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

😐 Solo nomad: Arenal is 16.3% more expensive than Mexico City without rent, and 10% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Arenal is 1.4% more expensive than Mexico City without rent, and 2.2% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.9 ₡5,456

$13.38 MX$253

-18.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$58.6 ₡29.3K

$52.7 MX$997

11.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.82 ₡4,918

$9.31 MX$176

5.48%

Cappuccino

$3.8 ₡1,904

$3.61 MX$68.3

5.26%

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

$1.98 ₡990

$1.64 MX$30.91

20.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.61 ₡805

$1.12 MX$21.14

43.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3 ₡1,502

$3.26 MX$61.7

-7.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.73 ₡2,367

$4.82 MX$91.1

-1.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.06 ₡1,033

$1.65 MX$31.24

24.85%

White Bread (500g)

$2.85 ₡1,428

$2.74 MX$51.7

4.01%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.22 ₡1,112

$1.92 MX$36.28

15.63%

Eggs

$2.93 ₡1,469

$2.51 MX$47.53

16.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.74 ₡4,874

$9.89 MX$187

-1.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.08 ₡4,546

$8.39 MX$159

8.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.84 ₡6,931

$11.95 MX$226

15.82%

Apples (1kg)

$4.4 ₡2,203

$2.87 MX$54.3

53.31%

Banana (1kg)

$1.51 ₡756

$1.74 MX$32.85

-13.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.36 ₡2,183

$2 MX$37.81

118.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.55 ₡1,779

$2.07 MX$39.14

71.50%

Potato (1kg)

$3.52 ₡1,765

$2.05 MX$38.78

71.71%

Onion (1kg)

$3.21 ₡1,605

$2.18 MX$41.22

47.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.97 ₡484

$1.38 MX$26.16

-29.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.85 ₡1,427

$1.11 MX$21.06

156.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.38 ₡2,695

$4.16 MX$78.6

29.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.66 ₡9,343

$11.05 MX$209

68.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.52 ₡1,259

$1.75 MX$33.16

44.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.95 ₡1,476

$3.7 MX$70

-20.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.04 ₡520

$0.38 MX$7.25

173.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$18.97 MX$359

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.78 ₡891

$1.36 MX$25.72

30.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.84 ₡921

$0.28 MX$5.25

557.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.11 ₡4,058

$5.3 MX$100

53.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.4 ₡700

$1.36 MX$25.63

2.94%

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

$37.7K ₡18.9M

$18.8K MX$354.6K

100.87%

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

$33.1K ₡16.6M

$23.4K MX$441.7K

41.83%

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

$94.5 ₡47.3K

$39.97 MX$756

136.35%

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

$25.71 ₡12.9K

$27.48 MX$519

-6.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$59.1 ₡29.6K

$30.22 MX$571

95.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.8 ₡28.9K

$52.6 MX$994

9.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.97 ₡12K

$26.84 MX$507

-10.69%

Cinema Ticket

$9.73 ₡4,873

$6.32 MX$120

53.96%

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

$561 ₡280.7K

$437 MX$8,258

28.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.7K ₡6.4M

$10.6K MX$199.9K

20.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.6 ₡30.8K

$57.2 MX$1,082

7.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.4 ₡26.2K

$45.14 MX$853

16.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$126 ₡63.1K

$102 MX$1,928

23.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 ₡54K

$109 MX$2,056

-0.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$759 ₡380.1K

$1,000 MX$18.9K

-24.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$597 ₡299K

$622 MX$11.8K

-4.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,533 ₡767.2K

$2,160 MX$40.8K

-29.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$968 ₡484.4K

$1,235 MX$23.3K

-21.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,566 MX$67.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,480 MX$46.9K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$867 MX$16.4K

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 Arenal: October 27, 2025

Last update for Mexico City: October 28, 2025

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