Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mazatlan and San Jose

For one person, living is cheaper in Mazatlan: $1,436 a month against $1,949 in San Jose, rent and utilities included – about $6,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

70

Cost of Living Index in Mazatlan
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Mazatlan Living Index
93

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
Learn more

San Jose Living Index

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Mazatlan

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,436

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,949

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mazatlan and in San Jose

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

A single person spends $1,436 per month in Mazatlan vs $1,949 in San Jose, rent included.

Mazatlan $1,436
San Jose $1,949

A couple spends around $2,041 per month in Mazatlan vs $2,903 in San Jose, rent included.

Mazatlan $2,041
San Jose $2,903

A family of three spends $2,645 per month in Mazatlan vs $3,857 in San Jose, rent included.

Mazatlan $2,645
San Jose $3,857

Mazatlan is about 26% cheaper than San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Mazatlan and San Jose sit above the global median – Mazatlan by 7%, San Jose by 45%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.96 MX$199

$12.22 ₡5,510

-10.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.29 MX$842

$60.1 ₡27.1K

-23.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.37 MX$152

$11.77 ₡5,305

-28.89%

Cappuccino

$3.40 MX$61.8

$4.30 ₡1,939

-20.93%

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

$1.45 MX$26.29

$2.72 ₡1,226

-46.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.10 MX$19.94

$1.84 ₡830

-40.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.13 MX$38.67

$3.28 ₡1,480

-35.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.83 MX$51.5

$4.36 ₡1,966

-35.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.64 MX$29.86

$2.38 ₡1,074

-31.09%

White Bread (500g)

$2.59 MX$47.05

$3.12 ₡1,408

-16.99%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 MX$24.22

$2.41 ₡1,086

-44.81%

Eggs

$2.74 MX$49.92

$3.47 ₡1,564

-21.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.06 MX$147

$10.57 ₡4,767

-23.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.94 MX$126

$10.56 ₡4,758

-34.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.67 MX$140

$13.75 ₡6,196

-44.22%

Apples (1kg)

$2.72 MX$49.43

$5.04 ₡2,274

-46.03%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 MX$30.88

$1.61 ₡727

5.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.62 MX$29.51

$4.59 ₡2,069

-64.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.52 MX$9.43

$3.84 ₡1,731

-86.46%

Potato (1kg)

$1.63 MX$29.72

$3.77 ₡1,700

-56.76%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 MX$24.89

$3.76 ₡1,693

-63.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.60 MX$29.17

$1.12 ₡506

42.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.20 ₡1,441

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 MX$76.4

$5.84 ₡2,632

-28.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.98 MX$291

$19.73 ₡8,897

-19.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.03 MX$36.89

$2.75 ₡1,240

-26.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.09 MX$56.2

$3.66 ₡1,650

-15.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.69 MX$12.60

$1.12 ₡503

-38.39%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.84 MX$761

$65.1 ₡29.4K

-35.74%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.71 MX$67.4

$2.46 ₡1,110

50.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.45 MX$44.58

$1.54 ₡692

59.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.46 ₡3,815

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 MX$27.91

$1.55 ₡699

-1.29%

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

$21.4K MX$389.3K

$21.7K ₡9.8M

-1.37%

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

$24.8K MX$450.8K

$34.9K ₡15.7M

-28.94%

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

$59.0 MX$1,074

$94.7 ₡42.7K

-37.64%

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

$46.93 MX$854

$35.11 ₡15.8K

33.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.53 MX$792

$58.6 ₡26.4K

-25.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.05 MX$819

$72.2 ₡32.5K

-37.57%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.19 ₡11.4K

Cinema Ticket

$4.39 MX$79.9

$7.83 ₡3,532

-43.93%

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

$88.4 MX$1,609

$971 ₡437.9K

-90.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,007 MX$36.5K

$17.0K ₡7.7M

-88.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.9 MX$1,162

$71.6 ₡32.3K

-10.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.58 MX$502

$54.9 ₡24.7K

-49.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 MX$2,036

$129 ₡58.2K

-13.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$84.1 MX$1,530

$133 ₡60.0K

-36.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 MX$14.3K

$934 ₡420.9K

-15.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$619 MX$11.3K

$770 ₡347.2K

-19.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,241 MX$22.6K

$1,945 ₡876.7K

-36.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$840 MX$15.3K

$1,316 ₡593.5K

-36.18%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,579 MX$28.7K

$2,277 ₡1.0M

-30.65%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,051 MX$19.1K

$1,795 ₡809.1K

-41.44%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$533 MX$9,694

$1,006 ₡453.5K

-47.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.6

8.62

34.57%

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

Last update for Mazatlan: October 5, 2026

Last update for San Jose: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mazatlan

$619 43.4%

San Jose

$770 39.9% 24.4% $151

Groceries & Markets

Mazatlan

$236 * 16.5%

San Jose

$399 20.7% 69.3% $163

Eating Out

Mazatlan

$180 12.6%

San Jose

$228 11.8% 26.7% $48

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mazatlan

$150 10.5%

San Jose

$188 9.8% 26% $39

Clothing & Footwear

Mazatlan

$129 9.1%

San Jose

$175 9.1% 35.2% $45

Getting Around

Mazatlan

$61 4.2%

San Jose

$80 4.1% 31.6% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Mazatlan

$54 3.8%

San Jose

$88 4.6% 63.1% $34

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $788 in Mazatlan versus $934 in San Jose. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 89% higher in San Jose, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $46.00 in Mazatlan versus $60.0 in San Jose. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $236 vs $399 – making Mazatlan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mazatlan

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

02:39 2:39 AM

03:39 3:39 AM

1 h ahead of Mazatlan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

441,975

342,188 Capital

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.5 USD

100 MXN = 4.91 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 18.19 MXN (100 MXN = 5.5 USD). 1 EUR = 20.38 MXN (100 MXN = 4.91 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 505 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Mazatlan San Jose 2,790 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Mazatlan
San Jose

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

Mazatlan vs San Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,436 in Mazatlan, $1,949 in San Jose – roughly 36% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,155 per month in Mazatlan and $2,924 in San Jose. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Mazatlan, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 56% less in Mazatlan. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $88.4 per month in Mazatlan and $971 in San Jose. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Mazatlan, where all-in costs run around $1,436, than in San Jose at $1,949. In Mazatlan it covers expenses comfortably, while in San Jose it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Mazatlan has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,436 in Mazatlan to $1,949 in San Jose. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Mazatlan. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, San Jose makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.