Last update: Nov 2026

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

For one person, living costs are similar in Mexico City and in San Pedro: $1,674 and $1,714 a month, rent and utilities included.

80

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
83

Cost of Living Index in San Pedro
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San Pedro Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,674

/mo nomad

San Pedro

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,714

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,674 in Mexico City versus $1,714 in San Pedro.

Mexico City $1,674
San Pedro $1,714

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,606 in Mexico City versus $2,716 in San Pedro.

Mexico City $2,606
San Pedro $2,716

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,537 in Mexico City versus $3,718 in San Pedro.

Mexico City $3,537
San Pedro $3,718

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

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Mexico City 24% above, San Pedro 27% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.59 MX$197

$12.28 ₡5,522

-13.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$52.0 MX$967

$60.9 ₡27.4K

-14.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.73 MX$200

$11.62 ₡5,225

-7.66%

Cappuccino

$3.80 MX$70.6

$4.47 ₡2,008

-14.99%

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

$1.61 MX$30.01

$2.71 ₡1,219

-40.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.21 MX$22.55

$1.87 ₡839

-35.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 MX$59.1

$3.22 ₡1,447

-1.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.44 MX$101

$4.32 ₡1,941

25.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$31.96

$2.31 ₡1,040

-25.54%

White Bread (500g)

$2.97 MX$55.2

$3.08 ₡1,384

-3.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.93 MX$35.84

$2.40 ₡1,080

-19.58%

Eggs

$2.77 MX$51.6

$3.46 ₡1,556

-19.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.67 MX$217

$10.56 ₡4,750

10.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.48 MX$176

$10.28 ₡4,624

-7.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.37 MX$286

$14.01 ₡6,300

9.71%

Apples (1kg)

$3.10 MX$57.8

$5.08 ₡2,286

-38.98%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 MX$36.49

$1.64 ₡738

19.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.98 MX$36.88

$4.73 ₡2,127

-58.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.34 MX$43.46

$3.94 ₡1,771

-40.61%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 MX$37.66

$3.80 ₡1,707

-46.84%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 MX$33.95

$3.76 ₡1,690

-51.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.54 MX$28.74

$1.07 ₡483

43.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 MX$24.42

$3.12 ₡1,402

-58.01%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.35 MX$99.6

$5.76 ₡2,590

-7.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.19 MX$301

$19.79 ₡8,902

-18.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.96 MX$36.46

$2.81 ₡1,264

-30.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.35 MX$81.0

$3.68 ₡1,654

18.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.30 MX$5.67

$1.33 ₡598

-77.44%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.49 MX$363

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.92 MX$35.68

$2.40 ₡1,081

-20.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.47 MX$8.80

$1.57 ₡708

-70.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.41 MX$101

$8.58 ₡3,856

-36.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 MX$27.61

$1.53 ₡686

-3.27%

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

$21.4K MX$397.7K

$34.1K ₡15.3M

-37.26%

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

$23.8K MX$442.1K

$41.2K ₡18.5M

-42.41%

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

$62.0 MX$1,154

$93.6 ₡42.1K

-33.74%

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

$28.47 MX$530

$35.72 ₡16.1K

-20.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.11 MX$635

$59.5 ₡26.7K

-42.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.4 MX$1,087

$68.5 ₡30.8K

-14.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.50 MX$456

Cinema Ticket

$6.59 MX$123

$7.72 ₡3,472

-14.64%

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

$434 MX$8,081

$976 ₡439.0K

-55.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.0K MX$261.2K

$17.1K ₡7.7M

-17.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.4 MX$1,272

$72.4 ₡32.5K

-5.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.8 MX$1,020

$56.6 ₡25.4K

-3.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 MX$2,063

$128 ₡57.7K

-13.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 MX$2,158

$132 ₡59.3K

-12.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,179 MX$21.9K

$818 ₡367.9K

44.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$771 MX$14.3K

$623 ₡280.1K

23.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,570 MX$47.8K

$1,869 ₡840.7K

37.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,420 MX$26.4K

$1,242 ₡558.3K

14.33%

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

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 Pedro: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$771 46.1%

San Pedro

$623 36.3% 19.2% $148

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$324 19.3%

San Pedro

$398 23.2% 23% $74

Eating Out

Mexico City

$201 12%

San Pedro

$230 13.4% 14.5% $29

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$158 9.4%

San Pedro

$175 10.2% 11.2% $18

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$125 7.4%

San Pedro

$189 11% 51.5% $64

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.3%

San Pedro

$84 4.9% 17.3% $12

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.5%

San Pedro

$16 * 0.9% 37.6% $9.4

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 $818 in San Pedro. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $52 in Mexico City vs $61 in San Pedro for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $324 vs $398 per month, with Mexico City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇨🇷 San Pedro

🕒 Local time

13:49 1:49 PM

Same time as Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

27,477

💱 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 Pedro 1,900 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
San Pedro

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 Pedro: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

You’d need roughly $2,510 in Mexico City and $2,571 in San Pedro to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,179 in Mexico City versus $818 in San Pedro. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $434 in Mexico City versus $976 in San Pedro. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 23% higher in San Pedro. 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.