Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Alajuela and Cheltenham

For one person, living is cheaper in Alajuela: $1,006 a month against $2,476 in Cheltenham, rent and utilities included – about $17,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

48

Cost of Living Index in Alajuela
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Alajuela Living Index
120

Cost of Living Index in Cheltenham
Learn more

Cheltenham Living Index

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Alajuela

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,006

/mo nomad

Cheltenham

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,476

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Alajuela and in Cheltenham

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,006 in Alajuela versus $2,476 in Cheltenham.

Alajuela $1,006
Cheltenham $2,476

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,609 in Alajuela versus $3,684 in Cheltenham.

Alajuela $1,609
Cheltenham $3,684

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,212 in Alajuela versus $4,893 in Cheltenham.

Alajuela $2,212
Cheltenham $4,893

Living in Alajuela costs roughly 59% less than in Cheltenham, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Alajuela is 26% below, Cheltenham is 83% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.08 ₡5,428

$24.01 £17.80

-49.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.28 ₡19.5K

$109 £81.0

-60.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.98 ₡4,937

$11.47 £8.51

-4.27%

Cappuccino

$4.52 ₡2,030

$5.02 £3.72

-9.96%

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

$2.52 ₡1,132

$2.64 £1.96

-4.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.79 ₡806

$1.85 £1.37

-3.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.02 ₡1,356

$7.80 £5.78

-61.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.91 ₡1,756

$6.50 £4.82

-39.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.35 ₡1,055

$1.71 £1.26

37.43%

White Bread (500g)

$1.11 ₡499

$1.74 £1.29

-36.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.15 ₡965

$2.02 £1.50

6.44%

Eggs

$3.45 ₡1,549

$4.30 £3.19

-19.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.59 ₡4,759

$8.44 £6.26

25.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.28 ₡4,620

$9.62 £7.14

6.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.10 ₡6,338

$13.10 £9.72

7.63%

Apples (1kg)

$2.16 ₡970

$3.18 £2.36

-32.08%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 ₡738

$1.50 £1.11

9.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.15 ₡968

$1.87 £1.38

14.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.91 ₡1,758

$3.56 £2.64

9.83%

Potato (1kg)

$2.23 ₡1,001

$1.61 £1.19

38.51%

Onion (1kg)

$2.17 ₡974

$1.48 £1.10

46.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.03 ₡461

$1.24 £0.92

-16.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 ₡443

$1.46 £1.08

-32.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.41 ₡2,431

$23.33 £17.30

-76.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.63 ₡8,826

$10.62 £7.87

84.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 ₡634

$2.89 £2.14

-51.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.98 ₡439

$3.04 £2.25

-67.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.77 ₡346

$4.01 £2.97

-80.80%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$129 ₡58.0K

$103 £76.1

25.71%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 ₡813

$4.97 £3.68

-63.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.84 ₡827

$2.02 £1.50

-8.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.03 ₡3,611

$26.75 £19.84

-69.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 ₡673

$2.03 £1.51

-26.11%

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

$33.3K ₡15.0M

$39.1K £29.0K

-14.68%

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

$28.1K ₡12.6M

$41.2K £30.6K

-31.83%

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

$80.0 ₡36.0K

$341 £253

-76.54%

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

$30.46 ₡13.7K

$18.06 £13.39

68.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.8 ₡26.4K

$50.1 £37.19

17.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.22 £23.89

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$40.00 £29.66

Cinema Ticket

$7.68 ₡3,452

$15.22 £11.29

-49.54%

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

$972 ₡437.0K

$1,575 £1,168

-38.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K ₡8.4M

$26.4K £19.6K

-28.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.5 ₡32.2K

$103 £76.5

-30.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.2 ₡24.8K

$49.17 £36.46

12.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$128 ₡57.7K

$107 £79.3

20.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.1 ₡32.9K

$97.7 £72.5

-25.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$753 ₡338.7K

$1,422 £1,054

-47.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,058 £785

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,411 ₡634.4K

$2,183 £1,619

-35.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,720 £1,275

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,687 £4,959

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,569 £3,388

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,060 ₡926.1K

$4,382 £3,250

-52.99%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

5.54

55.60%

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

Last update for Alajuela: November 1, 2026

Last update for Cheltenham: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Alajuela

$306 30.5%

Cheltenham

$295 11.9% 3.8% $12

Eating Out

Alajuela

$224 22.3%

Cheltenham

$357 14.4% 59.3% $133

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Alajuela

$169 16.8%

Cheltenham

$409 16.5% 142% $240

Clothing & Footwear

Alajuela

$148 14.7%

Cheltenham

$161 6.5% 8.8% $13

Getting Around

Alajuela

$143 14.2%

Cheltenham

$134 5.4% 6.5% $9.4

Sport & Entertainment

Alajuela

$15 * 1.5%

Cheltenham

$63 2.5% 308% $47

Accommodation & Living

Alajuela

- * 0%

Cheltenham

$1.1K 42.8%

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 $753 in Alajuela and $1,422 in Cheltenham. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cheltenham pays about 2.1 times 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: $43 in Alajuela vs $109 in Cheltenham. Groceries flip the comparison at $306 vs $295, with Cheltenham cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Alajuela

🇬🇧 Cheltenham

🕒 Local time

22:19 10:19 PM

04:19 4:19 AM

6 h ahead of Alajuela

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

50,000

115,300

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1 GBP = 1.35 USD

1 GBP = 1.2 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 450 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 506 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

British Pound exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 0.742 GBP (1 GBP = 1.35 USD). 1 EUR = 0.835 GBP (1 GBP = 1.2 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Alajuela Cheltenham 8,590 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Alajuela
Cheltenham

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

Alajuela vs Cheltenham: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Alajuela is about 59% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, leisure, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 53% lower in Alajuela. 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: $753 in Alajuela versus $1,422 in Cheltenham. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Cheltenham runs roughly 20% less than in Alajuela. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $972 in Alajuela versus $1,575 in Cheltenham. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,006 in Alajuela versus $2,476 in Cheltenham, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Alajuela but tight or insufficient in Cheltenham. The gap between the two cities makes Alajuela the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Alajuela is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Cheltenham, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

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