Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Guanacaste and Mexico City

For one person, living costs are similar in Guanacaste and in Mexico City: $1,534 and $1,608 a month, rent and utilities included.

74

Cost of Living Index in Guanacaste
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Guanacaste Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Guanacaste

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,534

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Guanacaste 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 Guanacaste and in Mexico City actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,534 per month in Guanacaste vs $1,608 in Mexico City, rent included.

Guanacaste $1,534
Mexico City $1,608

A couple spends around $2,421 per month in Guanacaste vs $2,549 in Mexico City, rent included.

Guanacaste $2,421
Mexico City $2,549

A family of three spends $3,307 per month in Guanacaste vs $3,490 in Mexico City, rent included.

Guanacaste $3,307
Mexico City $3,490

Guanacaste is about 5% cheaper than Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Guanacaste and Mexico City sit above the global median – Guanacaste by 13%, Mexico City by 18%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.77 ₡4,860

$10.62 MX$198

1.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.69 ₡21.5K

$48.35 MX$901

-1.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.68 ₡5,270

$10.35 MX$193

12.85%

Cappuccino

$4.44 ₡2,003

$3.69 MX$68.8

20.33%

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

$2.70 ₡1,220

$1.67 MX$31.07

61.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.93 ₡871

$1.27 MX$23.59

51.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.10 ₡1,398

$3.19 MX$59.5

-2.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,019

$5.31 MX$98.9

-15.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.04 ₡921

$1.72 MX$32.15

18.60%

White Bread (500g)

$3.19 ₡1,439

$3.04 MX$56.7

4.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 ₡1,091

$1.94 MX$36.19

24.74%

Eggs

$3.59 ₡1,618

$2.89 MX$53.8

24.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.63 ₡2,542

$10.97 MX$205

-48.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.30 ₡1,942

$9.25 MX$172

-53.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.09 ₡5,005

$15.13 MX$282

-26.70%

Apples (1kg)

$2.68 ₡1,210

$3.05 MX$56.8

-12.13%

Banana (1kg)

$1.57 ₡708

$1.94 MX$36.19

-19.07%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.40 ₡1,988

$2.03 MX$37.75

116.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.53 ₡689

$2.31 MX$43.15

-33.77%

Potato (1kg)

$3.86 ₡1,744

$2.04 MX$37.94

89.22%

Onion (1kg)

$2.25 ₡1,017

$1.80 MX$33.55

25.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.90 ₡406

$1.48 MX$27.58

-39.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.07 ₡1,385

$1.27 MX$23.63

141.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.34 ₡1,958

$5.30 MX$98.9

-18.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.25 ₡9,140

$16.10 MX$300

25.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.80 ₡1,261

$1.98 MX$36.97

41.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,202

$4.25 MX$79.3

-37.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.29 ₡584

$0.31 MX$5.69

316.13%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$368

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.50 ₡1,128

$1.84 MX$34.25

35.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡706

$0.53 MX$9.94

196.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.85 ₡3,996

$5.30 MX$98.7

66.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡709

$1.51 MX$28.16

3.97%

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

$33.7K ₡15.2M

$21.8K MX$405.5K

54.95%

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

$41.3K ₡18.6M

$24.0K MX$447.1K

72.00%

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

$93.5 ₡42.2K

$63.0 MX$1,174

48.49%

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

$36.18 ₡16.3K

$27.39 MX$511

32.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.69 ₡14.7K

$35.67 MX$665

-8.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$66.5 ₡30.0K

$58.9 MX$1,099

12.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$441

Cinema Ticket

$7.85 ₡3,542

$6.40 MX$119

22.66%

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

$968 ₡436.8K

$432 MX$8,045

124.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.5K ₡7.9M

$11.4K MX$212.9K

52.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$66.5 ₡30.0K

$68.2 MX$1,272

-2.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.53 ₡20.1K

$53.1 MX$990

-16.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.6 ₡39.1K

$108 MX$2,009

-19.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.2 ₡35.3K

$117 MX$2,186

-33.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$795 ₡358.9K

$1,113 MX$20.8K

-28.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$620 ₡279.6K

$710 MX$13.2K

-12.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,899 ₡856.7K

$2,588 MX$48.2K

-26.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,279 ₡577.2K

$1,406 MX$26.2K

-9.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$67.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$39.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.6K

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 Guanacaste: 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

Guanacaste

$620 40.4%

Mexico City

$710 44.2% 14.6% $91

Groceries & Markets

Guanacaste

$312 20.4%

Mexico City

$320 19.9% 2.3% $7.1

Eating Out

Guanacaste

$217 14.2%

Mexico City

$199 12.4% 8.7% $19

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Guanacaste

$162 10.6%

Mexico City

$126 7.8% 22.4% $36

Clothing & Footwear

Guanacaste

$124 8.1%

Mexico City

$156 9.7% 25.6% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Guanacaste

$82 5.4%

Mexico City

$72 4.5% 12.7% $10

Getting Around

Guanacaste

$16 * 1%

Mexico City

$25 1.6% 64.3% $10

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $795 in Guanacaste versus $1,113 in Mexico City. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $48 in Guanacaste versus $48 in Mexico City. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $312 vs $320 – making Guanacaste the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Guanacaste

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

10:07 10:07 AM

Same time as Guanacaste

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,823

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 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 October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 502 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Guanacaste Mexico City 1,800 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Guanacaste
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

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

Yes – Mexico City is pricier by about 5%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,301 per month in Guanacaste and $2,412 in Mexico City. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Guanacaste, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $795 there versus $1,113 in Mexico City.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,534 in Guanacaste and $1,608 in Mexico City. That’s a gap of about 5%.

Kindergarten costs $968 per month in Guanacaste and $432 in Mexico City. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,500 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,534 in Guanacaste and $1,608 in Mexico City. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Guanacaste costs $1,534 versus $1,608 in Mexico City. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.