Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seoul and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,561 a month against $1,822 in Seoul, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

87

Cost of Living Index in Seoul
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Seoul Living Index
77

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,822

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,561

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Seoul 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 Seoul and in Mexico City actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,822 in Seoul versus $1,561 in Mexico City.

Seoul $1,822
Mexico City $1,561

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,847 in Seoul versus $2,440 in Mexico City.

Seoul $2,847
Mexico City $2,440

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,872 in Seoul versus $3,319 in Mexico City.

Seoul $3,872
Mexico City $3,319

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

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Seoul 36% above, Mexico City 16% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.10 ₩12.2K

$11.12 MX$204

-18.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.0 ₩89.8K

$48.99 MX$900

36.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.42 ₩9,941

$11.23 MX$206

-33.93%

Cappuccino

$4.08 ₩5,470

$3.76 MX$69.0

8.51%

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

$1.60 ₩2,141

$1.65 MX$30.34

-3.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.80 ₩1,078

$1.28 MX$23.48

-37.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.65 ₩4,886

$3.26 MX$59.8

11.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.94 ₩7,956

$5.66 MX$104

4.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.05 ₩2,742

$1.81 MX$33.23

13.26%

White Bread (500g)

$3.08 ₩4,130

$2.94 MX$54.0

4.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.21 ₩5,646

$2.05 MX$37.62

105.37%

Eggs

$3.57 ₩4,784

$2.93 MX$53.7

21.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.95 ₩24.1K

$11.95 MX$219

50.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.64 ₩14.3K

$9.51 MX$175

11.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$26.44 ₩35.4K

$14.84 MX$273

78.17%

Apples (1kg)

$7.42 ₩9,946

$3.14 MX$57.7

136.31%

Banana (1kg)

$3.53 ₩4,732

$2.01 MX$36.99

75.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.87 ₩7,866

$2.08 MX$38.10

182.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.37 ₩8,534

$2.22 MX$40.72

186.94%

Potato (1kg)

$3.75 ₩5,028

$2.06 MX$37.82

82.04%

Onion (1kg)

$2.49 ₩3,337

$1.88 MX$34.46

32.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.92 ₩3,911

$1.48 MX$27.18

97.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 ₩1,542

$1.35 MX$24.70

-14.81%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.29 ₩4,408

$5.41 MX$99.3

-39.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.49 ₩24.8K

$16.86 MX$310

9.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.28 ₩3,057

$1.98 MX$36.43

15.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.28 ₩4,398

$4.32 MX$79.4

-24.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.14 ₩1,526

$0.34 MX$6.33

235.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$45.47 ₩60.9K

$20.23 MX$371

124.77%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.48 ₩4,663

$2.10 MX$38.47

65.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.60 ₩803

$0.53 MX$9.74

13.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.70 ₩11.7K

$5.41 MX$99.3

60.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 ₩2,004

$1.52 MX$27.91

-1.32%

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

$29.1K ₩39.0M

$21.7K MX$399.0K

33.99%

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

$28.2K ₩37.8M

$24.8K MX$455.6K

13.62%

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

$209 ₩279.9K

$63.0 MX$1,156

231.70%

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

$35.13 ₩47.1K

$28.88 MX$530

21.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.18 ₩28.4K

$33.93 MX$623

-37.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.3 ₩76.8K

$55.8 MX$1,024

2.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.89 ₩21.3K

$24.90 MX$457

-36.18%

Cinema Ticket

$11.33 ₩15.2K

$6.77 MX$124

67.36%

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

$1,902 ₩2.5M

$428 MX$7,854

344.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.5K ₩30.2M

$11.9K MX$218.0K

89.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.9 ₩78.9K

$70.0 MX$1,286

-15.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.12 ₩43.0K

$53.7 MX$986

-40.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.1 ₩94.0K

$110 MX$2,016

-36.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.5 ₩110.5K

$115 MX$2,115

-28.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$885 ₩1.2M

$1,062 MX$19.5K

-16.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$624 ₩835.5K

$671 MX$12.3K

-7.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,494 ₩3.3M

$2,379 MX$43.7K

4.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,275 ₩1.7M

$1,260 MX$23.1K

1.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$29.8K ₩40.0M

$3,716 MX$68.2K

703.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.8K ₩15.9M

$1,976 MX$36.3K

499.58%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,649 ₩4.9M

$997 MX$18.3K

266.03%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.08

11.3

-63.89%

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

Last update for Seoul: October 4, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seoul

$624 34.7%

Mexico City

$671 42.4% 7.6% $47

Groceries & Markets

Seoul

$479 26.7%

Mexico City

$327 20.7% 31.8% $152

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seoul

$265 14.8%

Mexico City

$126 8% 52.6% $139

Eating Out

Seoul

$184 10.2%

Mexico City

$207 13.1% 12.7% $23

Clothing & Footwear

Seoul

$110 6.1%

Mexico City

$157 9.9% 43.1% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Seoul

$80 4.5%

Mexico City

$69 4.4% 13.3% $11

Getting Around

Seoul

$57 3.1%

Mexico City

$26 1.7% 53.4% $30

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $885 in Seoul and $1,062 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Seoul pays 266% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $67.0 in Seoul vs $49.00 in Mexico City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $479 vs $327 per month, with Mexico City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Seoul

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

11:10 11:10 AM

20:10 8:10 PM

15 h behind Seoul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,509,458 Capital

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

South Korean Won KRW ₩

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KRW = 7.46 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.65 EUR

100 MXN = 5.45 USD

100 MXN = 4.86 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇰🇷 South Korean Won (₩)

South Korean Won exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1,340 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.46 USD). 1 EUR = 1,503 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.65 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 18.36 MXN (100 MXN = 5.45 USD). 1 EUR = 20.59 MXN (100 MXN = 4.86 EUR).

USD to KRW in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

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

From you

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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

Seoul vs Mexico City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Seoul and Mexico City differ by about 17% in total monthly costs ($1,822 vs $1,561 including rent). Mexico City is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 266% higher in Seoul, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $885 in Seoul versus $1,062 in Mexico City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Mexico City runs roughly 125% less than in Seoul. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $1,902 in Seoul versus $428 in Mexico City. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,561 in Mexico City versus $1,822 in Seoul, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Mexico City but tight or insufficient in Seoul. The gap between the two cities makes Mexico City 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, Seoul and Mexico City 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 Mexico City gentler on the wallet – expenses run 17% less than in Seoul. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.