam.

Mexico City $3,537
Seongnam $3,274

Living in Mexico City is roughly 18% more expensive than in Seongnam, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Mexico City 24% above, Seongnam 5% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.59 MX$198

$6.81 ₩9,233

55.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$52.0 MX$972

$40.39 ₩54.8K

28.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.73 MX$201

$6.59 ₩8,938

62.82%

Cappuccino

$3.80 MX$71.0

$4.09 ₩5,543

-7.09%

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

$1.61 MX$30.16

$1.61 ₩2,180

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.21 MX$22.67

$0.79 ₩1,075

53.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 MX$59.4

$3.43 ₩4,654

-7.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.44 MX$102

$3.66 ₩4,961

48.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.13

$2.20 ₩2,979

-21.82%

White Bread (500g)

$2.97 MX$55.5

$3.16 ₩4,292

-6.01%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.93 MX$36.02

$3.74 ₩5,073

-48.40%

Eggs

$2.77 MX$51.9

$3.68 ₩4,991

-24.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.67 MX$218

$9.50 ₩12.9K

22.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.48 MX$177

$7.84 ₩10.6K

20.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.37 MX$288

$21.49 ₩29.2K

-28.48%

Apples (1kg)

$3.10 MX$58.1

$7.68 ₩10.4K

-59.64%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 MX$36.67

$3.43 ₩4,649

-42.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.98 MX$37.07

$5.77 ₩7,825

-65.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.34 MX$43.68

$7.09 ₩9,625

-67.00%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.85

$3.59 ₩4,875

-43.73%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 MX$34.13

$2.57 ₩3,486

-29.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.54 MX$28.89

$2.84 ₩3,854

-45.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 MX$24.54

$1.27 ₩1,730

3.15%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.35 MX$100

$3.27 ₩4,432

63.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.19 MX$303

$13.62 ₩18.5K

18.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.96 MX$36.64

$2.05 ₩2,785

-4.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.35 MX$81.4

$1.83 ₩2,487

137.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.30 MX$5.70

$1.04 ₩1,411

-71.15%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.49 MX$365

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.92 MX$35.86

$3.61 ₩4,905

-46.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.47 MX$8.84

$0.61 ₩834

-22.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.41 MX$101

$8.85 ₩12.0K

-38.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 MX$27.75

$1.35 ₩1,825

9.63%

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

$21.4K MX$399.7K

$29.5K ₩40.0M

-27.56%

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

$23.8K MX$444.3K

$27.8K ₩37.7M

-14.42%

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

$62.0 MX$1,160

$211 ₩286.0K

-70.59%

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

$28.47 MX$533

$36.70 ₩49.8K

-22.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.11 MX$638

$20.66 ₩28.0K

65.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.4 MX$1,092

$51.2 ₩69.4K

14.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.50 MX$458

$13.39 ₩18.2K

82.97%

Cinema Ticket

$6.59 MX$123

$11.25 ₩15.3K

-41.42%

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

$434 MX$8,122

$444 ₩601.7K

-2.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.0K MX$262.5K

$17.6K ₩23.8M

-20.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.4 MX$1,278

$62.9 ₩85.3K

8.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.8 MX$1,025

$32.99 ₩44.8K

66.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 MX$2,073

$68.3 ₩92.7K

62.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 MX$2,169

$80.9 ₩109.8K

43.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,179 MX$22.1K

$488 ₩662.0K

141.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$771 MX$14.4K

$376 ₩510.6K

104.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,570 MX$48.1K

$1,250 ₩1.7M

105.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,420 MX$26.6K

$1,051 ₩1.4M

35.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,586 MX$67.1K

$7,009 ₩9.5M

-48.84%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,064 MX$38.6K

$5,574 ₩7.6M

-62.97%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,003 MX$18.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

4.08

178.19%

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

Last update for Mexico City: November 1, 2026

Last update for Seongnam: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$771 46.1%

Seongnam

$376 26.6% 51.2% $395

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$324 19.3%

Seongnam

$417 29.5% 28.8% $93

Eating Out

Mexico City

$201 12%

Seongnam

$157 11.1% 21.6% $43

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$158 9.4%

Seongnam

$110 7.8% 30% $47

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$125 7.4%

Seongnam

$268 19% 115% $144

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.3%

Seongnam

$74 5.2% 2.9% $2.1

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.5%

Seongnam

$11 * 0.8% 56.6% $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 $1,179 in Mexico City and $488 in Seongnam. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $52 in Mexico City vs $40 in Seongnam. Groceries flip the comparison at $324 vs $417, with Mexico City cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇰🇷 Seongnam

🕒 Local time

11:39 11:39 AM

02:39 2:39 AM

15 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

967,510

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

South Korean Won KRW ₩

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.35 USD

100 MXN = 4.76 EUR

10,000 KRW = 7.37 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.56 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 6, 2026: 1 USD = 18.7 MXN (100 MXN = 5.35 USD). 1 EUR = 21.01 MXN (100 MXN = 4.76 EUR).

South Korean Won exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 1,357 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.37 USD). 1 EUR = 1,524 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.56 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Seongnam 12,050 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Seongnam

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 Seongnam: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,674 in Mexico City and $1,413 in Seongnam, so Seongnam is about 16% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $2,510 in Mexico City and $2,120 in Seongnam to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,179 in Mexico City versus $488 in Seongnam. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $434 in Mexico City versus $444 in Seongnam. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Seongnam – a meal for two runs $40 versus $52 in Mexico City. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Seongnam gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.