CityCost App
Cost of living in 8000+ cities on the go.

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and San José Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and San José

🙂 Solo nomad: Mexico City is 15.8% cheaper than San José without rent, and 45.6% more expensive with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Mexico City is 2% cheaper than San José without rent, and 50.7% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Mexico City
San José
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$13.19 MX$233
$15.99 UYU 619
-17.51%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$53.5 MX$944
$55.5 UYU 2,149
-3.64%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.37 MX$165
$10.82 UYU 419
-13.40%
Cappuccino
$3.75 MX$66.2
$4.06 UYU 157
-7.64%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.57 MX$27.71
$2.15 UYU 83.3
-26.98%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.11 MX$19.61
$1.72 UYU 66.6
-35.47%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.12 MX$55.1
$4.30 UYU 167
-27.44%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.81 MX$84.9
$3.75 UYU 145
28.27%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Mexico City
San José
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.65 MX$29.16
$1.01 UYU 39.26
63.37%
White Bread (500g)
$2.77 MX$48.87
$1.99 UYU 77.2
39.20%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.91 MX$33.67
$1.48 UYU 57.4
29.05%
Eggs
$2.60 MX$45.81
$2.57 UYU 99.5
1.17%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.21 MX$180
$12.08 UYU 468
-15.48%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.46 MX$149
$7.31 UYU 283
15.73%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.60 MX$205
$11.16 UYU 432
3.94%
Apples (1kg)
$3.00 MX$52.9
$1.20 UYU 46.46
150.00%
Banana (1kg)
$1.73 MX$30.49
$1.45 UYU 56.2
19.31%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.04 MX$36.05
$1.23 UYU 47.79
65.85%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.00 MX$35.34
$1.46 UYU 56.5
36.99%
Potato (1kg)
$2.15 MX$37.91
$0.94 UYU 36.22
128.72%
Onion (1kg)
$2.25 MX$39.71
$1.20 UYU 46.31
87.50%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.39 MX$24.57
$1.36 UYU 52.6
2.21%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.07 MX$18.88
$1.69 UYU 65.4
-36.69%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.13 MX$73.0
$5.08 UYU 197
-18.70%
Wine (Bottle)
$12.35 MX$218
$10.32 UYU 399
19.67%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.70 MX$30.02
$2.36 UYU 91.3
-27.97%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.56 MX$62.8
$2.90 UYU 112
22.76%
🚌 Getting Around
Mexico City
San José
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.36 MX$6.35
$1.24 UYU 48.11
-70.97%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$18.70 MX$330
$44.06 UYU 1,706
-57.56%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.36 MX$24.05
$1.49 UYU 57.7
-8.72%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.28 MX$4.88
$1.50 UYU 57.9
-81.33%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.44 MX$96.0
$10.94 UYU 424
-50.27%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.34 MX$23.64
$1.88 UYU 72.8
-28.72%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$19.0K MX$335.5K
$34.0K UYU 1.3M
-44.08%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.3K MX$411.1K
$35.7K UYU 1.4M
-34.83%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Mexico City
San José
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$40.62 MX$717
$169 UYU 6,551
-76.00%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$26.92 MX$475
$16.43 UYU 636
63.85%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$29.98 MX$529
$48.59 UYU 1,881
-38.30%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Mexico City
San José
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$52.2 MX$922
-
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$25.91 MX$457
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$6.39 MX$113
$10.50 UYU 406
-39.14%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Mexico City
San José
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$431 MX$7,603
$485 UYU 18.8K
-11.21%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$10.4K MX$184.0K
$8,800 UYU 340.7K
18.49%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Mexico City
San José
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$58.4 MX$1,031
$93.2 UYU 3,609
-37.33%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$44.65 MX$788
$47.99 UYU 1,858
-6.96%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$103 MX$1,823
$116 UYU 4,495
-11.04%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$106 MX$1,876
$122 UYU 4,709
-12.63%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Mexico City
San José
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$998 MX$17.6K
-
-
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$624 MX$11.0K
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,108 MX$37.2K
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,231 MX$21.7K
-
-
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,647 MX$64.4K
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,169 MX$38.3K
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Mexico City
San José
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,044 MX$18.4K
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.34
5.68
99.65%

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

Last update for Mexico City: January 13, 2026

Last update for San José: January 10, 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

Similar cities

Join the CityCost newsletter – low traffic, no spam, and easy to unsubscribe. Your email stays private.