Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Perez Zeledon and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Perez Zeledon: $1,317 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $3,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Mexico City outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

64

Cost of Living Index in Perez Zeledon
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Perez Zeledon Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Perez Zeledon

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,317

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Perez Zeledon and in Mexico City

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,317 in Perez Zeledon versus $1,608 in Mexico City.

Perez Zeledon $1,317
Mexico City $1,608

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,364 in Perez Zeledon versus $2,549 in Mexico City.

Perez Zeledon $2,364
Mexico City $2,549

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,410 in Perez Zeledon versus $3,490 in Mexico City.

Perez Zeledon $3,410
Mexico City $3,490

Living in Perez Zeledon costs roughly 18% less than in Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Perez Zeledon is 3% below, Mexico City is 18% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.09 ₡4,102

$10.62 MX$199

-14.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.24 ₡16.8K

$48.35 MX$908

-22.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.19 ₡3,699

$10.35 MX$194

-20.87%

Cappuccino

$2.70 ₡1,217

$3.69 MX$69.3

-26.83%

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

$1.97 ₡887

$1.67 MX$31.29

17.96%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 ₡805

$1.27 MX$23.76

40.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.73 ₡780

$3.19 MX$59.9

-45.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.21 ₡1,447

$5.31 MX$99.6

-39.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.60 ₡724

$1.72 MX$32.38

-6.98%

White Bread (500g)

$3.13 ₡1,413

$3.04 MX$57.1

2.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 ₡1,122

$1.94 MX$36.44

28.35%

Eggs

$2.49 ₡1,126

$2.89 MX$54.2

-13.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.73 ₡4,846

$10.97 MX$206

-2.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.28 ₡4,639

$9.25 MX$174

11.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.14 ₡6,384

$15.13 MX$284

-6.54%

Apples (1kg)

$5.24 ₡2,365

$3.05 MX$57.2

71.80%

Banana (1kg)

$1.08 ₡488

$1.94 MX$36.45

-44.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.89 ₡2,206

$2.03 MX$38.02

140.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.85 ₡1,737

$2.31 MX$43.46

66.67%

Potato (1kg)

$3.72 ₡1,680

$2.04 MX$38.21

82.35%

Onion (1kg)

$3.59 ₡1,622

$1.80 MX$33.79

99.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.45 ₡205

$1.48 MX$27.77

-69.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.09 ₡1,394

$1.27 MX$23.80

143.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.57 ₡2,516

$5.30 MX$99.6

5.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.80 ₡8,937

$16.10 MX$302

22.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.87 ₡1,297

$1.98 MX$37.23

44.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,638

$4.25 MX$79.8

-14.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.81 ₡364

$0.31 MX$5.73

161.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$371

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.49 ₡1,126

$1.84 MX$34.50

35.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 ₡737

$0.53 MX$10.02

207.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.76 ₡3,955

$5.30 MX$99.4

65.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡688

$1.51 MX$28.36

0.66%

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

$33.8K ₡15.2M

$21.8K MX$408.4K

55.16%

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

$42.1K ₡19.0M

$24.0K MX$450.3K

75.56%

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

$93.6 ₡42.2K

$63.0 MX$1,182

48.57%

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

$23.99 ₡10.8K

$27.39 MX$514

-12.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$59.2 ₡26.7K

$35.67 MX$670

65.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.9 ₡30.7K

$58.9 MX$1,107

15.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$444

Cinema Ticket

$7.67 ₡3,464

$6.40 MX$120

19.84%

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

$498 ₡224.8K

$432 MX$8,103

15.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.3K ₡7.8M

$11.4K MX$214.5K

51.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.8 ₡32.4K

$68.2 MX$1,281

5.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.0 ₡24.8K

$53.1 MX$997

3.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$128 ₡57.7K

$108 MX$2,023

18.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 ₡60.0K

$117 MX$2,202

13.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$402 ₡181.3K

$1,113 MX$20.9K

-63.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$326 ₡147.1K

$710 MX$13.3K

-54.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,133 ₡963.0K

$2,588 MX$48.6K

-17.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,260 ₡568.7K

$1,406 MX$26.4K

-10.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$68.2K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$40.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

11.35

-24.05%

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

Last update for Perez Zeledon: October 26, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Perez Zeledon

$383 29.1%

Mexico City

$320 19.9% 16.6% $64

Accommodation & Living

Perez Zeledon

$326 24.8%

Mexico City

$710 44.2% 118% $385

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Perez Zeledon

$177 13.4%

Mexico City

$126 7.8% 28.7% $51

Clothing & Footwear

Perez Zeledon

$174 13.2%

Mexico City

$156 9.7% 10.6% $19

Eating Out

Perez Zeledon

$160 12.1%

Mexico City

$199 12.4% 24.4% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Perez Zeledon

$83 6.3%

Mexico City

$72 4.5% 13.9% $12

Getting Around

Perez Zeledon

$14 * 1.1%

Mexico City

$25 1.6% 83.3% $12

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 $402 in Perez Zeledon and $1,113 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $37 in Perez Zeledon vs $48 in Mexico City. Groceries flip the comparison at $383 vs $320, with Mexico City cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Perez Zeledon

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

19:07 7:07 PM

Same time as Perez Zeledon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

135,000

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to CRC – Costa Rican Colón Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18.77 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 20.96 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

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Between locations

Perez Zeledon Mexico City 2,020 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Perez Zeledon
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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

Perez Zeledon vs Mexico City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,317 in Perez Zeledon and $1,608 in Mexico City, so Perez Zeledon is about 18% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $1,975 in Perez Zeledon and $2,412 in Mexico City 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: $402 in Perez Zeledon versus $1,113 in Mexico City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $498 in Perez Zeledon versus $432 in Mexico City. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Perez Zeledon – a meal for two runs $37 versus $48 in Mexico City. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,317 in Perez Zeledon versus $1,608 in Mexico City, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Perez Zeledon but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Perez Zeledon the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.