Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico and Costa Rica

Name: Costa Rica
Address: CR

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico: $1,274 a month against $1,821 in Costa Rica, rent and utilities included – about $6,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

61

Cost of Living Index in Mexico
Learn more

Mexico Living Index
87

Cost of Living Index in Costa Rica
Learn more

Costa Rica Living Index

Jump to prices

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,274

/mo nomad

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,821

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mexico and in Costa Rica

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Mexico and in Costa Rica actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,274 per month in Mexico vs $1,821 in Costa Rica, rent included.

Mexico $1,274
Costa Rica $1,821

A couple spends around $2,010 per month in Mexico vs $2,773 in Costa Rica, rent included.

Mexico $2,010
Costa Rica $2,773

A family of three spends $2,746 per month in Mexico vs $3,725 in Costa Rica, rent included.

Mexico $2,746
Costa Rica $3,725

The regional cost range is wider in Mexico ($730–$2,625) than in Costa Rica ($1,004–$2,114), so city choice matters more there.

The cost of living in Mexico is roughly 30% lower than in Costa Rica on average.

Mexico sits 6% below the global median, while Costa Rica is 34% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.63 MX$200

$11.26 ₡5,085

-5.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.29 MX$813

$54.5 ₡24.6K

-20.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.94 MX$168

$11.02 ₡4,975

-18.87%

Cappuccino

$3.61 MX$67.7

$4.43 ₡1,999

-18.51%

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

$1.48 MX$27.70

$2.34 ₡1,055

-36.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.00 MX$18.77

$1.84 ₡829

-45.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.67 MX$50.0

$3.26 ₡1,473

-18.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.37 MX$82.0

$4.55 ₡2,054

-3.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.59 MX$29.76

$2.45 ₡1,105

-35.10%

White Bread (500g)

$2.67 MX$50.2

$3.56 ₡1,608

-25.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.68 MX$31.57

$2.76 ₡1,245

-39.13%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.38

$3.97 ₡1,794

-36.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.79 MX$165

$10.47 ₡4,728

-16.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.97 MX$150

$9.98 ₡4,507

-20.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.50 MX$216

$13.91 ₡6,278

-17.33%

Apples (1kg)

$2.76 MX$51.7

$5.06 ₡2,283

-45.45%

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 MX$28.61

$1.69 ₡764

-10.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.95 MX$36.70

$3.45 ₡1,558

-43.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.97 MX$36.93

$3.23 ₡1,460

-39.01%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 MX$36.84

$3.44 ₡1,555

-43.02%

Onion (1kg)

$2.03 MX$38.08

$3.25 ₡1,465

-37.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.43 MX$26.90

$1.09 ₡492

31.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 MX$21.39

$2.67 ₡1,204

-57.30%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.52 MX$84.9

$5.38 ₡2,427

-15.99%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.87 MX$204

$15.50 ₡6,996

-29.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 MX$33.14

$2.75 ₡1,241

-35.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.19 MX$59.9

$3.30 ₡1,489

-3.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.62 MX$11.64

$1.13 ₡509

-45.13%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.85 MX$560

$65.5 ₡29.6K

-54.45%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.66 MX$49.97

$2.17 ₡979

22.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.72 MX$51.0

$2.02 ₡913

34.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.63 MX$200

$8.94 ₡4,036

18.90%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.40 MX$26.24

$1.61 ₡726

-13.04%

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

$24.0K MX$450.0K

$34.5K ₡15.6M

-30.52%

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

$23.9K MX$449.0K

$37.4K ₡16.9M

-35.98%

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

$69.2 MX$1,299

$94.9 ₡42.9K

-27.13%

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

$23.51 MX$441

$31.42 ₡14.2K

-25.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.00 MX$544

$58.6 ₡26.4K

-50.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.74 MX$652

$65.7 ₡29.7K

-47.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.46 MX$328

$22.20 ₡10.0K

-21.35%

Cinema Ticket

$5.24 MX$98.5

$8.10 ₡3,656

-35.31%

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

$261 MX$4,892

$722 ₡325.9K

-63.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,999 MX$112.6K

$12.9K ₡5.8M

-53.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.8 MX$1,048

$75.5 ₡34.1K

-26.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.58 MX$781

$56.4 ₡25.5K

-26.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.3 MX$1,809

$128 ₡57.9K

-24.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.1 MX$1,691

$108 ₡48.8K

-16.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$713 MX$13.4K

$960 ₡433.4K

-25.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$477 MX$8,954

$708 ₡319.6K

-32.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,358 MX$25.5K

$1,749 ₡789.4K

-22.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$906 MX$17.0K

$1,215 ₡548.5K

-25.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,597 MX$48.7K

$2,656 ₡1.2M

-2.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,565 MX$29.4K

$1,839 ₡830.1K

-14.88%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$773 MX$14.5K

$1,058 ₡477.8K

-26.93%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.43

9.56

19.56%

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

Last update for Mexico: October 25, 2026

Last update for Costa Rica: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico

$477 37.4%

Costa Rica

$708 38.9% 48.5% $231

Groceries & Markets

Mexico

$267 21%

Costa Rica

$380 20.9% 42.3% $113

Eating Out

Mexico

$187 14.7%

Costa Rica

$218 12% 16.7% $31

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico

$128 10%

Costa Rica

$166 9.1% 29.7% $38

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico

$122 9.6%

Costa Rica

$185 10.2% 52% $63

Getting Around

Mexico

$49 3.8%

Costa Rica

$82 4.5% 69.5% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico

$45 3.6%

Costa Rica

$82 4.5% 81.1% $37

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $624 in Mexico vs $855 in Costa Rica. For reference, capital cities sit at $1,113 in Mexico City and $1,164 in San Jose.

Average salary: $722 in Mexico vs $1,087 in Costa Rica. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 37% higher in Costa Rica.

Dining out costs 26% more in Costa Rica.

Public transport is 116% more expensive in Costa Rica.

Salaries are 51% higher in Costa Rica.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

🕒 Local time

06:54 6:54 AM

Same time as Mexico

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

124,777,324

5,044,197

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 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 1, 2026: 1 USD = 18.77 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 20.96 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of November 1, 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 Costa Rica 1,930 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico
Costa Rica

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 vs Costa Rica: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mexico is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 30% lower on average.

Housing costs more in Costa Rica: a central one-bedroom averages $855 versus $624 in Mexico.

Groceries, public transport, and eating out all cost less in Mexico – part of why living there is about 30% cheaper overall.

Mexico is the budget-friendly choice for expats. But cost isn’t everything: visa policies, language, healthcare quality, and job markets all weigh in too.