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

Name: Mexico
Address: MX

😐 Solo nomad: Costa Rica is 33.2% more expensive than Mexico without rent, and 29.6% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Costa Rica is 33.7% more expensive than Mexico without rent, and 26.8% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.67 ₡4,549

$10.49 MX$185

-7.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$58.6 ₡27.6K

$41.52 MX$730

41.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.23 ₡4,816

$7.98 MX$140

28.20%

Cappuccino

$3.97 ₡1,870

$3.42 MX$60.1

16.08%

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

$2.17 ₡1,021

$1.32 MX$23.13

64.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 ₡814

$1.00 MX$17.53

73.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.89 ₡1,361

$2.40 MX$42.16

20.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.40 ₡2,073

$4.26 MX$74.9

3.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.05 ₡966

$1.51 MX$26.58

35.76%

White Bread (500g)

$3.09 ₡1,453

$2.57 MX$45.16

20.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,181

$1.74 MX$30.65

44.25%

Eggs

$3.30 ₡1,552

$2.48 MX$43.64

33.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.16 ₡4,312

$8.65 MX$152

5.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.29 ₡4,374

$7.93 MX$139

17.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.16 ₡6,195

$11.10 MX$195

18.56%

Apples (1kg)

$4.48 ₡2,108

$2.81 MX$49.48

59.43%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 ₡762

$1.49 MX$26.22

8.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.22 ₡1,514

$1.92 MX$33.72

67.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.98 ₡1,404

$1.78 MX$31.36

67.42%

Potato (1kg)

$3.01 ₡1,416

$2.03 MX$35.76

48.28%

Onion (1kg)

$2.85 ₡1,339

$2.03 MX$35.79

40.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.01 ₡476

$1.27 MX$22.27

-20.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.51 ₡1,182

$1.00 MX$17.61

151.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.94 ₡2,325

$4.32 MX$76.0

14.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.72 ₡7,401

$11.55 MX$203

36.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.38 ₡1,118

$1.65 MX$28.95

44.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 ₡1,277

$3.00 MX$52.9

-9.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.94 ₡443

$0.65 MX$11.35

44.62%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$48.94 ₡23.0K

$26.37 MX$464

85.59%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.79 ₡843

$2.63 MX$46.26

-31.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.01 ₡946

$1.93 MX$34.03

4.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.82 ₡3,683

$10.51 MX$185

-25.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 ₡711

$1.33 MX$23.34

13.53%

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

$36.8K ₡17.3M

$20.2K MX$356.1K

81.97%

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

$34.7K ₡16.3M

$22.6K MX$397.1K

53.88%

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

$86.8 ₡40.9K

$62.2 MX$1,094

39.52%

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

$25.69 ₡12.1K

$23.42 MX$412

9.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.8 ₡25.3K

$27.93 MX$491

92.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.9 ₡26.3K

$34.84 MX$613

60.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.78 ₡13.5K

$18.07 MX$318

59.27%

Cinema Ticket

$9.04 ₡4,257

$4.87 MX$85.6

85.63%

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

$560 ₡263.7K

$253 MX$4,455

121.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.0K ₡4.7M

$5,689 MX$100.1K

75.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.4 ₡34.1K

$51.6 MX$908

40.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.4 ₡25.6K

$41.34 MX$727

31.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 ₡55.1K

$92.7 MX$1,630

26.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 ₡48.4K

$88.5 MX$1,556

16.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$811 ₡381.9K

$634 MX$11.1K

28.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$551 ₡259.2K

$454 MX$7,988

21.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,482 ₡697.7K

$1,249 MX$22.0K

18.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,036 ₡487.6K

$877 MX$15.4K

18.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,301 ₡1.1M

$2,736 MX$48.1K

-15.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,575 ₡741.5K

$1,630 MX$28.7K

-3.35%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,030 ₡484.9K

$830 MX$14.6K

24.18%

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: March 2, 2026

Last update for Mexico: March 2, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated January 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated January 2026)

Costa Rica

Mexico

Costa Rica

Mexico

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