Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Miguel de Allende and Cheongju

For one person, living is cheaper in Cheongju: $1,409 a month against $1,581 in San Miguel de Allende, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in San Miguel de Allende outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

75

Cost of Living Index in San Miguel de Allende
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San Miguel de Allende Living Index
68

Cost of Living Index in Cheongju
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Cheongju Living Index

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San Miguel de Allende

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,581

/mo nomad

Cheongju

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,409

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in San Miguel de Allende and in Cheongju

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in San Miguel de Allende and in Cheongju actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,581 in San Miguel de Allende versus $1,409 in Cheongju.

San Miguel de Allende $1,581
Cheongju $1,409

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,514 in San Miguel de Allende versus $2,329 in Cheongju.

San Miguel de Allende $2,514
Cheongju $2,329

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,448 in San Miguel de Allende versus $3,249 in Cheongju.

San Miguel de Allende $3,448
Cheongju $3,249

Living in San Miguel de Allende is roughly 12% more expensive than in Cheongju, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: San Miguel de Allende 16% above, Cheongju 4% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.61 MX$272

$7.47 ₩10.0K

95.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$41.89 MX$781

$48.95 ₩65.7K

-14.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$193

$5.88 ₩7,898

76.02%

Cappuccino

$3.71 MX$69.1

$3.66 ₩4,909

1.37%

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

$1.59 MX$29.59

$1.84 ₩2,476

-13.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.05 MX$19.56

$1.40 ₩1,874

-25.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.56 MX$66.3

$3.65 ₩4,906

-2.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.01 MX$112

$4.33 ₩5,816

38.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.52 MX$28.40

$2.25 ₩3,026

-32.44%

White Bread (500g)

$3.16 MX$58.9

$3.25 ₩4,370

-2.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.83 MX$34.16

$3.05 ₩4,102

-40.00%

Eggs

$3.02 MX$56.3

$2.73 ₩3,672

10.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.39 MX$156

$11.16 ₩15.0K

-24.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.10 MX$226

$10.65 ₩14.3K

13.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.94 MX$334

$24.55 ₩33.0K

-26.92%

Apples (1kg)

$3.98 MX$74.2

$11.40 ₩15.3K

-65.09%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 MX$30.23

$3.59 ₩4,819

-54.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.75 MX$51.2

$8.30 ₩11.1K

-66.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.88 MX$53.6

$5.85 ₩7,855

-50.77%

Potato (1kg)

$2.61 MX$48.63

$5.84 ₩7,842

-55.31%

Onion (1kg)

$3.05 MX$56.9

$3.43 ₩4,602

-11.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.11 MX$20.66

$2.87 ₩3,854

-61.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.33 MX$24.88

$1.33 ₩1,779

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.36 MX$81.3

$3.45 ₩4,627

26.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.43 MX$306

$18.71 ₩25.1K

-12.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.33 MX$43.43

$2.46 ₩3,303

-5.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.69 MX$68.8

$3.40 ₩4,572

8.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.56 MX$10.49

$1.15 ₩1,538

-51.30%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.06 MX$355

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.29 MX$80.0

$3.50 ₩4,701

22.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.38 MX$81.7

$0.76 ₩1,021

476.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.76 MX$201

$16.67 ₩22.4K

-35.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.10

$1.36 ₩1,823

11.03%

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

$24.5K MX$456.1K

$39.0K ₩52.4M

-37.31%

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

$23.3K MX$434.1K

$33.7K ₩45.3M

-30.97%

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

$40.27 MX$751

$205 ₩275.0K

-80.34%

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

$15.51 MX$289

$24.30 ₩32.6K

-36.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$41.04 MX$765

$27.72 ₩37.2K

48.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.69 MX$684

$53.6 ₩71.9K

-31.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$41.08 MX$766

$13.97 ₩18.8K

194.06%

Cinema Ticket

$6.58 MX$123

$11.81 ₩15.9K

-44.28%

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

$349 MX$6,501

$651 ₩873.5K

-46.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,839 MX$90.2K

$21.8K ₩29.3M

-77.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$65.5 MX$1,220

$36.84 ₩49.5K

77.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.3 MX$1,106

$65.4 ₩87.8K

-9.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 MX$2,055

$93.9 ₩126.0K

17.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$146 MX$2,730

$113 ₩152.1K

29.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,046 MX$19.5K

$342 ₩459.8K

205.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$635 MX$11.8K

$275 ₩369.7K

130.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,351 MX$43.8K

$1,197 ₩1.6M

96.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,237 MX$23.1K

$760 ₩1.0M

62.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,652 MX$49.4K

$7,228 ₩9.7M

-63.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,605 MX$29.9K

$5,619 ₩7.5M

-71.44%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$604 MX$11.3K

$2,613 ₩3.5M

-76.89%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.05

4.22

185.55%

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

Last update for San Miguel de Allende: October 25, 2026

Last update for Cheongju: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Miguel de Allende

$635 40.2%

Cheongju

$275 19.5% 56.6% $360

Groceries & Markets

San Miguel de Allende

$347 22%

Cheongju

$488 34.6% 40.6% $141

Eating Out

San Miguel de Allende

$233 14.7%

Cheongju

$161 11.4% 30.8% $72

Clothing & Footwear

San Miguel de Allende

$172 10.9%

Cheongju

$139 9.9% 18.9% $33

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Miguel de Allende

$97 6.1%

Cheongju

$257 18.2% 165% $160

Sport & Entertainment

San Miguel de Allende

$50 3.2%

Cheongju

$77 5.5% 54.8% $27

Getting Around

San Miguel de Allende

$48 3%

Cheongju

$12 * 0.8% 75% $36

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 $1,046 in San Miguel de Allende and $342 in Cheongju. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cheongju pays about 4.3 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $42 in San Miguel de Allende vs $49 in Cheongju for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $347 vs $488 per month, with San Miguel de Allende cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 San Miguel de Allende

🇰🇷 Cheongju

🕒 Local time

07:06 7:06 AM

22:06 10:06 PM

15 h ahead of San Miguel de Allende

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

72,452

835,669

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

South Korean Won KRW ₩

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

10,000 KRW = 7.45 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

South Korean Won exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1,343 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.45 USD). 1 EUR = 1,494 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

San Miguel de Allende Cheongju 11,860 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

San Miguel de Allende
Cheongju

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

San Miguel de Allende vs Cheongju: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cheongju wins on cost – living expenses run 11% lower than in San Miguel de Allende. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Cheongju the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 77% lower in San Miguel de Allende. 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: $1,046 in San Miguel de Allende versus $342 in Cheongju. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $349 in San Miguel de Allende versus $651 in Cheongju. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in San Miguel de Allende – a meal for two runs $42 versus $49 in Cheongju. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Cheongju is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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, San Miguel de Allende and Cheongju are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.