Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living costs are similar in San Isidro and in Mexico City: $1,676 and $1,674 a month, rent and utilities included.

81

Cost of Living Index in San Isidro
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San Isidro Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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San Isidro

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,676

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,674

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in San Isidro 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 San Isidro and in Mexico City actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,676 in San Isidro versus $1,674 in Mexico City.

San Isidro $1,676
Mexico City $1,674

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,650 in San Isidro versus $2,582 in Mexico City.

San Isidro $2,650
Mexico City $2,582

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,625 in San Isidro versus $3,490 in Mexico City.

San Isidro $3,625
Mexico City $3,490

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

Both cities are pricier than the global median: San Isidro 23% above, Mexico City 23% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.90 ₡5,353

$10.59 MX$197

12.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.6 ₡25.9K

$52.0 MX$965

10.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.51 ₡5,177

$10.73 MX$199

7.27%

Cappuccino

$4.22 ₡1,897

$3.80 MX$70.5

11.05%

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

$2.50 ₡1,123

$1.61 MX$29.95

55.28%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 ₡837

$1.21 MX$22.51

53.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.34 ₡1,504

$3.18 MX$59.0

5.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.38 ₡1,972

$5.44 MX$101

-19.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.34 ₡1,050

$1.72 MX$31.90

36.05%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,356

$2.97 MX$55.1

1.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.50 ₡1,122

$1.93 MX$35.77

29.53%

Eggs

$3.43 ₡1,543

$2.77 MX$51.5

23.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.72 ₡4,822

$11.67 MX$217

-8.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.66 ₡4,795

$9.48 MX$176

12.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.17 ₡6,374

$15.37 MX$286

-7.81%

Apples (1kg)

$4.96 ₡2,229

$3.10 MX$57.7

60.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.67 ₡750

$1.96 MX$36.41

-14.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.28 ₡1,474

$1.98 MX$36.81

65.66%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.52 ₡1,584

$2.34 MX$43.37

50.43%

Potato (1kg)

$2.86 ₡1,284

$2.02 MX$37.58

41.58%

Onion (1kg)

$3.16 ₡1,419

$1.82 MX$33.88

73.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.03 ₡463

$1.54 MX$28.68

-33.12%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.65 ₡1,192

$1.31 MX$24.37

102.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.63 ₡2,531

$5.35 MX$99.4

5.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.48 ₡7,412

$16.19 MX$301

1.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.64 ₡1,185

$1.96 MX$36.38

34.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 ₡1,220

$4.35 MX$80.8

-37.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.30 ₡583

$0.30 MX$5.66

333.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.49 MX$362

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.22 ₡997

$1.92 MX$35.61

15.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.83 ₡822

$0.47 MX$8.78

289.36%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.65 ₡3,891

$5.41 MX$100

59.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$1.48 MX$27.55

2.70%

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

$34.6K ₡15.6M

$21.4K MX$396.9K

62.05%

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

$40.6K ₡18.3M

$23.8K MX$441.2K

71.09%

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

$93.6 ₡42.1K

$62.0 MX$1,151

51.01%

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

$30.02 ₡13.5K

$28.47 MX$529

5.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$59.9 ₡26.9K

$34.11 MX$634

75.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$66.6 ₡30.0K

$58.4 MX$1,084

14.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.50 MX$455

Cinema Ticket

$7.97 ₡3,584

$6.59 MX$122

20.94%

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

$857 ₡385.5K

$434 MX$8,064

97.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.9K ₡7.2M

$14.0K MX$260.7K

13.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$69.2 ₡31.1K

$68.4 MX$1,269

1.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.22 ₡21.7K

$54.8 MX$1,018

-12.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$127 ₡57.2K

$111 MX$2,059

14.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$138 ₡62.2K

$116 MX$2,154

19.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$809 ₡364.0K

$1,179 MX$21.9K

-31.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$624 ₡280.7K

$771 MX$14.3K

-19.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,908 ₡858.1K

$2,570 MX$47.7K

-25.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,245 ₡559.9K

$1,420 MX$26.4K

-12.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,586 MX$66.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,064 MX$38.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,101 ₡495.2K

$1,003 MX$18.6K

9.82%

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 San Isidro: October 31, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Isidro

$624 37.3%

Mexico City

$771 46.1% 23.5% $147

Groceries & Markets

San Isidro

$373 22.3%

Mexico City

$324 19.3% 13.3% $50

Eating Out

San Isidro

$223 13.3%

Mexico City

$201 12% 10.2% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Isidro

$184 11%

Mexico City

$125 7.4% 32.1% $59

Clothing & Footwear

San Isidro

$172 10.3%

Mexico City

$158 9.4% 8.6% $15

Sport & Entertainment

San Isidro

$83 4.9%

Mexico City

$72 4.3% 13.3% $11

Getting Around

San Isidro

$17 * 1%

Mexico City

$25 1.5% 51.1% $8.5

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 $810 in San Isidro and $1,113 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

San Isidro pays 15% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $58 in San Isidro vs $48 in Mexico City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $369 vs $320 per month, with Mexico City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 San Isidro

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

05:00 5:00 AM

Same time as San Isidro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

17,000

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR

100 MXN = 5.38 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 November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 450 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 503 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 18.57 MXN (100 MXN = 5.38 USD). 1 EUR = 20.79 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

San Isidro Mexico City 1,930 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

San Isidro
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

San Isidro vs Mexico City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Average pay runs 15% higher in San Isidro, 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: $810 in San Isidro versus $1,113 in Mexico City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $835 in San Isidro versus $432 in Mexico City. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 16% higher in San Isidro. 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.

It comes down to priorities – Mexico City wins on affordability, San Isidro on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.