Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon

For one person, living costs are similar in Mexico City and in Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon: $1,608 and $1,632 a month, rent and utilities included.

78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
Learn more

Mexico City Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon
Learn more

Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon Living Index

Jump to prices

Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon, Costa Rica

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,632

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mexico City and in Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon

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 Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City versus $1,632 in Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon.

Mexico City $1,608
Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon $1,632

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,549 in Mexico City versus $2,532 in Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon.

Mexico City $2,549
Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon $2,532

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,490 in Mexico City versus $3,432 in Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon.

Mexico City $3,490
Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon $3,432

Monthly costs are close between Mexico City and Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon; which city is cheaper depends on the spending category.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Mexico City 18% above, Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$198

$12.18 ₡5,500

-12.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$901

$43.30 ₡19.5K

11.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$193

$10.95 ₡4,944

-5.48%

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$68.7

$3.88 ₡1,752

-4.90%

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

$1.67 MX$31.05

$2.42 ₡1,094

-30.99%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.58

$1.82 ₡823

-30.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$59.5

$3.21 ₡1,447

-0.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$98.9

$4.10 ₡1,849

29.51%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.13

$2.00 ₡902

-14.00%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$56.6

$3.07 ₡1,386

-0.98%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.17

$2.44 ₡1,101

-20.49%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$53.8

$3.08 ₡1,390

-6.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$204

$6.46 ₡2,915

69.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$172

$7.56 ₡3,412

22.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$282

$14.18 ₡6,400

6.70%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$56.8

$2.72 ₡1,226

12.13%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.17

$1.11 ₡501

74.77%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.73

$1.30 ₡587

56.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.12

$1.71 ₡773

35.09%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$37.91

$2.66 ₡1,199

-23.31%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.53

$2.02 ₡911

-10.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.56

$0.65 ₡292

127.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.62

$1.93 ₡869

-34.20%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$98.8

$3.22 ₡1,452

64.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$300

$15.19 ₡6,859

5.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$36.95

$2.89 ₡1,306

-31.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.2

$3.53 ₡1,594

20.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.68

$1.35 ₡611

-77.04%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$368

$43.19 ₡19.5K

-54.32%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.23

$1.76 ₡793

4.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$9.94

$1.60 ₡723

-66.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$98.7

$8.83 ₡3,986

-39.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.14

$1.51 ₡680

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

$21.8K MX$405.3K

$34.1K ₡15.4M

-36.13%

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

$24.0K MX$446.9K

$41.6K ₡18.8M

-42.32%

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

$63.0 MX$1,173

$94.8 ₡42.8K

-33.53%

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

$27.39 MX$510

$35.25 ₡15.9K

-22.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$664

$33.45 ₡15.1K

6.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,098

$67.7 ₡30.6K

-12.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$441

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$119

$7.57 ₡3,420

-15.46%

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

$432 MX$8,041

$987 ₡445.4K

-56.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$212.8K

$17.4K ₡7.9M

-34.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,271

$65.2 ₡29.4K

4.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$990

$26.77 ₡12.1K

98.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,008

$99.1 ₡44.7K

8.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,185

$54.5 ₡24.6K

115.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.7K

$890 ₡401.6K

25.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.2K

$703 ₡317.2K

1.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.2K

$2,029 ₡915.9K

27.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.2K

$1,387 ₡626.3K

1.33%

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

$998 ₡450.6K

-5.20%

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 Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon

$703 43% 1.1% $7.9

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon

$296 18.1% 7.3% $23

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon

$218 13.4% 9.8% $19

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon

$110 6.8% 29.1% $45

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon

$163 10% 29.7% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon

$83 5.1% 15.5% $11

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon

$58 3.6% 129% $33

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,113 in Mexico City and $890 in Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon pays 5% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $48 in Mexico City vs $43 in Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $296 per month, with Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇨🇷 Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon

🕒 Local time

04:35 4:35 AM

Same time as Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Mexico City Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon 1,750 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon

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 Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

On paper, salaries run 5% lower in Mexico City. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,113 in Mexico City versus $890 in Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $432 in Mexico City versus $987 in Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon – a meal for two runs $43 versus $48 in Mexico City. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Mexico City gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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 – Mexico City wins on affordability, Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.