Big Mac shock in Mexico: A reporter's World Cup reality

Tacos served at a shopping mall in Guadalajara, Mexico / Korea Times photo by Park Ju-hee

My first meal in Mexico got off to a rough start.

After arriving in Guadalajara on June 8 to cover the 2026 FIFA World Cup, I headed to a nearby shopping mall restaurant with a junior colleague from my company. Because of a long layover during our flight, we had skipped lunch, and I wanted to treat her to a proper meal upon arrival.

I still regret that decision.

We ordered tacos, a quesadilla, a Coca-Cola and a bottle of Corona beer. When the bill arrived, it totaled 755 pesos (about 73,000 won), not including a 10 percent tip. At that moment, my heart started racing to the rhythm of a salsa beat as a terrifying thought crossed my mind: What if the company refuses to reimburse this expense?

Determined to repent for my extravagance, I vowed to survive on the instant noodles and microwavable rice meals I had brought from Korea.

Then I found a lifeline.

At a traditional market in Zapopan — Zona de Fondas Mercado Municipal de Zapopan — tacos were selling for just 15 pesos (about 1,450 won) each. Delighted, I bought four of them for roughly 5,800 won.

A few days later, I went on a quest to collect a "Son Heung-min Cup" promotional item by visiting McDonald's locations around Guadalajara. I figured I could grab a meal while I was at it. Based on market prices and my faith in fast food as a budget option, I thought I knew what to expect.

I was wrong.

The menu board listed a Big Mac at 89 pesos (about 8,650 won) and a Big Mac combo meal at 130 pesos (about 12,600 won). The special combo that included the Son Heung-min Cup cost a staggering 229 pesos (about 22,200 won).

Compared with prices in Korea — 5,700 won for a Big Mac and 7,600 won for a combo meal — it felt surprisingly expensive.

The menu at a taco restaurant in Guadalajara, Mexico, that was visited by Korea national football team captain Son Heung-min / Korea Times photo by Park Ju-hee

Even the taco stand made famous by Son's visit was not exactly cheap. When I stopped by on Monday, standard tacos were priced between 45 and 65 pesos (about 4,300 to 6,300 won) each. While still cheaper than McDonald's, an adult would need at least two to feel full. Son's group had ordered arrachera tacos, made with skirt steak, which cost 95 pesos (about 9,200 won) apiece.

People walk past a poster stand depicting Korea national football team captain Son Heung-min in San Pedro Garza Garcia, near Monterrey, Mexico, ahead of the 2026 World Cup, June 7. AFP-Yonhap

Perhaps such prices are manageable for Son or visiting Korean tourists. But for a reporter anxiously watching every expense, ordering two arrachera tacos required more courage than I could muster.

Looking at the city through the eyes of someone counting every peso, I began noticing things I had previously overlooked.

Minerva Dequila, a 20-year-old employee at the taco shop, told me she earns about 50 pesos (roughly 4,900 won) an hour, including tips. To buy a single Big Mac combo meal, she would need to work for two and a half hours.

Yet business has improved since Son's visit.

The customers at the taco shop clearly looked different from those I had met at the Zapopan market. The contrast highlighted Mexico's stark wealth gap.

In that moment, I suddenly understood the feelings of Mama Imelda, the great-grandmother in Pixar's "Coco." After her husband abandoned the family to pursue music, she could hardly afford to buy little Coco an arrachera taco.

Food and drink prices at Guadalajara Stadium in Zapopan, Mexico / Korea Times photo by Park Ju-hee

Prices inside Guadalajara Stadium were even more eye-watering.

A 750-milliliter beer cost between 270 and 310 pesos (about 26,200 to 30,000 won), while a sandwich sold for 260 to 280 pesos (roughly 25,000 to 27,000 won). Such prices are daunting not only for locals like Minerva but also for reporters worried about reimbursement limits.

Ticket prices are enough to make anyone gasp.

Seats behind the goal on the middle tier for the Korea-Czech Republic match were selling for around $400, while tickets for the Korea-Mexico match were changing hands at even higher prices.

After exploring Guadalajara, I found that most soccer fans preferred a different approach. Instead of paying stadium prices, they bought food from affordable places such as the Zapopan market and gathered in public squares to watch matches on giant screens. Their numbers far exceeded those enjoying beer and live action inside the stadium.

I am not suggesting that everyone should experience the World Cup under identical conditions, nor am I claiming that one way of life is better than another.

Still, as commercial breaks and sponsorship opportunities expand through measures such as hydration breaks, one cannot help but wish that a small portion of the additional advertising revenue could be used to support the countless fans celebrating the World Cup together in public squares.

Korean fans react ahead of the World Cup Group A match between Korea and Czechia in Zapopan, near Guadalajara, Mexico, June 11. AP-Yonhap

This article, written by Park Joo-hee of the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.