Cost of Living Comparison Between Alajuela and Madrid Cost of Living Comparison Between Alajuela and Madrid

😐 Solo nomad: Alajuela is 4.5% more expensive than Madrid without rent, and 29.8% cheaper with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: Alajuela is 1.3% cheaper than Madrid without rent, and 28.3% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.11 ₡4,940

$17.7 €15.25

-42.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.49 ₡19.8K

$70.3 €60.5

-42.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.4 ₡4,592

$11.87 €10.22

-20.81%

Cappuccino

$3.67 ₡1,794

$3.07 €2.65

19.54%

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

$2 ₡977

$3.06 €2.64

-34.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.33 ₡652

$2.19 €1.88

-39.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.17 ₡1,061

$4.15 €3.58

-47.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,774

$4.58 €3.95

-20.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.94 ₡947

$1.18 €1.02

64.41%

White Bread (500g)

$2.43 ₡1,188

$1.71 €1.47

42.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.14 ₡1,043

$1.7 €1.47

25.88%

Eggs

$2.23 ₡1,087

$3.4 €2.93

-34.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.85 ₡4,810

$14.84 €12.78

-33.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.06 ₡4,428

$9.04 €7.78

0.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.63 ₡6,661

$17.1 €14.73

-20.29%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 ₡1,939

$2.66 €2.29

49.25%

Banana (1kg)

$1.47 ₡718

$2.22 €1.91

-33.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.17 ₡2,035

$2.58 €2.22

61.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.86 ₡1,398

$2.65 €2.28

7.92%

Potato (1kg)

$2.89 ₡1,412

$2.05 €1.77

40.98%

Onion (1kg)

$2.65 ₡1,294

$2.14 €1.84

23.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.03 ₡502

$1.33 €1.14

-22.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.51 ₡1,227

$0.97 €0.83

158.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.87 ₡2,379

$6.77 €5.83

-28.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.96 ₡8,775

$8.14 €7.01

120.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.18 ₡1,063

$1.46 €1.25

49.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.56 ₡1,250

$2.27 €1.95

12.78%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 ₡432

$1.79 €1.54

-50.84%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$111 ₡54K

$49.1 €42.29

125.21%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.39 ₡679

$4.07 €3.51

-65.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.3 ₡633

$1.36 €1.18

-4.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.86 ₡3,839

$29.16 €25.12

-73.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 ₡693

$1.84 €1.58

-22.83%

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

$37.5K ₡18.3M

$37.6K €32.4K

-0.18%

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

$32.2K ₡15.7M

$33.5K €28.9K

-3.92%

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

$45 ₡22K

$191 €165

-76.47%

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

$20.03 ₡9,787

$21.63 €18.63

-7.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.28 ₡15.8K

$35.54 €30.61

-9.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$65.4 ₡31.9K

$53.6 €46.16

21.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$43.3 ₡21.2K

$17.78 €15.31

143.53%

Cinema Ticket

$9 ₡4,396

$11.49 €9.89

-21.67%

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

$298 ₡145.4K

$672 €579

-55.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,377 ₡1.2M

$12.2K €10.5K

-80.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62 ₡30.3K

$96.9 €83.5

-36.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.6 ₡25.2K

$42.74 €36.81

20.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 ₡58.9K

$107 €91.9

13.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.4 ₡48.1K

$133 €114

-25.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$699 ₡341.5K

$1,614 €1,390

-56.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$605 ₡295.7K

$1,137 €979

-46.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,003 ₡490K

$2,835 €2,441

-64.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$926 ₡452.6K

$1,900 €1,637

-51.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,058 ₡1M

$8,577 €7,387

-76.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,523 ₡744.2K

$4,953 €4,266

-69.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,207 ₡589.7K

$2,659 €2,290

-54.60%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.17

3.43

196.50%

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

Last update for Alajuela: November 30, 2025

Last update for Madrid: November 30, 2025

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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