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 31.9% more expensive than Mexico without rent, and 28.5% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Costa Rica is 32% more expensive than Mexico without rent, and 27.6% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.74 ₡4,452

$10.62 MX$184

-8.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.5 ₡27.6K

$42.45 MX$737

42.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.92 ₡4,530

$8.12 MX$141

22.17%

Cappuccino

$4.04 ₡1,848

$3.39 MX$58.8

19.17%

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

$2.12 ₡969

$1.32 MX$22.99

60.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.64 ₡749

$0.97 MX$16.77

69.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.92 ₡1,332

$2.34 MX$40.66

24.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.46 ₡2,036

$4.15 MX$72.1

7.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.09 ₡953

$1.48 MX$25.64

41.22%

White Bread (500g)

$3.18 ₡1,453

$2.53 MX$43.90

25.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.41 ₡1,099

$1.71 MX$29.73

40.94%

Eggs

$3.43 ₡1,567

$2.34 MX$40.62

46.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.52 ₡4,349

$8.46 MX$147

12.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.22 ₡4,213

$7.88 MX$137

17.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.22 ₡6,041

$10.92 MX$190

21.06%

Apples (1kg)

$4.70 ₡2,149

$2.84 MX$49.35

65.49%

Banana (1kg)

$1.56 ₡712

$1.51 MX$26.23

3.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.35 ₡1,528

$1.87 MX$32.38

79.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.00 ₡1,371

$1.87 MX$32.43

60.43%

Potato (1kg)

$2.93 ₡1,337

$1.96 MX$33.98

49.49%

Onion (1kg)

$2.71 ₡1,240

$1.96 MX$34.07

38.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.02 ₡464

$1.32 MX$22.86

-22.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 ₡1,106

$1.05 MX$18.30

130.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.01 ₡2,288

$4.27 MX$74.2

17.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.31 ₡7,448

$11.32 MX$197

44.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.31 ₡1,053

$1.64 MX$28.46

40.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ₡1,300

$3.02 MX$52.4

-5.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.94 ₡431

$0.65 MX$11.35

44.62%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$49.31 ₡22.5K

$26.55 MX$461

85.73%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 ₡825

$2.63 MX$45.65

-31.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.00 ₡913

$1.94 MX$33.59

3.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.43 ₡3,396

$10.46 MX$182

-28.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ₡662

$1.31 MX$22.79

10.69%

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

$36.3K ₡16.6M

$20.2K MX$350.0K

80.00%

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

$34.8K ₡15.9M

$23.0K MX$398.9K

51.41%

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

$88.1 ₡40.2K

$63.2 MX$1,098

39.23%

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

$25.36 ₡11.6K

$23.08 MX$401

9.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$54.1 ₡24.7K

$27.95 MX$485

93.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.7 ₡26.4K

$34.90 MX$606

65.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.04 ₡13.3K

$17.97 MX$312

61.60%

Cinema Ticket

$9.05 ₡4,134

$4.85 MX$84.1

86.60%

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

$550 ₡251.1K

$251 MX$4,365

118.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.2K ₡4.7M

$5,584 MX$96.9K

82.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.5 ₡32.7K

$52.6 MX$913

35.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.9 ₡24.6K

$40.26 MX$699

33.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 ₡55.1K

$93.7 MX$1,627

28.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 ₡46.2K

$88.8 MX$1,541

13.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$812 ₡371.2K

$651 MX$11.3K

24.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$553 ₡252.8K

$448 MX$7,779

23.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,493 ₡681.8K

$1,244 MX$21.6K

20.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,057 ₡483.1K

$859 MX$14.9K

23.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,263 ₡1.0M

$2,822 MX$49.0K

-19.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,634 ₡746.5K

$1,604 MX$27.8K

1.89%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,067 ₡487.3K

$823 MX$14.3K

29.67%

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: April 13, 2026

Last update for Mexico: April 13, 2026

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

Costa Rica vs other spots: cost of living compared

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

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

Costa Rica

Mexico

Costa Rica

Mexico

Costa Rica vs other spots: cost of living compared

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