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

😐 Solo nomad: Madrid is 9.8% more expensive than Alajuela without rent, and 40.5% more expensive with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: Madrid is 1.4% cheaper than Alajuela without rent, and 40.6% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.44 €15.03

$10.08 ₡4,768

73.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.7 €60.1

$40.17 ₡19.0K

73.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.77 €10.15

$9.68 ₡4,577

21.59%

Cappuccino

$3.16 €2.72

$3.75 ₡1,773

-15.73%

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

$3.18 €2.74

$1.96 ₡927

62.24%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.19 €1.89

$1.29 ₡610

69.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.02 €3.46

$2.21 ₡1,044

81.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.55 €3.93

$3.65 ₡1,726

24.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.18 €1.02

$1.86 ₡880

-36.56%

White Bread (500g)

$1.68 €1.45

$2.47 ₡1,166

-31.98%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.69 €1.46

$2.22 ₡1,048

-23.87%

Eggs

$3.40 €2.93

$2.25 ₡1,063

51.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.96 €12.90

$9.67 ₡4,570

54.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.79 €7.58

$9.04 ₡4,273

-2.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.67 €14.37

$13.90 ₡6,572

19.93%

Apples (1kg)

$2.71 €2.33

$3.85 ₡1,822

-29.61%

Banana (1kg)

$2.23 €1.92

$1.45 ₡686

53.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.45 €2.11

$4.14 ₡1,958

-40.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.79 €2.40

$2.86 ₡1,350

-2.45%

Potato (1kg)

$2.06 €1.78

$2.88 ₡1,360

-28.47%

Onion (1kg)

$2.16 €1.86

$2.64 ₡1,247

-18.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.35 €1.16

$1.00 ₡474

35.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.00 €0.86

$2.51 ₡1,187

-60.16%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.82 €5.88

$4.95 ₡2,338

37.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.32 €7.17

$20.49 ₡9,689

-59.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 €1.25

$2.14 ₡1,012

-32.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 €1.88

$2.42 ₡1,145

-9.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.72 €1.49

$0.83 ₡394

107.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$48.68 €41.96

$112 ₡53.0K

-56.54%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.13 €3.56

$1.38 ₡652

199.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 €1.18

$1.32 ₡622

3.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.32 €25.28

$8.05 ₡3,804

264.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.91 €1.64

$1.40 ₡662

36.43%

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

$38.0K €32.8K

$37.7K ₡17.8M

0.90%

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

$34.0K €29.3K

$32.8K ₡15.5M

3.46%

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

$192 €166

$44.80 ₡21.2K

328.93%

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

$21.64 €18.65

$19.66 ₡9,297

10.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.47 €30.58

$33.13 ₡15.7K

7.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.8 €46.34

$65.7 ₡31.1K

-18.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.20 €15.69

$43.81 ₡20.7K

-58.46%

Cinema Ticket

$11.66 €10.05

$9.13 ₡4,315

27.71%

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

$681 €587

$303 ₡143.3K

124.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.2K €10.5K

$2,356 ₡1.1M

416.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$95.2 €82.0

$62.9 ₡29.7K

51.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.76 €36.86

$52.3 ₡24.7K

-18.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 €92.6

$121 ₡57.2K

-11.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 €116

$100 ₡47.4K

33.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,559 €1,344

$704 ₡332.9K

121.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,107 €954

$607 ₡286.8K

82.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,817 €2,428

$1,013 ₡479.1K

177.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,887 €1,627

$934 ₡441.6K

102.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,280 €7,999

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,391 €3,785

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,575 €2,220

$2,039 ₡964.1K

26.29%

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: March 1, 2026

Last update for Alajuela: March 2, 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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