Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seongnam and Mexico City

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.

Seongnam, South Korea
Mexico City, Mexico
Seongnam
🇰🇷 South Korea
$1,413
/mo nomad
Mexico City
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,674
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

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

  • Seongnam $1,413
  • Mexico City $1,674

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

  • Seongnam $2,344
  • Mexico City $2,606

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

  • Seongnam $3,274
  • Mexico City $3,537

Living in Seongnam costs roughly 16% less than in Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

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

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Seongnam
Mexico City
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$6.81 ₩9,233
$10.59 MX$198
-35.69%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$40.39 ₩54.8K
$52.0 MX$972
-22.27%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.59 ₩8,938
$10.73 MX$201
-38.58%
Cappuccino
$4.09 ₩5,543
$3.80 MX$71.0
7.63%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.61 ₩2,180
$1.61 MX$30.16
-
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.79 ₩1,075
$1.21 MX$22.67
-34.71%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.43 ₩4,654
$3.18 MX$59.4
7.86%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.66 ₩4,961
$5.44 MX$102
-32.72%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Seongnam
Mexico City
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.20 ₩2,979
$1.72 MX$32.13
27.91%
White Bread (500g)
$3.16 ₩4,292
$2.97 MX$55.5
6.40%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.74 ₩5,073
$1.93 MX$36.02
93.78%
Eggs
$3.68 ₩4,991
$2.77 MX$51.9
32.85%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.50 ₩12.9K
$11.67 MX$218
-18.59%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.84 ₩10.6K
$9.48 MX$177
-17.30%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$21.49 ₩29.2K
$15.37 MX$288
39.82%
Apples (1kg)
$7.68 ₩10.4K
$3.10 MX$58.1
147.74%
Banana (1kg)
$3.43 ₩4,649
$1.96 MX$36.67
75.00%
Oranges (1kg)
$5.77 ₩7,825
$1.98 MX$37.07
191.41%
Tomato (1kg)
$7.09 ₩9,625
$2.34 MX$43.68
202.99%
Potato (1kg)
$3.59 ₩4,875
$2.02 MX$37.85
77.72%
Onion (1kg)
$2.57 ₩3,486
$1.82 MX$34.13
41.21%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.84 ₩3,854
$1.54 MX$28.89
84.42%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.27 ₩1,730
$1.31 MX$24.54
-3.05%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.27 ₩4,432
$5.35 MX$100
-38.88%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.62 ₩18.5K
$16.19 MX$303
-15.87%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.05 ₩2,785
$1.96 MX$36.64
4.59%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.83 ₩2,487
$4.35 MX$81.4
-57.93%
🚌 Getting Around
Seongnam
Mexico City
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.04 ₩1,411
$0.30 MX$5.70
246.67%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$19.49 MX$365
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.61 ₩4,905
$1.92 MX$35.86
88.02%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.61 ₩834
$0.47 MX$8.84
29.79%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.85 ₩12.0K
$5.41 MX$101
63.59%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.35 ₩1,825
$1.48 MX$27.75
-8.78%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$29.5K ₩40.0M
$21.4K MX$399.7K
38.05%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$27.8K ₩37.7M
$23.8K MX$444.3K
16.85%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Seongnam
Mexico City
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$211 ₩286.0K
$62.0 MX$1,160
240.05%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$36.70 ₩49.8K
$28.47 MX$533
28.91%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$20.66 ₩28.0K
$34.11 MX$638
-39.43%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Seongnam
Mexico City
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$51.2 ₩69.4K
$58.4 MX$1,092
-12.40%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$13.39 ₩18.2K
$24.50 MX$458
-45.35%
Cinema Ticket
$11.25 ₩15.3K
$6.59 MX$123
70.71%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Seongnam
Mexico City
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$444 ₩601.7K
$434 MX$8,122
2.13%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$17.6K ₩23.8M
$14.0K MX$262.5K
25.10%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Seongnam
Mexico City
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$62.9 ₩85.3K
$68.4 MX$1,278
-8.05%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$32.99 ₩44.8K
$54.8 MX$1,025
-39.80%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$68.3 ₩92.7K
$111 MX$2,073
-38.39%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$80.9 ₩109.8K
$116 MX$2,169
-30.23%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Seongnam
Mexico City
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$488 ₩662.0K
$1,179 MX$22.1K
-58.63%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$376 ₩510.6K
$771 MX$14.4K
-51.18%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,250 ₩1.7M
$2,570 MX$48.1K
-51.36%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,051 ₩1.4M
$1,420 MX$26.6K
-25.94%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$7,009 ₩9.5M
$3,586 MX$67.1K
95.48%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$5,574 ₩7.6M
$2,064 MX$38.6K
170.04%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Seongnam
Mexico City
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$1,003 MX$18.8K
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.08
11.35
-64.05%

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

Last update for Seongnam: November 3, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Groceries & Markets
Seongnam
$417
Mexico City
$324 22.3% $93
Accommodation & Living
Seongnam
$376
Mexico City
$771 105% $395
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Seongnam
$268
Mexico City
$125 53.5% $144
Eating Out
Seongnam
$157
Mexico City
$201 27.5% $43
Clothing & Footwear
Seongnam
$110
Mexico City
$158 42.8% $47
Sport & Entertainment
Seongnam
$74
Mexico City
$72 2.8% $2.1
Getting Around
Seongnam
$11 *
Mexico City
$25 130% $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 $488 in Seongnam and $1,179 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

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

Good to know
🇰🇷 Seongnam
🇲🇽 Mexico City
🕒 Local time
04:12 4:12 AM
13:12 1:12 PM
15 h behind Seongnam
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
967,510
9,209,944 Capital
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to KRW – South Korean Won Converter

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).

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Seongnam Mexico City 12,050 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Seongnam
  • Mexico City

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
Seongnam vs Mexico City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Seongnam and in Mexico City?
Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,413 in Seongnam and $1,674 in Mexico City, so Seongnam is about 16% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
What salary covers living expenses in Seongnam compared to Mexico City?
You’d need roughly $2,120 in Seongnam and $2,510 in Mexico City 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.
How do apartment prices compare in Seongnam and in Mexico City?
Rent for a central apartment: $488 in Seongnam versus $1,179 in Mexico City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Seongnam and Mexico City?
Childcare runs $444 in Seongnam versus $434 in Mexico City. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
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.
How far does $2,000 go in Seongnam compared to Mexico City?
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.
How does quality of life compare between Seongnam and Mexico City?
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.

Seongnam vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?