Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Arenal Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Arenal

🙂 Solo nomad: Mexico City is 17.7% cheaper than Arenal without rent, and 8.5% cheaper with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: Mexico City is 15% cheaper than Arenal without rent, and 0.9% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.19 MX$233

$11.06 ₡5,483

19.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$53.5 MX$944

$59.8 ₡29.6K

-10.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.37 MX$165

$9.71 ₡4,812

-3.50%

Cappuccino

$3.75 MX$66.2

$3.77 ₡1,868

-0.53%

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

$1.57 MX$27.71

$2.03 ₡1,008

-22.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.11 MX$19.61

$1.59 ₡788

-30.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.12 MX$55.1

$2.93 ₡1,453

6.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.81 MX$84.9

$4.59 ₡2,278

4.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.65 MX$29.16

$1.99 ₡989

-17.09%

White Bread (500g)

$2.77 MX$48.87

$2.90 ₡1,437

-4.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.91 MX$33.67

$2.13 ₡1,057

-10.33%

Eggs

$2.60 MX$45.81

$2.90 ₡1,436

-10.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.21 MX$180

$10.02 ₡4,967

1.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.46 MX$149

$9.17 ₡4,549

-7.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.60 MX$205

$13.61 ₡6,746

-14.77%

Apples (1kg)

$3.00 MX$52.9

$4.46 ₡2,213

-32.74%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 MX$30.49

$1.44 ₡713

20.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.04 MX$36.05

$4.16 ₡2,063

-50.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.00 MX$35.34

$3.60 ₡1,785

-44.44%

Potato (1kg)

$2.15 MX$37.91

$3.41 ₡1,690

-36.95%

Onion (1kg)

$2.25 MX$39.71

$3.19 ₡1,582

-29.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.39 MX$24.57

$1.03 ₡511

34.95%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 MX$18.88

$2.85 ₡1,414

-62.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.13 MX$73.0

$5.39 ₡2,675

-23.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.35 MX$218

$17.89 ₡8,871

-30.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 MX$30.02

$2.40 ₡1,188

-29.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.56 MX$62.8

$2.88 ₡1,430

23.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.36 MX$6.35

$0.96 ₡476

-62.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$18.70 MX$330

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.36 MX$24.05

$1.88 ₡932

-27.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.28 MX$4.88

$1.78 ₡881

-84.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.44 MX$96.0

$8.00 ₡3,965

-32.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 MX$23.64

$1.41 ₡698

-4.96%

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

$19.0K MX$335.5K

$38.1K ₡18.9M

-50.12%

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

$23.3K MX$411.1K

$32.2K ₡16.0M

-27.62%

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

$40.62 MX$717

$95.5 ₡47.3K

-57.44%

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

$26.92 MX$475

$26.38 ₡13.1K

2.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.98 MX$529

$58.9 ₡29.2K

-49.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.2 MX$922

$57.9 ₡28.7K

-9.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.91 MX$457

$24.25 ₡12.0K

6.85%

Cinema Ticket

$6.39 MX$113

$9.80 ₡4,856

-34.80%

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

$431 MX$7,603

$568 ₡281.8K

-24.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.4K MX$184.0K

$12.7K ₡6.3M

-17.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.4 MX$1,031

$62.6 ₡31.0K

-6.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.65 MX$788

$52.1 ₡25.8K

-14.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 MX$1,823

$125 ₡62.1K

-17.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 MX$1,876

$107 ₡53.2K

-0.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$998 MX$17.6K

$760 ₡377.0K

31.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$624 MX$11.0K

$608 ₡301.5K

2.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,108 MX$37.2K

$1,507 ₡747.0K

39.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,231 MX$21.7K

$976 ₡483.8K

26.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,647 MX$64.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,169 MX$38.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,044 MX$18.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.34

10.17

11.50%

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

Last update for Mexico City: January 13, 2026

Last update for Arenal: 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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