Cost of Living Comparison Between Brisbane and Alajuela Cost of Living Comparison Between Brisbane and Alajuela

😐 Solo nomad: Brisbane is 14% more expensive than Alajuela without rent, and 47.3% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Brisbane is 14.6% more expensive than Alajuela without rent, and 39.9% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.51 A$24.77

$9.65 ₡4,786

71.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$72.4 A$109

$39.43 ₡19.5K

83.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.65 A$14.47

$9.41 ₡4,668

2.55%

Cappuccino

$3.65 A$5.47

$3.60 ₡1,783

1.39%

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

$2.69 A$4.04

$1.96 ₡972

37.24%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.15 A$3.22

$1.34 ₡662

60.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.38 A$9.56

$2.17 ₡1,078

194.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.97 A$11.95

$3.64 ₡1,802

118.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 A$2.34

$1.85 ₡915

-15.68%

White Bread (500g)

$2.19 A$3.29

$2.50 ₡1,241

-12.40%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.80 A$2.71

$2.14 ₡1,063

-15.89%

Eggs

$4.43 A$6.65

$2.24 ₡1,110

97.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.12 A$12.19

$10.17 ₡5,040

-20.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.52 A$12.78

$9.37 ₡4,643

-9.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.55 A$20.32

$13.92 ₡6,899

-2.66%

Apples (1kg)

$3.31 A$4.97

$4.07 ₡2,017

-18.67%

Banana (1kg)

$2.88 A$4.32

$1.52 ₡755

89.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.63 A$3.95

$4.19 ₡2,079

-37.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.23 A$6.35

$2.86 ₡1,416

47.90%

Potato (1kg)

$2.51 A$3.76

$2.78 ₡1,376

-9.71%

Onion (1kg)

$2.26 A$3.40

$2.58 ₡1,277

-12.40%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.21 A$3.31

$0.96 ₡475

130.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 A$1.87

$2.58 ₡1,277

-51.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$32.43 A$48.64

$5.01 ₡2,485

547.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.17 A$18.26

$17.79 ₡8,822

-31.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.72 A$7.09

$2.12 ₡1,050

122.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 A$6.37

$2.44 ₡1,209

74.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.32 A$0.48

$0.87 ₡429

-63.22%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.28 A$40.93

$110 ₡54.5K

-75.18%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.29 A$3.44

$1.43 ₡710

60.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.52 A$2.29

$1.37 ₡677

10.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.14 A$49.71

$8.02 ₡3,974

313.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.19 A$1.79

$1.41 ₡699

-15.60%

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

$29.0K A$43.5K

$38.3K ₡19.0M

-24.21%

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

$22.3K A$33.4K

$32.8K ₡16.3M

-32.10%

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

$148 A$222

$45.49 ₡22.6K

225.87%

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

$25.13 A$37.70

$19.69 ₡9,763

27.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.8 A$79.2

$33.41 ₡16.6K

58.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.01 A$73.5

$65.6 ₡32.5K

-25.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.87 A$25.30

$42.96 ₡21.3K

-60.73%

Cinema Ticket

$13.09 A$19.63

$9.11 ₡4,516

43.69%

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

$1,640 A$2,460

$297 ₡147.1K

452.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,850 A$13.3K

$2,310 ₡1.1M

283.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.9 A$106

$63.1 ₡31.3K

12.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.38 A$65.1

$52.3 ₡26.0K

-17.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.0 A$139

$120 ₡59.5K

-22.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 A$151

$98.1 ₡48.7K

2.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,640 A$2,460

$696 ₡344.9K

135.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,236 A$1,854

$600 ₡297.3K

106.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,573 A$3,860

$978 ₡484.7K

163.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,865 A$2,797

$955 ₡473.7K

95.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,397 A$11.1K

$2,004 ₡993.3K

269.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,655 A$6,983

$1,520 ₡753.4K

206.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,009 A$6,013

$1,216 ₡602.8K

229.68%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.24

10.17

-38.64%

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

Last update for Brisbane: January 11, 2026

Last update for Alajuela: January 11, 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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