Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Ulsan

For one person, living is cheaper in Ulsan: $1,339 a month against $1,567 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Mexico City outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

76

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
Learn more

Mexico City Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Ulsan
Learn more

Ulsan Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,567

/mo nomad

Ulsan

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,339

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,567 in Mexico City versus $1,339 in Ulsan.

Mexico City $1,567
Ulsan $1,339

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,450 in Mexico City versus $2,185 in Ulsan.

Mexico City $2,450
Ulsan $2,185

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,333 in Mexico City versus $3,030 in Ulsan.

Mexico City $3,333
Ulsan $3,030

Living in Mexico City is roughly 17% more expensive than in Ulsan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 16% above, Ulsan is 1% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.75 MX$199

$7.62 ₩10.1K

41.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.3 MX$929

$44.63 ₩59.3K

12.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.10 MX$205

$5.93 ₩7,882

87.18%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.1

$3.32 ₩4,410

10.84%

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

$1.65 MX$30.42

$0.88 ₩1,175

87.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.30 MX$24.08

$0.47 ₩619

176.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.32 MX$61.3

$3.01 ₩4,006

10.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.54 MX$102

$4.38 ₩5,826

26.48%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.77 MX$32.68

$2.36 ₩3,139

-25.00%

White Bread (500g)

$3.05 MX$56.4

$3.25 ₩4,315

-6.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.01 MX$37.20

$3.16 ₩4,207

-36.39%

Eggs

$2.77 MX$51.1

$2.73 ₩3,634

1.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.91 MX$220

$10.88 ₩14.5K

9.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.33 MX$172

$10.63 ₩14.1K

-12.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.02 MX$278

$24.54 ₩32.6K

-38.79%

Apples (1kg)

$3.08 MX$56.8

$11.39 ₩15.1K

-72.96%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 MX$35.97

$3.74 ₩4,975

-47.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.54

$8.09 ₩10.8K

-74.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.21 MX$40.92

$6.05 ₩8,048

-63.47%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.41

$6.01 ₩7,992

-66.39%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 MX$33.67

$3.26 ₩4,328

-44.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.52 MX$28.07

$2.89 ₩3,844

-47.40%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 MX$23.65

$1.28 ₩1,707

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.27 MX$97.4

$3.12 ₩4,154

68.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.12 MX$298

$18.52 ₩24.6K

-12.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.95 MX$36.05

$2.45 ₩3,264

-20.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$78.6

$3.44 ₩4,577

23.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.82

$1.14 ₩1,511

-72.81%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.85 MX$367

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.00 MX$36.93

$2.89 ₩3,849

-30.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$9.86

$0.78 ₩1,040

-32.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.62 MX$104

$16.96 ₩22.6K

-66.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 MX$28.07

$1.43 ₩1,899

6.29%

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

$21.0K MX$388.7K

$30.0K ₩39.9M

-29.93%

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

$25.2K MX$465.3K

$34.1K ₩45.4M

-26.23%

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

$62.5 MX$1,155

$197 ₩261.8K

-68.26%

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

$28.77 MX$532

$37.06 ₩49.3K

-22.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.45 MX$637

$27.21 ₩36.2K

26.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,055

$60.4 ₩80.3K

-5.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.81 MX$458

Cinema Ticket

$6.67 MX$123

$10.30 ₩13.7K

-35.24%

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

$431 MX$7,964

$263 ₩349.3K

64.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.7K MX$216.9K

$22.0K ₩29.3M

-46.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.8 MX$1,308

$51.5 ₩68.5K

37.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.8 MX$958

$45.56 ₩60.6K

13.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 MX$2,011

$61.0 ₩81.2K

78.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 MX$2,076

$75.0 ₩99.7K

49.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,051 MX$19.4K

$373 ₩495.3K

182.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$665 MX$12.3K

$244 ₩324.7K

172.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,346 MX$43.3K

$761 ₩1.0M

208.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,227 MX$22.7K

$648 ₩861.8K

89.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,554 MX$65.7K

$4,483 ₩6.0M

-20.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,977 MX$36.5K

$2,479 ₩3.3M

-20.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$975 MX$18.0K

$2,331 ₩3.1M

-58.19%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

4.22

167.77%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 11, 2026

Last update for Ulsan: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$665 42.4%

Ulsan

$244 18.2% 63.3% $421

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$323 20.6%

Ulsan

$489 36.5% 51.5% $166

Eating Out

Mexico City

$203 13%

Ulsan

$148 11% 27.2% $55

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$155 9.9%

Ulsan

$105 7.8% 32.2% $50

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 8%

Ulsan

$261 19.5% 108% $135

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$70 4.5%

Ulsan

$81 6.1% 15% $11

Getting Around

Mexico City

$26 1.6%

Ulsan

$11 * 0.9% 56% $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 $1,051 in Mexico City and $373 in Ulsan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ulsan pays 139% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $50.0 in Mexico City vs $45.00 in Ulsan. Groceries flip the comparison at $323 vs $489, with Mexico City cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇰🇷 Ulsan

🕒 Local time

15:26 3:26 PM

06:26 6:26 AM

15 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

1,129,827

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

South Korean Won KRW ₩

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

10,000 KRW = 7.52 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 19, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

South Korean Won exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1,330 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.52 USD). 1 EUR = 1,495 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

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

From you

Mexico City
Ulsan

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 Ulsan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mexico City and Ulsan differ by about 17% in total monthly costs ($1,567 vs $1,339 including rent). Ulsan is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 139% lower in Ulsan. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,051 in Mexico City versus $373 in Ulsan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $431 in Mexico City versus $263 in Ulsan. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Ulsan – a meal for two runs $45.00 versus $50.0 in Mexico City. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,339 in Ulsan versus $1,567 in Mexico City, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Ulsan but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Ulsan the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Safety-wise, Mexico City and Ulsan are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Ulsan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 17% less than in Mexico City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.