Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Jaco Beach

For one person, living is cheaper in Jaco Beach: $1,447 a month against $1,674 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
69

Cost of Living Index in Jaco Beach
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Jaco Beach Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,674

/mo nomad

Jaco Beach

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,447

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mexico City and in Jaco Beach

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 Jaco Beach actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,674 in Mexico City versus $1,447 in Jaco Beach.

Mexico City $1,674
Jaco Beach $1,447

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,606 in Mexico City versus $2,307 in Jaco Beach.

Mexico City $2,606
Jaco Beach $2,307

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,537 in Mexico City versus $3,167 in Jaco Beach.

Mexico City $3,537
Jaco Beach $3,167

Living in Mexico City is roughly 16% more expensive than in Jaco Beach, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Mexico City 24% above, Jaco Beach 7% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.59 MX$199

$11.77 ₡5,290

-10.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$52.0 MX$976

$44.47 ₡20.0K

16.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.73 MX$201

$9.85 ₡4,430

8.93%

Cappuccino

$3.80 MX$71.3

$3.96 ₡1,782

-4.04%

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

$1.61 MX$30.28

$2.31 ₡1,038

-30.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.21 MX$22.76

$1.87 ₡839

-35.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 MX$59.7

$3.21 ₡1,443

-0.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.44 MX$102

$4.33 ₡1,945

25.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.26

$1.91 ₡858

-9.95%

White Bread (500g)

$2.97 MX$55.7

$2.19 ₡986

35.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.93 MX$36.17

$2.45 ₡1,103

-21.22%

Eggs

$2.77 MX$52.1

$2.67 ₡1,202

3.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.67 MX$219

$10.87 ₡4,885

7.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.48 MX$178

$8.83 ₡3,972

7.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.37 MX$289

$11.97 ₡5,382

28.40%

Apples (1kg)

$3.10 MX$58.3

$4.90 ₡2,204

-36.73%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 MX$36.82

$1.63 ₡731

20.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.98 MX$37.22

$4.63 ₡2,082

-57.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.34 MX$43.86

$3.60 ₡1,618

-35.00%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$38.00

$1.49 ₡672

35.57%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 MX$34.26

$1.41 ₡636

29.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.54 MX$29.00

$0.94 ₡421

63.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 MX$24.64

$1.95 ₡875

-32.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.35 MX$100

$5.80 ₡2,610

-7.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.19 MX$304

$13.89 ₡6,243

16.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.96 MX$36.79

$2.55 ₡1,145

-23.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.35 MX$81.7

$2.22 ₡999

95.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.30 MX$5.72

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.49 MX$366

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.92 MX$36.01

$2.24 ₡1,006

-14.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.47 MX$8.88

$1.79 ₡805

-73.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.41 MX$102

$7.84 ₡3,523

-30.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 MX$27.86

$1.58 ₡708

-6.33%

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

$21.4K MX$401.4K

$34.0K ₡15.3M

-37.21%

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

$23.8K MX$446.1K

$42.9K ₡19.3M

-44.64%

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

$62.0 MX$1,164

$77.6 ₡34.9K

-20.09%

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

$28.47 MX$535

$23.96 ₡10.8K

18.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.11 MX$641

$47.25 ₡21.2K

-27.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.4 MX$1,097

$52.6 ₡23.6K

11.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.50 MX$460

Cinema Ticket

$6.59 MX$124

$7.90 ₡3,551

-16.58%

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

$434 MX$8,155

$494 ₡221.9K

-12.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.0K MX$263.6K

$7,305 ₡3.3M

92.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.4 MX$1,284

$24.54 ₡11.0K

178.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.8 MX$1,029

$56.2 ₡25.2K

-2.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 MX$2,082

$128 ₡57.7K

-13.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 MX$2,178

$132 ₡59.4K

-12.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,179 MX$22.1K

$743 ₡334.2K

58.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$771 MX$14.5K

$528 ₡237.5K

45.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,570 MX$48.3K

$1,933 ₡869.3K

32.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,420 MX$26.7K

$1,109 ₡498.8K

27.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,586 MX$67.3K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,064 MX$38.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,003 MX$18.8K

$396 ₡178.0K

153.35%

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: November 1, 2026

Last update for Jaco Beach: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$771 46.1%

Jaco Beach

$528 36.5% 31.5% $243

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$324 19.3%

Jaco Beach

$324 22.4% 0.2% $0.8

Eating Out

Mexico City

$201 12%

Jaco Beach

$213 14.7% 6% $12

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$158 9.4%

Jaco Beach

$154 10.6% 2.5% $4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$125 7.4%

Jaco Beach

$149 10.3% 19.4% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.3%

Jaco Beach

$68 4.7% 4.5% $3.2

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.5%

Jaco Beach

$11 * 0.8% 55.2% $14

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,179 in Mexico City and $743 in Jaco Beach. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mexico City pays about 2.5 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $52 in Mexico City vs $44 in Jaco Beach. Groceries flip the comparison at $324 vs $324, with Mexico City cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇨🇷 Jaco Beach

🕒 Local time

02:15 2:15 AM

Same time as Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.32 USD

100 MXN = 4.74 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 November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 18.78 MXN (100 MXN = 5.32 USD). 1 EUR = 21.09 MXN (100 MXN = 4.74 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 450 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

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Between locations

Mexico City Jaco Beach 1,900 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Jaco Beach

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 Jaco Beach: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Jaco Beach is about 14% cheaper overall, especially in transport, clothing, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Mexico City is about 2.5 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,179 in Mexico City versus $743 in Jaco Beach. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Jaco Beach – a meal for two runs $44 versus $52 in Mexico City. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Childcare runs $434 in Mexico City versus $494 in Jaco Beach. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

It comes down to priorities – Jaco Beach wins on affordability, Mexico City on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.