Cost of Living Comparison Between Alajuela and Mexico City Cost of Living Comparison Between Alajuela and Mexico City

😐 Solo nomad: Alajuela is 4.5% more expensive than Mexico City without rent, and 9.9% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Alajuela is 21.8% more expensive than Mexico City without rent, and 2.3% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.08 ₡4,768

$13.12 MX$232

-23.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.17 ₡19.0K

$53.8 MX$952

-25.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.68 ₡4,577

$9.40 MX$166

2.98%

Cappuccino

$3.75 ₡1,773

$3.56 MX$63.0

5.34%

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

$1.96 ₡927

$1.60 MX$28.37

22.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.29 ₡610

$1.15 MX$20.44

12.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.21 ₡1,044

$3.16 MX$55.9

-30.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.65 ₡1,726

$4.85 MX$85.8

-24.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.86 ₡880

$1.63 MX$28.92

14.11%

White Bread (500g)

$2.47 ₡1,166

$2.73 MX$48.40

-9.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.22 ₡1,048

$1.88 MX$33.25

18.09%

Eggs

$2.25 ₡1,063

$2.63 MX$46.58

-14.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.67 ₡4,570

$9.89 MX$175

-2.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.04 ₡4,273

$8.40 MX$149

7.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.90 ₡6,572

$11.63 MX$206

19.52%

Apples (1kg)

$3.85 ₡1,822

$2.97 MX$52.6

29.63%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 ₡686

$1.78 MX$31.59

-18.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.14 ₡1,958

$2.06 MX$36.38

100.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.86 ₡1,350

$1.97 MX$34.96

45.18%

Potato (1kg)

$2.88 ₡1,360

$2.09 MX$36.92

37.80%

Onion (1kg)

$2.64 ₡1,247

$2.26 MX$39.99

16.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.00 ₡474

$1.46 MX$25.81

-31.51%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.51 ₡1,187

$1.09 MX$19.29

130.28%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.95 ₡2,338

$4.34 MX$76.8

14.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.49 ₡9,689

$13.62 MX$241

50.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.14 ₡1,012

$1.67 MX$29.63

28.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.42 ₡1,145

$3.54 MX$62.6

-31.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.83 ₡394

$0.36 MX$6.37

130.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$112 ₡53.0K

$18.96 MX$336

490.82%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.38 ₡652

$1.32 MX$23.43

4.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.32 ₡622

$0.30 MX$5.33

340.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.05 ₡3,804

$5.49 MX$97.2

46.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.40 ₡662

$1.34 MX$23.66

4.48%

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

$37.7K ₡17.8M

$19.1K MX$338.3K

97.23%

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

$32.8K ₡15.5M

$23.8K MX$420.6K

38.22%

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

$44.80 ₡21.2K

$41.11 MX$728

8.98%

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

$19.66 ₡9,297

$27.78 MX$492

-29.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.13 ₡15.7K

$30.00 MX$531

10.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$65.7 ₡31.1K

$53.5 MX$948

22.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$43.81 ₡20.7K

$26.13 MX$463

67.66%

Cinema Ticket

$9.13 ₡4,315

$6.28 MX$111

45.38%

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

$303 ₡143.3K

$439 MX$7,777

-30.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,356 ₡1.1M

$10.7K MX$190.1K

-78.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.9 ₡29.7K

$57.1 MX$1,011

10.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.3 ₡24.7K

$45.30 MX$802

15.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 ₡57.2K

$104 MX$1,845

15.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$100 ₡47.4K

$108 MX$1,916

-7.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$704 ₡332.9K

$996 MX$17.6K

-29.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$607 ₡286.8K

$624 MX$11.0K

-2.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,013 ₡479.1K

$2,106 MX$37.3K

-51.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$934 ₡441.6K

$1,218 MX$21.6K

-23.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,799 MX$67.2K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,230 MX$39.5K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,039 ₡964.1K

$1,096 MX$19.4K

85.98%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.17

11.34

-10.32%

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

Last update for Alajuela: March 2, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: March 1, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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