Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon and Mexico City

For one person, living costs are similar in Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon and in Mexico City: $1,596 and $1,567 a month, rent and utilities included.

76

Cost of Living Index in Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon
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Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon Living Index
76

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,596

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,567

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon 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 Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon and in Mexico City actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,596 in Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon versus $1,567 in Mexico City.

Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon $1,596
Mexico City $1,567

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,398 in Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon versus $2,450 in Mexico City.

Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon $2,398
Mexico City $2,450

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,200 in Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon versus $3,333 in Mexico City.

Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon $3,200
Mexico City $3,333

Living in Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon is roughly 2% more expensive than in Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon 18% above, Mexico City 16% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.94 ₡5,353

$10.75 MX$199

11.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.58 ₡20.0K

$50.3 MX$929

-11.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.82 ₡4,855

$11.10 MX$205

-2.52%

Cappuccino

$4.03 ₡1,808

$3.68 MX$68.1

9.51%

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

$2.38 ₡1,067

$1.65 MX$30.42

44.24%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 ₡819

$1.30 MX$24.08

40.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.37 ₡1,510

$3.32 MX$61.3

1.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.01 ₡1,800

$5.54 MX$102

-27.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.08 ₡931

$1.77 MX$32.68

17.51%

White Bread (500g)

$3.16 ₡1,418

$3.05 MX$56.4

3.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.43 ₡1,089

$2.01 MX$37.20

20.90%

Eggs

$3.07 ₡1,378

$2.77 MX$51.1

10.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.56 ₡2,942

$11.91 MX$220

-44.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.76 ₡3,479

$9.33 MX$172

-16.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.16 ₡6,350

$15.02 MX$278

-5.73%

Apples (1kg)

$2.59 ₡1,161

$3.08 MX$56.8

-15.91%

Banana (1kg)

$1.12 ₡504

$1.95 MX$35.97

-42.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.29 ₡576

$2.03 MX$37.54

-36.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.74 ₡781

$2.21 MX$40.92

-21.27%

Potato (1kg)

$2.60 ₡1,165

$2.02 MX$37.41

28.71%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 ₡881

$1.82 MX$33.67

8.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.69 ₡311

$1.52 MX$28.07

-54.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.00 ₡898

$1.28 MX$23.65

56.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.12 ₡1,398

$5.27 MX$97.4

-40.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.10 ₡6,773

$16.12 MX$298

-6.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.86 ₡1,284

$1.95 MX$36.05

46.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.71 ₡1,663

$4.25 MX$78.6

-12.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.30 ₡582

$0.31 MX$5.82

319.35%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$43.11 ₡19.3K

$19.85 MX$367

117.18%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 ₡825

$2.00 MX$36.93

-8.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.54 ₡693

$0.53 MX$9.86

190.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.50 ₡3,814

$5.62 MX$104

51.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 ₡674

$1.52 MX$28.07

-1.32%

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

$22.3K ₡10.0M

$21.0K MX$388.7K

5.87%

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

$35.0K ₡15.7M

$25.2K MX$465.3K

39.20%

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

$95.5 ₡42.8K

$62.5 MX$1,155

52.89%

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

$35.40 ₡15.9K

$28.77 MX$532

23.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.86 ₡14.7K

$34.45 MX$637

-4.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$73.5 ₡33.0K

$57.1 MX$1,055

28.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.81 MX$458

Cinema Ticket

$7.71 ₡3,458

$6.67 MX$123

15.59%

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

$972 ₡435.8K

$431 MX$7,964

125.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.1K ₡7.7M

$11.7K MX$216.9K

45.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.6 ₡29.0K

$70.8 MX$1,308

-8.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.92 ₡11.6K

$51.8 MX$958

-49.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$97.0 ₡43.5K

$109 MX$2,011

-10.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$54.5 ₡24.4K

$112 MX$2,076

-51.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$690 ₡309.3K

$1,051 MX$19.4K

-34.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ₡295.6K

$665 MX$12.3K

-0.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,981 ₡888.2K

$2,346 MX$43.3K

-15.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,135 ₡508.8K

$1,227 MX$22.7K

-7.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,554 MX$65.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,977 MX$36.5K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$976 ₡437.6K

$975 MX$18.0K

0.11%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

11.3

-23.72%

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

Last update for Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon: October 13, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon

$659 41.3%

Mexico City

$665 42.4% 0.9% $5.8

Groceries & Markets

Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon

$299 18.8%

Mexico City

$323 20.6% 7.8% $23

Eating Out

Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon

$218 13.7%

Mexico City

$203 13% 6.9% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon

$164 10.3%

Mexico City

$126 8% 23.3% $38

Clothing & Footwear

Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon

$109 6.8%

Mexico City

$155 9.9% 42% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon

$89 5.6%

Mexico City

$70 4.5% 20.8% $18

Getting Around

Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon

$58 3.6%

Mexico City

$26 1.6% 55.5% $32

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $690 in Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon and $1,051 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon pays 0% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $45.00 in Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon vs $50.0 in Mexico City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $299 vs $323 per month, with Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

04:41 4:41 AM

Same time as Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 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 October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon Mexico City 1,750 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon
Mexico City

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

Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon vs Mexico City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon and Mexico City differ by about 2% in total monthly costs ($1,596 vs $1,567 including rent). Mexico City is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 0% higher in Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $690 in Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon versus $1,051 in Mexico City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Mexico City runs roughly 117% less than in Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $972 in Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon versus $431 in Mexico City. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,567 in Mexico City versus $1,596 in Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Mexico City but tight or insufficient in Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon. The gap between the two cities makes Mexico City 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.

Expats usually find Mexico City gentler on the wallet – expenses run 2% less than in Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.