Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Acosta and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,608 a month against $1,712 in Acosta, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. The total is higher in Acosta despite lower rent and utilities.

81

Cost of Living Index in Acosta
Learn more

Acosta Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
Learn more

Mexico City Living Index

Jump to prices

Acosta

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,712

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,712 in Acosta versus $1,608 in Mexico City.

Acosta $1,712
Mexico City $1,608

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,673 in Acosta versus $2,549 in Mexico City.

Acosta $2,673
Mexico City $2,549

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,633 in Acosta versus $3,490 in Mexico City.

Acosta $3,633
Mexico City $3,490

Living in Acosta is roughly 7% more expensive than in Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Acosta 26% above, Mexico City 18% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.26 ₡5,531

$10.62 MX$198

15.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.1 ₡25.8K

$48.35 MX$901

18.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.80 ₡5,325

$10.35 MX$193

14.01%

Cappuccino

$4.16 ₡1,875

$3.69 MX$68.8

12.74%

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

$2.64 ₡1,193

$1.67 MX$31.07

58.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 ₡838

$1.27 MX$23.59

46.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.37 ₡1,521

$3.19 MX$59.5

5.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.50 ₡2,029

$5.31 MX$98.9

-15.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.40 ₡1,083

$1.72 MX$32.15

39.53%

White Bread (500g)

$2.84 ₡1,283

$3.04 MX$56.7

-6.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.68 ₡1,208

$1.94 MX$36.19

38.14%

Eggs

$3.16 ₡1,428

$2.89 MX$53.8

9.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.58 ₡5,226

$10.97 MX$205

5.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.34 ₡5,117

$9.25 MX$172

22.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.80 ₡6,677

$15.13 MX$282

-2.18%

Apples (1kg)

$4.67 ₡2,107

$3.05 MX$56.8

53.11%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 ₡790

$1.94 MX$36.19

-9.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.77 ₡1,701

$2.03 MX$37.75

85.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.89 ₡1,756

$2.31 MX$43.15

68.40%

Potato (1kg)

$3.21 ₡1,450

$2.04 MX$37.94

57.35%

Onion (1kg)

$2.68 ₡1,208

$1.80 MX$33.55

48.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.05 ₡474

$1.48 MX$27.58

-29.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.02 ₡1,362

$1.27 MX$23.63

137.80%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.50 ₡2,484

$5.30 MX$98.9

3.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.96 ₡8,105

$16.10 MX$300

11.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.33 ₡1,053

$1.98 MX$36.97

17.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.80 ₡1,264

$4.25 MX$79.3

-34.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.29 ₡580

$0.31 MX$5.69

316.13%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$368

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.49 ₡1,123

$1.84 MX$34.25

35.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 ₡618

$0.53 MX$9.94

158.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.86 ₡4,448

$5.30 MX$98.7

86.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.62 ₡731

$1.51 MX$28.16

7.28%

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

$37.4K ₡16.9M

$21.8K MX$405.5K

71.69%

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

$42.0K ₡19.0M

$24.0K MX$447.1K

75.30%

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

$100 ₡45.2K

$63.0 MX$1,174

59.11%

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

$30.43 ₡13.7K

$27.39 MX$511

11.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.6 ₡23.7K

$35.67 MX$665

47.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.8 ₡26.5K

$58.9 MX$1,099

-0.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$441

Cinema Ticket

$7.48 ₡3,374

$6.40 MX$119

16.88%

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

$778 ₡350.9K

$432 MX$8,045

80.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.2K ₡7.8M

$11.4K MX$212.9K

50.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.4 ₡29.1K

$68.2 MX$1,272

-5.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$63.7 ₡28.7K

$53.1 MX$990

19.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 ₡61.1K

$108 MX$2,009

25.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$148 ₡66.8K

$117 MX$2,186

26.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$905 ₡408.5K

$1,113 MX$20.8K

-18.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$640 ₡288.8K

$710 MX$13.2K

-9.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,161 ₡975.1K

$2,588 MX$48.2K

-16.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,210 ₡545.9K

$1,406 MX$26.2K

-13.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,959 ₡883.9K

$3,631 MX$67.7K

-46.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$39.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,479 ₡667.4K

$946 MX$17.6K

56.32%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

11.35

-24.05%

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

Last update for Acosta: October 26, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Acosta

$640 37.4%

Mexico City

$710 44.2% 11% $70

Groceries & Markets

Acosta

$389 22.7%

Mexico City

$320 19.9% 17.8% $69

Eating Out

Acosta

$227 13.3%

Mexico City

$199 12.4% 12.6% $29

Clothing & Footwear

Acosta

$185 10.8%

Mexico City

$156 9.7% 15.8% $29

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Acosta

$183 10.7%

Mexico City

$126 7.8% 31.2% $57

Sport & Entertainment

Acosta

$74 4.3%

Mexico City

$72 4.5% 2.8% $2

Getting Around

Acosta

$14 * 0.9%

Mexico City

$25 1.6% 76% $11

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 $905 in Acosta and $1,113 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Acosta pays 56% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $57 in Acosta vs $48 in Mexico City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $389 vs $320 per month, with Mexico City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Acosta

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

09:11 9:11 AM

Same time as Acosta

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,072

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to CRC – Costa Rican Colón Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 502 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

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).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Acosta Mexico City 1,930 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Acosta
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

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

Acosta and Mexico City differ by about 7% in total monthly costs ($1,712 vs $1,608 including rent). Mexico City is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 56% higher in Acosta, 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: $905 in Acosta versus $1,113 in Mexico City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 22% higher in Acosta. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,712 per month in Acosta versus $1,608 in Mexico City – a 7% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Mexico City gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.

It comes down to priorities – Mexico City wins on affordability, Acosta on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.