Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cartago, Costa Rica and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,608 a month against $1,733 in Cartago, rent and utilities included – about $1,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Cartago
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Cartago Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Cartago

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,733

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cartago and in Mexico City

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,733 in Cartago versus $1,608 in Mexico City.

Cartago $1,733
Mexico City $1,608

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,363 in Cartago versus $2,549 in Mexico City.

Cartago $2,363
Mexico City $2,549

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,993 in Cartago versus $3,490 in Mexico City.

Cartago $2,993
Mexico City $3,490

Living in Cartago is roughly 8% more expensive than in Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Cartago 27% above, Mexico City 18% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.61 ₡3,886

$10.62 MX$199

-18.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.63 ₡16.1K

$48.35 MX$908

-26.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.75 ₡4,400

$10.35 MX$194

-5.80%

Cappuccino

$4.55 ₡2,056

$3.69 MX$69.3

23.31%

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

$2.24 ₡1,013

$1.67 MX$31.29

34.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.37 ₡618

$1.27 MX$23.76

7.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.15 ₡972

$3.19 MX$59.9

-32.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.20 ₡1,896

$5.31 MX$99.6

-20.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.39 ₡1,079

$1.72 MX$32.38

38.95%

White Bread (500g)

$2.48 ₡1,118

$3.04 MX$57.1

-18.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 ₡1,093

$1.94 MX$36.44

24.74%

Eggs

$3.59 ₡1,622

$2.89 MX$54.2

24.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.73 ₡3,940

$10.97 MX$206

-20.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.61 ₡4,788

$9.25 MX$174

14.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.93 ₡6,288

$15.13 MX$284

-7.93%

Apples (1kg)

$5.05 ₡2,279

$3.05 MX$57.2

65.57%

Banana (1kg)

$1.33 ₡601

$1.94 MX$36.45

-31.44%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.37 ₡1,975

$2.03 MX$38.02

115.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.99 ₡1,350

$2.31 MX$43.46

29.44%

Potato (1kg)

$2.16 ₡977

$2.04 MX$38.21

5.88%

Onion (1kg)

$2.25 ₡1,015

$1.80 MX$33.79

25.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ₡484

$1.48 MX$27.77

-27.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.18 ₡985

$1.27 MX$23.80

71.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.98 ₡2,700

$5.30 MX$99.6

12.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.61 ₡7,047

$16.10 MX$302

-3.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.85 ₡1,286

$1.98 MX$37.23

43.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.02 ₡911

$4.25 MX$79.8

-52.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.27 ₡571

$0.31 MX$5.73

309.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$74.1 ₡33.5K

$19.73 MX$371

275.62%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.31 ₡591

$1.84 MX$34.50

-28.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡711

$0.53 MX$10.02

196.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.73 ₡3,941

$5.30 MX$99.4

64.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 ₡675

$1.51 MX$28.36

-0.66%

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

$34.7K ₡15.7M

$21.8K MX$408.4K

59.45%

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

$42.3K ₡19.1M

$24.0K MX$450.3K

76.28%

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

$53.0 ₡23.9K

$63.0 MX$1,182

-15.85%

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

$36.31 ₡16.4K

$27.39 MX$514

32.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$60.0 ₡27.1K

$35.67 MX$670

68.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.0 ₡30.7K

$58.9 MX$1,107

15.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$77.5 ₡35.0K

$23.64 MX$444

227.96%

Cinema Ticket

$7.16 ₡3,234

$6.40 MX$120

11.87%

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

$559 ₡252.2K

$432 MX$8,103

29.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,872 ₡3.6M

$11.4K MX$214.5K

-31.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.8 ₡32.9K

$68.2 MX$1,281

6.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.8 ₡25.7K

$53.1 MX$997

6.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 ₡54.8K

$108 MX$2,023

12.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$87.1 ₡39.3K

$117 MX$2,202

-25.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$733 ₡331.0K

$1,113 MX$20.9K

-34.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$725 ₡327.1K

$710 MX$13.3K

1.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,920 ₡866.9K

$2,588 MX$48.6K

-25.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$702 ₡316.8K

$1,406 MX$26.4K

-50.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$68.2K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$40.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,305 ₡589.0K

$946 MX$17.8K

37.89%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

11.35

-24.05%

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

Last update for Cartago: October 25, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cartago

$725 41.8%

Mexico City

$710 44.2% 2% $14

Groceries & Markets

Cartago

$350 20.2%

Mexico City

$320 19.9% 8.8% $31

Eating Out

Cartago

$186 10.8%

Mexico City

$199 12.4% 6.6% $12

Clothing & Footwear

Cartago

$152 8.8%

Mexico City

$156 9.7% 2.4% $3.7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cartago

$149 8.6%

Mexico City

$126 7.8% 15.6% $23

Getting Around

Cartago

$88 5.1%

Mexico City

$25 1.6% 71.2% $63

Sport & Entertainment

Cartago

$82 4.8%

Mexico City

$72 4.5% 12.8% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $733 in Cartago and $1,113 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cartago pays 38% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $36 in Cartago vs $48 in Mexico City. Groceries flip the comparison at $350 vs $320, with Mexico City cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Cartago

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

13:34 1:34 PM

Same time as Cartago

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

110,000

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to CRC – Costa Rican Colón Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 18.77 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 20.96 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cartago Mexico City 1,950 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Cartago
Mexico City

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

Cartago vs Mexico City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mexico City is about 7% cheaper overall, especially in transport, utilities, and groceries. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 38% higher in Cartago, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $733 in Cartago versus $1,113 in Mexico City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Mexico City runs roughly 73% less than in Cartago. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $559 in Cartago versus $432 in Mexico City. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Mexico City gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.

It comes down to priorities – Mexico City wins on affordability, Cartago on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.