Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and San Isidro, Costa Rica

For one person, living costs are similar in Mexico City and in San Isidro: $1,674 and $1,676 a month, rent and utilities included.

80

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
81

Cost of Living Index in San Isidro
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San Isidro Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,674

/mo nomad

San Isidro

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,676

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mexico City and in San Isidro

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 San Isidro actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,674 in Mexico City versus $1,676 in San Isidro.

Mexico City $1,674
San Isidro $1,676

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,606 in Mexico City versus $2,650 in San Isidro.

Mexico City $2,606
San Isidro $2,650

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,537 in Mexico City versus $3,623 in San Isidro.

Mexico City $3,537
San Isidro $3,623

Monthly costs are close between Mexico City and San Isidro; which city is cheaper depends on the spending category.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Mexico City 24% above, San Isidro 24% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.59 MX$197

$11.90 ₡5,353

-11.01%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$52.0 MX$967

$57.6 ₡25.9K

-9.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.73 MX$200

$11.51 ₡5,177

-6.78%

Cappuccino

$3.80 MX$70.6

$4.22 ₡1,897

-9.95%

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

$1.61 MX$30.01

$2.50 ₡1,123

-35.60%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.21 MX$22.55

$1.86 ₡837

-34.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 MX$59.1

$3.34 ₡1,504

-4.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.44 MX$101

$4.38 ₡1,972

24.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$31.96

$2.34 ₡1,050

-26.50%

White Bread (500g)

$2.97 MX$55.2

$3.02 ₡1,356

-1.66%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.93 MX$35.84

$2.50 ₡1,122

-22.80%

Eggs

$2.77 MX$51.6

$3.43 ₡1,543

-19.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.67 MX$217

$10.72 ₡4,822

8.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.48 MX$176

$10.66 ₡4,795

-11.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.37 MX$286

$14.17 ₡6,374

8.47%

Apples (1kg)

$3.10 MX$57.8

$4.96 ₡2,229

-37.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 MX$36.49

$1.67 ₡750

17.37%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.98 MX$36.88

$3.28 ₡1,474

-39.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.34 MX$43.46

$3.52 ₡1,584

-33.52%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.66

$2.86 ₡1,284

-29.37%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 MX$33.95

$3.16 ₡1,419

-42.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.54 MX$28.74

$1.03 ₡463

49.51%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 MX$24.42

$2.65 ₡1,192

-50.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.35 MX$99.6

$5.63 ₡2,531

-4.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.19 MX$301

$16.48 ₡7,412

-1.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.96 MX$36.46

$2.64 ₡1,185

-25.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.35 MX$81.0

$2.71 ₡1,220

60.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.30 MX$5.67

$1.30 ₡583

-76.92%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.49 MX$363

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.92 MX$35.68

$2.22 ₡997

-13.51%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.47 MX$8.80

$1.83 ₡822

-74.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.41 MX$101

$8.65 ₡3,891

-37.46%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 MX$27.61

$1.52 ₡682

-2.63%

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

$21.4K MX$397.7K

$34.6K ₡15.6M

-38.29%

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

$23.8K MX$442.1K

$40.6K ₡18.3M

-41.55%

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

$62.0 MX$1,154

$93.6 ₡42.1K

-33.78%

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

$28.47 MX$530

$30.02 ₡13.5K

-5.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.11 MX$635

$59.9 ₡26.9K

-43.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.4 MX$1,087

$66.6 ₡30.0K

-12.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.50 MX$456

Cinema Ticket

$6.59 MX$123

$7.97 ₡3,584

-17.31%

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

$434 MX$8,081

$857 ₡385.5K

-49.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.0K MX$261.2K

$15.9K ₡7.2M

-11.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.4 MX$1,272

$69.2 ₡31.1K

-1.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.8 MX$1,020

$48.22 ₡21.7K

13.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 MX$2,063

$127 ₡57.2K

-12.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 MX$2,158

$138 ₡62.2K

-16.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,179 MX$21.9K

$809 ₡364.0K

45.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$771 MX$14.3K

$624 ₡280.7K

23.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,570 MX$47.8K

$1,908 ₡858.1K

34.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,420 MX$26.4K

$1,245 ₡559.9K

14.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,586 MX$66.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,064 MX$38.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,003 MX$18.7K

$1,101 ₡495.2K

-8.94%

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 San Isidro: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$771 46.1%

San Isidro

$624 37.3% 19% $147

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$324 19.3%

San Isidro

$373 22.3% 15.3% $50

Eating Out

Mexico City

$201 12%

San Isidro

$223 13.3% 11.3% $23

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$158 9.4%

San Isidro

$172 10.3% 9.4% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$125 7.4%

San Isidro

$184 11% 47.3% $59

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.3%

San Isidro

$83 4.9% 15.4% $11

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.5%

San Isidro

$17 * 1% 33.8% $8.5

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 $809 in San Isidro. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

San Isidro pays 10% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $52 in Mexico City vs $58 in San Isidro for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $324 vs $373 per month, with Mexico City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇨🇷 San Isidro

🕒 Local time

13:36 1:36 PM

Same time as Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

17,000

💱 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 = 1.99 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 3, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.81 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 450 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 503 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City San Isidro 1,930 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
San Isidro

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 San Isidro: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

On paper, salaries run 9% 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: $1,179 in Mexico City versus $809 in San Isidro. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $434 in Mexico City versus $857 in San Isidro. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 15% higher in San Isidro. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

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, San Isidro on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.