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

🙂 Solo nomad: Madrid is 4.3% cheaper than Alajuela without rent, and 42.5% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Madrid is 1.3% more expensive than Alajuela without rent, and 39.5% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.7 €15.25

$10.11 ₡4,940

75.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.3 €60.5

$40.49 ₡19.8K

73.57%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.87 €10.22

$9.4 ₡4,592

26.28%

Cappuccino

$3.07 €2.65

$3.67 ₡1,794

-16.35%

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

$3.06 €2.64

$2 ₡977

53.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.19 €1.88

$1.33 ₡652

64.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.15 €3.58

$2.17 ₡1,061

91.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.58 €3.95

$3.63 ₡1,774

26.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.18 €1.02

$1.94 ₡947

-39.18%

White Bread (500g)

$1.71 €1.47

$2.43 ₡1,188

-29.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.7 €1.47

$2.14 ₡1,043

-20.56%

Eggs

$3.4 €2.93

$2.23 ₡1,087

52.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.84 €12.78

$9.85 ₡4,810

50.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.04 €7.78

$9.06 ₡4,428

-0.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.1 €14.73

$13.63 ₡6,661

25.46%

Apples (1kg)

$2.66 €2.29

$3.97 ₡1,939

-33.00%

Banana (1kg)

$2.22 €1.91

$1.47 ₡718

51.02%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.58 €2.22

$4.17 ₡2,035

-38.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.65 €2.28

$2.86 ₡1,398

-7.34%

Potato (1kg)

$2.05 €1.77

$2.89 ₡1,412

-29.07%

Onion (1kg)

$2.14 €1.84

$2.65 ₡1,294

-19.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.33 €1.14

$1.03 ₡502

29.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 €0.83

$2.51 ₡1,227

-61.35%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.77 €5.83

$4.87 ₡2,379

39.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.14 €7.01

$17.96 ₡8,775

-54.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.46 €1.25

$2.18 ₡1,063

-33.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 €1.95

$2.56 ₡1,250

-11.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.79 €1.54

$0.88 ₡432

103.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$49.1 €42.29

$111 ₡54K

-55.60%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.07 €3.51

$1.39 ₡679

192.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.36 €1.18

$1.3 ₡633

4.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.16 €25.12

$7.86 ₡3,839

270.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.84 €1.58

$1.42 ₡693

29.58%

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

$37.6K €32.4K

$37.5K ₡18.3M

0.18%

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

$33.5K €28.9K

$32.2K ₡15.7M

4.08%

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

$191 €165

$45 ₡22K

325.04%

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

$21.63 €18.63

$20.03 ₡9,787

7.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.54 €30.61

$32.28 ₡15.8K

10.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.6 €46.16

$65.4 ₡31.9K

-18.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.78 €15.31

$43.3 ₡21.2K

-58.94%

Cinema Ticket

$11.49 €9.89

$9 ₡4,396

27.67%

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

$672 €579

$298 ₡145.4K

125.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.2K €10.5K

$2,377 ₡1.2M

413.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$96.9 €83.5

$62 ₡30.3K

56.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.74 €36.81

$51.6 ₡25.2K

-17.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 €91.9

$121 ₡58.9K

-11.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 €114

$98.4 ₡48.1K

34.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,614 €1,390

$699 ₡341.5K

130.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,137 €979

$605 ₡295.7K

87.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,835 €2,441

$1,003 ₡490K

182.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,900 €1,637

$926 ₡452.6K

105.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,577 €7,387

$2,058 ₡1M

316.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,953 €4,266

$1,523 ₡744.2K

225.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,659 €2,290

$1,207 ₡589.7K

120.28%

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: November 30, 2025

Last update for Alajuela: November 30, 2025

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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