Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Belize City and San Pedro, Belize

For one person, living is cheaper in Belize City: $1,234 a month against $1,602 in San Pedro, rent and utilities included – about $4,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Belize City
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Belize City Living Index

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Belize City

🇧🇿 Belize

$1,234

/mo nomad

San Pedro

🇧🇿 Belize

$1,602

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Belize City and in San Pedro

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,234 in Belize City versus $1,602 in San Pedro.

Belize City $1,234
San Pedro $1,602

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,795 in Belize City versus $2,720 in San Pedro.

Belize City $1,795
San Pedro $2,720

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,356 in Belize City versus $3,837 in San Pedro.

Belize City $2,356
San Pedro $3,837

Living in Belize City costs roughly 23% less than in San Pedro, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Belize City is 9% below, San Pedro is 19% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.35 BZD 12.70

$9.39 BZD 18.78

-32.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.23 BZD 98.5

$29.50 BZD 59.0

66.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.59 BZD 19.18

Cappuccino

$3.57 BZD 7.13

$2.99 BZD 5.98

19.40%

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

$1.65 BZD 3.30

$1.41 BZD 2.82

17.02%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.46 BZD 2.93

$1.51 BZD 3.02

-3.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.48 BZD 4.97

$2.93 BZD 5.86

-15.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.97 BZD 5.95

$3.92 BZD 7.85

-24.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.64 BZD 7.28

$5.15 BZD 10.29

-29.32%

White Bread (500g)

$2.66 BZD 5.32

$2.41 BZD 4.82

10.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.43 BZD 6.86

$5.62 BZD 11.23

-38.97%

Eggs

$3.66 BZD 7.31

$1.86 BZD 3.71

96.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.67 BZD 13.33

$11.91 BZD 23.82

-44.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.52 BZD 19.04

$13.29 BZD 26.58

-28.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.93 BZD 17.87

$10.76 BZD 21.52

-17.01%

Apples (1kg)

$2.72 BZD 5.44

$14.48 BZD 28.96

-81.22%

Banana (1kg)

$1.81 BZD 3.61

$1.12 BZD 2.23

61.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.76 BZD 5.52

Tomato (1kg)

$3.01 BZD 6.01

$7.64 BZD 15.29

-60.60%

Potato (1kg)

$4.08 BZD 8.16

$6.70 BZD 13.40

-39.10%

Onion (1kg)

$2.69 BZD 5.38

$3.76 BZD 7.51

-28.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.33 BZD 4.67

$1.22 BZD 2.44

90.98%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 BZD 3.16

$1.92 BZD 3.83

-17.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.55 BZD 9.11

Wine (Bottle)

$9.64 BZD 19.28

$23.56 BZD 47.13

-59.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.49 BZD 4.97

$3.69 BZD 7.39

-32.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.05 BZD 4.10

$3.90 BZD 7.80

-47.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.09 BZD 8.19

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.10 BZD 10.20

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.94 BZD 9.89

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.58 BZD 5.16

$1.64 BZD 3.28

57.32%

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

$10.7K BZD 21.4K

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

$378 BZD 757

$174 BZD 349

117.09%

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

$48.70 BZD 97.4

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.90 BZD 53.8

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$24.89 BZD 49.79

$29.53 BZD 59.1

-15.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$2.43 BZD 4.87

Cinema Ticket

$5.12 BZD 10.24

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

$63.9 BZD 128

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$662 BZD 1,325

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$32.89 BZD 65.8

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.05 BZD 50.1

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$37.60 BZD 75.2

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$37.98 BZD 76.0

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$348 BZD 696

$1,004 BZD 2,008

-65.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$192 BZD 384

$743 BZD 1,485

-74.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$573 BZD 1,145

$2,811 BZD 5,623

-79.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$323 BZD 646

$2,007 BZD 4,015

-83.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,688 BZD 5,377

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,588 BZD 3,176

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$835 BZD 1,670

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.5

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

Last update for Belize City: October 31, 2026

Last update for San Pedro: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Belize City

$454 36.8%

San Pedro

–

Groceries & Markets

Belize City

$318 25.8%

San Pedro

–

Accommodation & Living

Belize City

$192 15.6%

San Pedro

–

Eating Out

Belize City

$153 12.4%

San Pedro

–

Clothing & Footwear

Belize City

$60 4.9%

San Pedro

–

Sport & Entertainment

Belize City

$35 2.9%

San Pedro

–

Getting Around

Belize City

$21 * 1.7%

San Pedro

–

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 $348 in Belize City and $1,004 in San Pedro. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $49 in Belize City vs $30 in San Pedro. Groceries flip the comparison at $318 vs $486, with Belize City cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇧🇿 Belize City

🇧🇿 San Pedro

🕒 Local time

07:04 7:04 AM

Same time as Belize City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

63,999

15,456

💱 Currency

Belize Dollar BZD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 BZD = 0.5 USD

1 BZD = 0.445 EUR

1 BZD = 0.5 USD

1 BZD = 0.445 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Belize City San Pedro 53 km

From you

Belize City
San Pedro

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

Belize City vs San Pedro: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Belize City wins on cost – living expenses run 23% lower than in San Pedro. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Belize City the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $1,851 in Belize City and $2,404 in San Pedro to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $348 in Belize City versus $1,004 in San Pedro. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,234 per month in Belize City versus $1,602 in San Pedro – Belize City is about 23% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Supermarket bills run roughly 53% higher in San Pedro. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Belize City is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.