Cost of Living Comparison Between Madrid and Alajuela Cost of Living Comparison Between Madrid and Alajuela

😐 Solo nomad: Madrid is 12.9% more expensive than Alajuela without rent, and 45.4% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Madrid is 16.9% more expensive than Alajuela without rent, and 44.6% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.20 €14.82

$9.65 ₡4,786

78.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.6 €59.1

$39.43 ₡19.5K

73.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.05 €10.39

$9.41 ₡4,668

28.06%

Cappuccino

$3.05 €2.63

$3.60 ₡1,783

-15.28%

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

$3.18 €2.74

$1.96 ₡972

62.24%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.10 €1.81

$1.34 ₡662

56.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.15 €3.58

$2.17 ₡1,078

91.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.64 €4.00

$3.64 ₡1,802

27.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.18 €1.02

$1.85 ₡915

-36.22%

White Bread (500g)

$1.68 €1.45

$2.50 ₡1,241

-32.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.71 €1.47

$2.14 ₡1,063

-20.09%

Eggs

$3.36 €2.89

$2.24 ₡1,110

50.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.58 €12.57

$10.17 ₡5,040

43.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.04 €7.79

$9.37 ₡4,643

-3.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.76 €14.45

$13.92 ₡6,899

20.40%

Apples (1kg)

$2.67 €2.30

$4.07 ₡2,017

-34.40%

Banana (1kg)

$2.21 €1.91

$1.52 ₡755

45.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.57 €2.21

$4.19 ₡2,079

-38.66%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.78 €2.40

$2.86 ₡1,416

-2.80%

Potato (1kg)

$2.05 €1.77

$2.78 ₡1,376

-26.26%

Onion (1kg)

$2.17 €1.87

$2.58 ₡1,277

-15.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.41 €1.21

$0.96 ₡475

46.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 €0.80

$2.58 ₡1,277

-63.95%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €5.92

$5.01 ₡2,485

37.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.06 €6.95

$17.79 ₡8,822

-54.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.46 €1.26

$2.12 ₡1,050

-31.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.19 €1.89

$2.44 ₡1,209

-10.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.71 €1.47

$0.87 ₡429

96.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$48.40 €41.72

$110 ₡54.5K

-55.96%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.06 €3.50

$1.43 ₡710

183.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.39 €1.20

$1.37 ₡677

1.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.08 €25.07

$8.02 ₡3,974

262.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.93 €1.67

$1.41 ₡699

36.88%

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

$37.1K €32.0K

$38.3K ₡19.0M

-3.15%

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

$34.3K €29.6K

$32.8K ₡16.3M

4.50%

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

$193 €166

$45.49 ₡22.6K

323.37%

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

$21.00 €18.10

$19.69 ₡9,763

6.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.84 €30.03

$33.41 ₡16.6K

4.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.3 €45.90

$65.6 ₡32.5K

-18.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.60 €15.17

$42.96 ₡21.3K

-59.03%

Cinema Ticket

$11.60 €10.00

$9.11 ₡4,516

27.33%

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

$672 €580

$297 ₡147.1K

126.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.1K €10.5K

$2,310 ₡1.1M

425.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$94.9 €81.8

$63.1 ₡31.3K

50.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.95 €37.02

$52.3 ₡26.0K

-17.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €91.7

$120 ₡59.5K

-11.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$135 €116

$98.1 ₡48.7K

37.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,578 €1,360

$696 ₡344.9K

126.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,137 €980

$600 ₡297.3K

89.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,828 €2,437

$978 ₡484.7K

189.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,914 €1,650

$955 ₡473.7K

100.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,728 €7,523

$2,004 ₡993.3K

335.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,762 €4,105

$1,520 ₡753.4K

213.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,613 €2,252

$1,216 ₡602.8K

114.88%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.43

10.17

-66.27%

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

Last update for Madrid: January 13, 2026

Last update for Alajuela: January 11, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

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

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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