Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Escazu and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,608 a month against $1,918 in Escazu, rent and utilities included – about $3,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

93

Cost of Living Index in Escazu
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Escazu Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Escazu

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,918

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Escazu and in Mexico City

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,918 in Escazu versus $1,608 in Mexico City.

Escazu $1,918
Mexico City $1,608

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,942 in Escazu versus $2,549 in Mexico City.

Escazu $2,942
Mexico City $2,549

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,966 in Escazu versus $3,490 in Mexico City.

Escazu $3,966
Mexico City $3,490

Living in Escazu is roughly 19% more expensive than in Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Escazu 41% above, Mexico City 18% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.02 ₡5,428

$10.62 MX$199

13.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.8 ₡27.9K

$48.35 MX$906

27.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.85 ₡5,350

$10.35 MX$194

14.49%

Cappuccino

$4.34 ₡1,960

$3.69 MX$69.2

17.62%

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

$2.64 ₡1,192

$1.67 MX$31.23

58.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 ₡877

$1.27 MX$23.71

52.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.27 ₡1,477

$3.19 MX$59.8

2.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.38 ₡1,980

$5.31 MX$99.5

-17.51%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.31 ₡1,041

$1.72 MX$32.32

34.30%

White Bread (500g)

$3.08 ₡1,389

$3.04 MX$57.0

1.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.41 ₡1,089

$1.94 MX$36.38

24.23%

Eggs

$3.41 ₡1,541

$2.89 MX$54.1

17.99%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.83 ₡4,888

$10.97 MX$206

-1.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.56 ₡4,766

$9.25 MX$173

14.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.88 ₡6,264

$15.13 MX$283

-8.26%

Apples (1kg)

$5.08 ₡2,293

$3.05 MX$57.1

66.56%

Banana (1kg)

$1.59 ₡718

$1.94 MX$36.38

-18.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.28 ₡1,482

$2.03 MX$37.95

61.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.11 ₡1,403

$2.31 MX$43.38

34.63%

Potato (1kg)

$3.91 ₡1,764

$2.04 MX$38.14

91.67%

Onion (1kg)

$3.65 ₡1,649

$1.80 MX$33.73

102.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.04 ₡469

$1.48 MX$27.72

-29.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.73 ₡782

$1.27 MX$23.75

36.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.63 ₡2,540

$5.30 MX$99.4

6.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.98 ₡8,570

$16.10 MX$302

17.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 ₡793

$1.98 MX$37.16

-11.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 ₡1,240

$4.25 MX$79.7

-35.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.07 ₡482

$0.31 MX$5.72

245.16%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$370

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.01 ₡906

$1.84 MX$34.44

9.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 ₡702

$0.53 MX$10.00

192.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.72 ₡3,937

$5.30 MX$99.2

64.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ₡672

$1.51 MX$28.31

-1.32%

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

$28.0K ₡12.6M

$21.8K MX$407.7K

28.49%

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

$35.6K ₡16.1M

$24.0K MX$449.5K

48.39%

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

$94.4 ₡42.6K

$63.0 MX$1,180

49.90%

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

$29.33 ₡13.2K

$27.39 MX$513

7.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.3 ₡26.3K

$35.67 MX$668

63.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$106 ₡47.8K

$58.9 MX$1,105

79.62%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.19 ₡4,599

$23.64 MX$443

-56.90%

Cinema Ticket

$7.60 ₡3,430

$6.40 MX$120

18.75%

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

$455 ₡205.2K

$432 MX$8,088

5.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K ₡7.6M

$11.4K MX$214.1K

47.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.3 ₡32.7K

$68.2 MX$1,278

6.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.7 ₡25.1K

$53.1 MX$996

4.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$128 ₡57.7K

$108 MX$2,020

18.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 ₡58.7K

$117 MX$2,198

10.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$867 ₡391.3K

$1,113 MX$20.9K

-22.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$836 ₡377.3K

$710 MX$13.3K

17.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,966 ₡887.6K

$2,588 MX$48.5K

-24.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,491 ₡673.3K

$1,406 MX$26.3K

6.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,384 ₡624.6K

$3,631 MX$68.0K

-61.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$955 ₡431.3K

$2,135 MX$40.0K

-55.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,763 ₡795.8K

$946 MX$17.7K

86.31%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

11.35

-24.05%

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

Last update for Escazu: October 25, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Escazu

$836 43.6%

Mexico City

$710 44.2% 15% $125

Groceries & Markets

Escazu

$364 19%

Mexico City

$320 19.9% 12.2% $44

Eating Out

Escazu

$227 11.9%

Mexico City

$199 12.4% 12.6% $29

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Escazu

$182 9.5%

Mexico City

$126 7.8% 30.8% $56

Clothing & Footwear

Escazu

$174 9.1%

Mexico City

$156 9.7% 10.2% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Escazu

$121 6.3%

Mexico City

$72 4.5% 40.7% $49

Getting Around

Escazu

$14 * 0.7%

Mexico City

$25 1.6% 81.3% $11

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 $867 in Escazu and $1,113 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Escazu pays 86% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $62 in Escazu vs $48 in Mexico City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $364 vs $320 per month, with Mexico City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Escazu

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

22:19 10:19 PM

Same time as Escazu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

11,984

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

100 MXN = 5.34 USD

100 MXN = 4.76 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to CRC – Costa Rican Colón Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 506 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 18.74 MXN (100 MXN = 5.34 USD). 1 EUR = 21 MXN (100 MXN = 4.76 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Escazu Mexico City 1,930 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Escazu
Mexico City

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

Escazu vs Mexico City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mexico City is about 16% cheaper overall, especially in leisure, groceries, and eating out. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 86% higher in Escazu, 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: $867 in Escazu versus $1,113 in Mexico City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 14% higher in Escazu. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,918 per month in Escazu versus $1,608 in Mexico City – Mexico City is about 16% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Mexico City gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

Both work as nomad bases, but Mexico City delivers better value at $1,608 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Mexico City hard to pass up.

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