Cost of Living Comparison Between Alajuela and Tokyo Cost of Living Comparison Between Alajuela and Tokyo

🙂 Solo nomad: Alajuela is 11.6% cheaper than Tokyo without rent, and 7.6% cheaper with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: Alajuela is 11.4% cheaper than Tokyo without rent, and 15.7% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.65 ₡4,786

$8.48 ¥1,341

13.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.43 ₡19.5K

$47.65 ¥7,536

-17.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.41 ₡4,668

$5.64 ¥891

66.84%

Cappuccino

$3.60 ₡1,783

$3.66 ¥579

-1.64%

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

$1.96 ₡972

$1.25 ¥197

56.80%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.34 ₡662

$0.91 ¥143

47.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.17 ₡1,078

$4.06 ¥642

-46.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.64 ₡1,802

$5.52 ¥872

-34.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.85 ₡915

$1.61 ¥255

14.91%

White Bread (500g)

$2.50 ₡1,241

$1.52 ¥240

64.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.14 ₡1,063

$5.50 ¥870

-61.09%

Eggs

$2.24 ₡1,110

$2.31 ¥365

-3.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.17 ₡5,040

$15.84 ¥2,506

-35.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.37 ₡4,643

$7.99 ¥1,264

17.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.92 ₡6,899

$22.96 ¥3,631

-39.37%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 ₡2,017

$5.25 ¥830

-22.48%

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 ₡755

$2.65 ¥419

-42.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.19 ₡2,079

$5.97 ¥944

-29.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.86 ₡1,416

$5.96 ¥943

-52.01%

Potato (1kg)

$2.78 ₡1,376

$3.32 ¥525

-16.27%

Onion (1kg)

$2.58 ₡1,277

$3.43 ¥543

-24.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.96 ₡475

$1.50 ¥237

-36.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.58 ₡1,277

$0.93 ¥147

177.42%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.01 ₡2,485

$4.26 ¥673

17.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.79 ₡8,822

$9.27 ¥1,466

91.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.12 ₡1,050

$2.10 ¥332

0.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.44 ₡1,209

$2.99 ¥472

-18.39%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ₡429

$1.48 ¥235

-41.22%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$110 ₡54.5K

$83.2 ¥13.2K

32.10%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.43 ₡710

$3.51 ¥555

-59.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 ₡677

$2.96 ¥468

-53.72%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.02 ₡3,974

$25.80 ¥4,081

-68.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.41 ₡699

$1.24 ¥196

13.71%

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

$38.3K ₡19.0M

$23.1K ¥3.7M

65.73%

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

$32.8K ₡16.3M

$17.6K ¥2.8M

86.70%

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

$45.49 ₡22.6K

$165 ¥26.1K

-72.40%

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

$19.69 ₡9,763

$25.90 ¥4,097

-23.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.41 ₡16.6K

$33.78 ¥5,342

-1.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$65.6 ₡32.5K

$70.8 ¥11.2K

-7.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$42.96 ₡21.3K

$20.40 ¥3,226

110.59%

Cinema Ticket

$9.11 ₡4,516

$13.25 ¥2,095

-31.25%

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

$297 ₡147.1K

$497 ¥78.6K

-40.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,310 ₡1.1M

$15.4K ¥2.4M

-84.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.1 ₡31.3K

$61.9 ¥9,796

1.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.3 ₡26.0K

$40.47 ¥6,400

29.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$120 ₡59.5K

$64.7 ¥10.2K

85.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.1 ₡48.7K

$93.1 ¥14.7K

5.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$696 ₡344.9K

$1,091 ¥172.5K

-36.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$600 ₡297.3K

$608 ¥96.1K

-1.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$978 ₡484.7K

$2,695 ¥426.2K

-63.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$955 ₡473.7K

$1,320 ¥208.7K

-27.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,004 ₡993.3K

$10.3K ¥1.6M

-80.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,520 ₡753.4K

$4,664 ¥737.7K

-67.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,216 ₡602.8K

$2,551 ¥403.5K

-52.34%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.17

1.72

491.28%

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

Last update for Alajuela: January 11, 2026

Last update for Tokyo: January 12, 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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