Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cheltenham and Alajuela

For one person, living is cheaper in Alajuela: $1,006 a month against $2,476 in Cheltenham, rent and utilities included – about $17,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

120

Cost of Living Index in Cheltenham
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Cheltenham Living Index
48

Cost of Living Index in Alajuela
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Alajuela Living Index

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Cheltenham

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,476

/mo nomad

Alajuela

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,006

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cheltenham and in Alajuela

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,476 in Cheltenham versus $1,006 in Alajuela.

Cheltenham $2,476
Alajuela $1,006

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,684 in Cheltenham versus $1,609 in Alajuela.

Cheltenham $3,684
Alajuela $1,609

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,893 in Cheltenham versus $2,212 in Alajuela.

Cheltenham $4,893
Alajuela $2,212

Living in Cheltenham is roughly 146% more expensive than in Alajuela, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Cheltenham is 83% above, Alajuela is 26% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.01 £17.80

$12.08 ₡5,428

98.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$109 £81.0

$43.28 ₡19.5K

152.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.47 £8.51

$10.98 ₡4,937

4.46%

Cappuccino

$5.02 £3.72

$4.52 ₡2,030

11.06%

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

$2.64 £1.96

$2.52 ₡1,132

4.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 £1.37

$1.79 ₡806

3.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.80 £5.78

$3.02 ₡1,356

158.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.50 £4.82

$3.91 ₡1,756

66.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.71 £1.26

$2.35 ₡1,055

-27.23%

White Bread (500g)

$1.74 £1.29

$1.11 ₡499

56.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.02 £1.50

$2.15 ₡965

-6.05%

Eggs

$4.30 £3.19

$3.45 ₡1,549

24.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.44 £6.26

$10.59 ₡4,759

-20.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.62 £7.14

$10.28 ₡4,620

-6.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.10 £9.72

$14.10 ₡6,338

-7.09%

Apples (1kg)

$3.18 £2.36

$2.16 ₡970

47.22%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 £1.11

$1.64 ₡738

-8.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.87 £1.38

$2.15 ₡968

-13.02%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.56 £2.64

$3.91 ₡1,758

-8.95%

Potato (1kg)

$1.61 £1.19

$2.23 ₡1,001

-27.80%

Onion (1kg)

$1.48 £1.10

$2.17 ₡974

-31.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.24 £0.92

$1.03 ₡461

20.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.46 £1.08

$0.98 ₡443

48.98%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.33 £17.30

$5.41 ₡2,431

331.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.62 £7.87

$19.63 ₡8,826

-45.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.89 £2.14

$1.41 ₡634

104.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.04 £2.25

$0.98 ₡439

210.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.01 £2.97

$0.77 ₡346

420.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$103 £76.1

$129 ₡58.0K

-20.45%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 £3.68

$1.81 ₡813

174.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.02 £1.50

$1.84 ₡827

9.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.75 £19.84

$8.03 ₡3,611

233.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.03 £1.51

$1.50 ₡673

35.33%

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

$39.1K £29.0K

$33.3K ₡15.0M

17.21%

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

$41.2K £30.6K

$28.1K ₡12.6M

46.70%

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

$341 £253

$80.0 ₡36.0K

326.34%

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

$18.06 £13.39

$30.46 ₡13.7K

-40.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.1 £37.19

$58.8 ₡26.4K

-14.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.22 £23.89

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$40.00 £29.66

Cinema Ticket

$15.22 £11.29

$7.68 ₡3,452

98.18%

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

$1,575 £1,168

$972 ₡437.0K

61.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$26.4K £19.6K

$18.8K ₡8.4M

40.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$103 £76.5

$71.5 ₡32.2K

44.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.17 £36.46

$55.2 ₡24.8K

-10.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 £79.3

$128 ₡57.7K

-16.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.7 £72.5

$73.1 ₡32.9K

33.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,422 £1,054

$753 ₡338.7K

88.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,058 £785

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,183 £1,619

$1,411 ₡634.4K

54.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,720 £1,275

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,687 £4,959

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,569 £3,388

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,382 £3,250

$2,060 ₡926.1K

112.70%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.54

8.62

-35.73%

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

Last update for Cheltenham: November 1, 2026

Last update for Alajuela: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cheltenham

$1.1K 42.8%

Alajuela

- * 0% 100%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cheltenham

$409 16.5%

Alajuela

$169 16.8% 58.7% $240

Eating Out

Cheltenham

$357 14.4%

Alajuela

$224 22.3% 37.2% $133

Groceries & Markets

Cheltenham

$295 11.9%

Alajuela

$306 30.5% 4% $12

Clothing & Footwear

Cheltenham

$161 6.5%

Alajuela

$148 14.7% 8.1% $13

Getting Around

Cheltenham

$134 5.4%

Alajuela

$143 14.2% 7% $9.4

Sport & Entertainment

Cheltenham

$63 2.5%

Alajuela

$15 * 1.5% 75.5% $47

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 $1,422 in Cheltenham and $753 in Alajuela. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cheltenham pays about 2.1 times more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $109 in Cheltenham vs $43 in Alajuela. Groceries flip the comparison at $295 vs $306, with Cheltenham cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Cheltenham

🇨🇷 Alajuela

🕒 Local time

17:45 5:45 PM

11:45 11:45 AM

6 h behind Cheltenham

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

115,300

50,000

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.35 USD

1 GBP = 1.2 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇧 British Pound (£)

British Pound exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 0.742 GBP (1 GBP = 1.35 USD). 1 EUR = 0.831 GBP (1 GBP = 1.2 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 450 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cheltenham Alajuela 8,590 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Cheltenham
Alajuela

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

Cheltenham vs Alajuela: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Alajuela is about 59% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, leisure, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Cheltenham is about 2.1 times higher, 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: $1,422 in Cheltenham versus $753 in Alajuela. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Cheltenham runs roughly 20% less than in Alajuela. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $1,575 in Cheltenham versus $972 in Alajuela. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,006 in Alajuela versus $2,476 in Cheltenham, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Alajuela but tight or insufficient in Cheltenham. The gap between the two cities makes Alajuela the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Alajuela is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Cheltenham, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

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