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Cost of Living Comparison Between Costa Rica and Mexico Cost of Living Comparison Between Costa Rica and Mexico

😐 Solo nomad: Costa Rica is 29.1% more expensive than Mexico without rent, and 26.1% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Costa Rica is 31.1% more expensive than Mexico without rent, and 28.9% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Costa Rica
Mexico
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.19 β‚‘5,052
$10.38 MX$183
-1.83%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$60.5 β‚‘30.0K
$42.10 MX$743
43.59%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.17 β‚‘5,041
$7.87 MX$139
29.22%
Cappuccino
$3.90 β‚‘1,933
$3.24 MX$57.2
20.37%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.19 β‚‘1,086
$1.32 MX$23.33
65.91%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.65 β‚‘819
$0.91 MX$16.06
81.32%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.95 β‚‘1,460
$2.33 MX$41.17
26.61%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.32 β‚‘2,142
$4.29 MX$75.7
0.70%
πŸ›’ Groceries & Markets
Costa Rica
Mexico
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.03 β‚‘1,005
$1.50 MX$26.55
35.33%
White Bread (500g)
$3.18 β‚‘1,576
$2.54 MX$44.81
25.20%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.49 β‚‘1,234
$1.74 MX$30.78
43.10%
Eggs
$3.41 β‚‘1,688
$2.38 MX$42.06
43.28%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.25 β‚‘4,584
$8.69 MX$153
6.44%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.42 β‚‘4,670
$7.81 MX$138
20.61%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.28 β‚‘6,583
$10.79 MX$190
23.08%
Apples (1kg)
$4.51 β‚‘2,235
$2.80 MX$49.48
61.07%
Banana (1kg)
$1.54 β‚‘763
$1.51 MX$26.69
1.99%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.37 β‚‘1,673
$1.90 MX$33.56
77.37%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.94 β‚‘1,458
$1.78 MX$31.37
65.17%
Potato (1kg)
$2.97 β‚‘1,475
$1.95 MX$34.41
52.31%
Onion (1kg)
$2.83 β‚‘1,403
$1.97 MX$34.82
43.65%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.01 β‚‘502
$1.26 MX$22.20
-19.84%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.54 β‚‘1,257
$1.02 MX$17.97
149.02%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$5.03 β‚‘2,494
$4.19 MX$73.9
20.05%
Wine (Bottle)
$15.31 β‚‘7,589
$11.20 MX$198
36.70%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.31 β‚‘1,145
$1.66 MX$29.21
39.16%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.72 β‚‘1,347
$2.92 MX$51.6
-6.85%
🚌 Getting Around
Costa Rica
Mexico
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.96 β‚‘475
$0.65 MX$11.55
47.69%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$48.97 β‚‘24.3K
$26.48 MX$467
84.93%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.80 β‚‘893
$2.57 MX$45.33
-29.96%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.01 β‚‘995
$1.91 MX$33.65
5.24%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$7.51 β‚‘3,723
$10.47 MX$185
-28.27%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.52 β‚‘752
$1.31 MX$23.07
16.03%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$36.6K β‚‘18.2M
$20.5K MX$361.4K
78.95%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$36.0K β‚‘17.9M
$22.7K MX$400.8K
58.62%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Costa Rica
Mexico
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$85.9 β‚‘42.6K
$63.3 MX$1,117
35.63%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$25.46 β‚‘12.6K
$23.14 MX$409
10.03%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$53.9 β‚‘26.7K
$28.47 MX$502
89.25%
πŸŽ‰ Sport & Entertainment
Costa Rica
Mexico
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$57.3 β‚‘28.4K
$35.44 MX$626
61.54%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$29.36 β‚‘14.6K
$18.02 MX$318
62.93%
Cinema Ticket
$9.01 β‚‘4,466
$4.66 MX$82.3
93.35%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Costa Rica
Mexico
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$540 β‚‘267.8K
$248 MX$4,377
117.85%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$10.1K β‚‘5.0M
$5,750 MX$101.5K
75.00%
πŸ‘•πŸ‘Ÿ Clothing & Footwear
Costa Rica
Mexico
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$71.5 β‚‘35.5K
$51.8 MX$914
38.13%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$54.9 β‚‘27.2K
$40.92 MX$722
34.19%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$117 β‚‘58.2K
$93.9 MX$1,657
25.00%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$103 β‚‘50.8K
$89.7 MX$1,583
14.31%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Costa Rica
Mexico
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$810 β‚‘401.7K
$636 MX$11.2K
27.46%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$551 β‚‘272.9K
$439 MX$7,755
25.30%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,488 β‚‘737.8K
$1,225 MX$21.6K
21.51%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,043 β‚‘516.9K
$848 MX$15.0K
22.94%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,335 β‚‘1.2M
$2,594 MX$45.8K
-9.99%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,607 β‚‘796.5K
$1,559 MX$27.5K
3.08%
πŸ’΅ Salaries & Financials
Costa Rica
Mexico
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$981 β‚‘486.2K
$805 MX$14.2K
21.81%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
10.53
11.45
-8.03%

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

Last update for Costa Rica: January 12, 2026

Last update for Mexico: January 11, 2026

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