Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Atenas

For one person, living is cheaper in Atenas: $1,548 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $720 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Mexico City outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in Atenas
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Atenas Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Atenas

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,548

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mexico City and in Atenas

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

A single person spends $1,608 per month in Mexico City vs $1,548 in Atenas, rent included.

Mexico City $1,608
Atenas $1,548

A couple spends around $2,549 per month in Mexico City vs $2,527 in Atenas, rent included.

Mexico City $2,549
Atenas $2,527

A family of three spends $3,490 per month in Mexico City vs $3,506 in Atenas, rent included.

Mexico City $3,490
Atenas $3,506

Mexico City costs about 4% more than Atenas, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Mexico City and Atenas sit above the global median – Mexico City by 18%, Atenas by 14%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$198

$9.66 ₡4,361

9.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$901

$56.4 ₡25.4K

-14.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$193

$11.79 ₡5,321

-12.21%

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$68.7

$3.83 ₡1,727

-3.66%

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

$1.67 MX$31.05

$2.77 ₡1,249

-39.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.58

$1.94 ₡875

-34.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$59.5

$3.38 ₡1,525

-5.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$98.9

$4.44 ₡2,005

19.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.13

$2.39 ₡1,079

-28.03%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$56.6

$3.07 ₡1,384

-0.98%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.17

$2.25 ₡1,016

-13.78%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$53.8

$3.48 ₡1,571

-16.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$204

$10.74 ₡4,847

2.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$172

$9.55 ₡4,310

-3.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$282

$10.41 ₡4,701

45.34%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$56.8

$4.52 ₡2,039

-32.52%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.17

$1.62 ₡731

19.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.73

$2.65 ₡1,197

-23.40%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.12

$2.45 ₡1,107

-5.71%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$37.91

$3.81 ₡1,719

-46.46%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.53

$2.60 ₡1,173

-30.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.56

$1.12 ₡505

32.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.62

$3.11 ₡1,405

-59.16%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$98.8

$6.04 ₡2,726

-12.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$300

$18.82 ₡8,497

-14.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$36.95

$2.63 ₡1,188

-24.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.2

$2.67 ₡1,204

59.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.68

$2.21 ₡998

-85.97%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$368

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.23

$2.50 ₡1,126

-26.40%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$9.94

$1.57 ₡709

-66.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$98.7

$8.68 ₡3,917

-38.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.14

$1.50 ₡677

0.67%

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

$21.8K MX$405.3K

$33.7K ₡15.2M

-35.54%

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

$24.0K MX$446.9K

$42.1K ₡19.0M

-42.97%

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

$63.0 MX$1,173

$94.0 ₡42.4K

-32.96%

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

$27.39 MX$510

$35.77 ₡16.1K

-23.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$664

$52.3 ₡23.6K

-31.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,098

$47.83 ₡21.6K

23.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$441

$11.06 ₡4,995

113.74%

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$119

$7.55 ₡3,407

-15.23%

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

$432 MX$8,041

$975 ₡440.3K

-55.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$212.8K

$6,667 ₡3.0M

71.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,271

$72.0 ₡32.5K

-5.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$990

$54.2 ₡24.5K

-2.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,008

$126 ₡57.1K

-14.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,185

$130 ₡58.8K

-9.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.7K

$666 ₡300.6K

67.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.2K

$550 ₡248.2K

29.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.2K

$1,537 ₡693.8K

68.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.2K

$1,244 ₡561.7K

13.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$67.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$39.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.6K

$1,330 ₡600.6K

-28.89%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

8.62

31.67%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Last update for Atenas: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Atenas

$550 35.5% 22.6% $161

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Atenas

$358 23.2% 12.2% $39

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Atenas

$203 13.1% 2.3% $4.5

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Atenas

$172 11.1% 10.5% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Atenas

$182 11.8% 44.4% $56

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Atenas

$63 4.1% 12.3% $8.8

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Atenas

$19 * 1.2% 24.6% $6.3

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,113 in Mexico City versus $666 in Atenas. 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 41% higher in Atenas, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $48 in Mexico City versus $56 in Atenas. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $320 vs $358 – making Mexico City the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇨🇷 Atenas

🕒 Local time

01:33 1:33 AM

Same time as Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

7,000

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 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 29, 2026: 1 USD = 18.63 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.79 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Atenas 1,900 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Atenas

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

Mexico City vs Atenas: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Mexico City is pricier by about 4%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,412 per month in Mexico City and $2,322 in Atenas. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Atenas, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $666 there versus $1,113 in Mexico City.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $48 in Mexico City and $56 in Atenas. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 11% cheaper in Mexico City – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

$1,500 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,608 in Mexico City and $1,548 in Atenas. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Mexico City has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,548 in Atenas to $1,608 in Mexico City. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.