Cost of Living Comparison Between Cheltenham and Alajuela Cost of Living Comparison Between Cheltenham and Alajuela

😐 Solo nomad: Cheltenham is 25.4% more expensive than Alajuela without rent, and 35.1% more expensive with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Cheltenham is 7.4% cheaper than Alajuela without rent, and 35.7% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Cheltenham
Alajuela
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$20.05 £15.01
$10.08 ₡4,768
98.91%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$80.5 £60.3
$40.17 ₡19.0K
100.42%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.97 £8.22
$9.68 ₡4,577
13.33%
Cappuccino
$4.68 £3.50
$3.75 ₡1,773
24.80%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.07 £1.55
$1.96 ₡927
5.61%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.39 £1.04
$1.29 ₡610
7.75%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$5.47 £4.10
$2.21 ₡1,044
147.51%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.68 £5.00
$3.65 ₡1,726
83.01%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Cheltenham
Alajuela
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.46 £1.10
$1.86 ₡880
-21.51%
White Bread (500g)
$0.69 £0.52
$2.47 ₡1,166
-72.06%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.99 £1.49
$2.22 ₡1,048
-10.36%
Eggs
$4.58 £3.43
$2.25 ₡1,063
103.56%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$4.85 £3.63
$9.67 ₡4,570
-49.84%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.45 £5.58
$9.04 ₡4,273
-17.59%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$15.49 £11.60
$13.90 ₡6,572
11.44%
Apples (1kg)
$2.00 £1.49
$3.85 ₡1,822
-48.05%
Banana (1kg)
$1.74 £1.30
$1.45 ₡686
20.00%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.02 £1.51
$4.14 ₡1,958
-51.21%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.49 £2.62
$2.86 ₡1,350
22.03%
Potato (1kg)
$1.37 £1.03
$2.88 ₡1,360
-52.43%
Onion (1kg)
$1.85 £1.38
$2.64 ₡1,247
-29.92%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.03 £0.77
$1.00 ₡474
3.00%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.61 £1.20
$2.51 ₡1,187
-35.86%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$17.35 £13.00
$4.95 ₡2,338
250.51%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.24 £6.92
$20.49 ₡9,689
-54.90%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.85 £1.38
$2.14 ₡1,012
-13.55%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.98 £1.48
$2.42 ₡1,145
-18.18%
🚌 Getting Around
Cheltenham
Alajuela
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.60 £2.70
$0.83 ₡394
333.73%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$57.4 £42.96
$112 ₡53.0K
-48.79%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.07 £3.05
$1.38 ₡652
194.93%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.38 £1.03
$1.32 ₡622
4.55%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$25.33 £18.97
$8.05 ₡3,804
214.66%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.97 £1.48
$1.40 ₡662
40.71%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$38.0K £28.4K
$37.7K ₡17.8M
0.74%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$42.2K £31.6K
$32.8K ₡15.5M
28.52%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cheltenham
Alajuela
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$261 £196
$44.80 ₡21.2K
483.26%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$15.56 £11.65
$19.66 ₡9,297
-20.85%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$43.68 £32.72
$33.13 ₡15.7K
31.84%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Cheltenham
Alajuela
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$44.68 £33.46
$65.7 ₡31.1K
-32.01%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$23.34 £17.48
$43.81 ₡20.7K
-46.72%
Cinema Ticket
$13.45 £10.08
$9.13 ₡4,315
47.32%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Cheltenham
Alajuela
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,403 £1,051
$303 ₡143.3K
362.84%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$13.6K £10.2K
$2,356 ₡1.1M
478.32%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Cheltenham
Alajuela
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$110 £82.2
$62.9 ₡29.7K
74.51%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$36.09 £27.03
$52.3 ₡24.7K
-30.93%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$112 £84.1
$121 ₡57.2K
-7.09%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$96.4 £72.2
$100 ₡47.4K
-3.81%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Cheltenham
Alajuela
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,208 £904
$704 ₡332.9K
71.50%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$938 £703
$607 ₡286.8K
54.65%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,255 £1,689
$1,013 ₡479.1K
122.52%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,663 £1,245
$934 ₡441.6K
77.99%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$5,724 £4,287
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$5,757 £4,312
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Cheltenham
Alajuela
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$4,012 £3,005
$2,039 ₡964.1K
96.74%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.79
10.17
-43.07%

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

Last update for Cheltenham: March 1, 2026

Last update for Alajuela: March 2, 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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