Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Jose and Mexicali

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexicali: $949 a month against $1,949 in San Jose, rent and utilities included – about $12,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

93

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
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San Jose Living Index
46

Cost of Living Index in Mexicali
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Mexicali Living Index

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San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,949

/mo nomad

Mexicali

🇲🇽 Mexico

$949

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in San Jose and in Mexicali

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

A single person spends $1,949 per month in San Jose vs $949 in Mexicali, rent included.

San Jose $1,949
Mexicali $949

A couple spends around $2,903 per month in San Jose vs $1,525 in Mexicali, rent included.

San Jose $2,903
Mexicali $1,525

A family of three spends $3,857 per month in San Jose vs $2,101 in Mexicali, rent included.

San Jose $3,857
Mexicali $2,101

San Jose costs about 105% more than Mexicali, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

San Jose sits 45% above the global median, while Mexicali is 29% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.22 ₡5,510

$12.10 MX$222

0.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.1 ₡27.1K

$34.24 MX$629

75.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.77 ₡5,305

$6.69 MX$123

75.93%

Cappuccino

$4.30 ₡1,939

$3.43 MX$62.9

25.36%

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

$2.72 ₡1,226

$1.34 MX$24.60

102.99%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.84 ₡830

$1.12 MX$20.65

64.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,480

$3.23 MX$59.2

1.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.36 ₡1,966

$4.26 MX$78.2

2.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.38 ₡1,074

$1.20 MX$22.10

98.33%

White Bread (500g)

$3.12 ₡1,408

$2.39 MX$43.96

30.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.41 ₡1,086

$1.54 MX$28.33

56.49%

Eggs

$3.47 ₡1,564

$2.76 MX$50.7

25.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.57 ₡4,767

$2.42 MX$44.48

336.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.56 ₡4,758

$6.00 MX$110

76.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.75 ₡6,196

$6.66 MX$122

106.46%

Apples (1kg)

$5.04 ₡2,274

$1.63 MX$29.85

209.20%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡727

$1.40 MX$25.74

15.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.59 ₡2,069

$1.40 MX$25.78

227.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.84 ₡1,731

$1.63 MX$29.98

135.58%

Potato (1kg)

$3.77 ₡1,700

$1.41 MX$25.91

167.38%

Onion (1kg)

$3.76 ₡1,693

$1.42 MX$26.03

164.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ₡506

$1.35 MX$24.70

-17.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.20 ₡1,441

$0.85 MX$15.66

276.47%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.84 ₡2,632

$4.01 MX$73.7

45.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.73 ₡8,897

$8.06 MX$148

144.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.75 ₡1,240

$1.94 MX$35.61

41.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ₡1,650

$3.90 MX$71.6

-6.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡503

$1.05 MX$19.20

6.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.1 ₡29.4K

$35.15 MX$645

85.23%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.46 ₡1,110

$2.84 MX$52.1

-13.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.54 ₡692

$2.26 MX$41.57

-31.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.46 ₡3,815

$19.06 MX$350

-55.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡699

$1.34 MX$24.60

15.67%

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

$21.7K ₡9.8M

$21.7K MX$399.3K

-0.22%

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

$34.9K ₡15.7M

$24.4K MX$447.3K

43.16%

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

$94.7 ₡42.7K

$47.14 MX$866

100.85%

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

$35.11 ₡15.8K

$22.65 MX$416

55.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.6 ₡26.4K

$30.19 MX$554

93.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$72.2 ₡32.5K

$39.21 MX$720

84.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.19 ₡11.4K

$16.63 MX$305

51.47%

Cinema Ticket

$7.83 ₡3,532

$4.08 MX$75.0

91.91%

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

$971 ₡437.9K

$210 MX$3,860

361.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.0K ₡7.7M

$4,724 MX$86.7K

259.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.6 ₡32.3K

$34.95 MX$642

104.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.9 ₡24.7K

$32.98 MX$605

66.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$129 ₡58.2K

$77.4 MX$1,420

66.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 ₡60.0K

$38.03 MX$698

250.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$934 ₡420.9K

$998 MX$18.3K

-6.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$770 ₡347.2K

$276 MX$5,059

179.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,945 ₡876.7K

$1,357 MX$24.9K

43.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,316 ₡593.5K

$556 MX$10.2K

136.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,277 ₡1.0M

$2,638 MX$48.4K

-13.68%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,795 ₡809.1K

$1,474 MX$27.1K

21.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,006 ₡453.5K

$860 MX$15.8K

16.91%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

12.07

-28.58%

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

Last update for San Jose: October 3, 2026

Last update for Mexicali: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Jose

$770 39.9%

Mexicali

$276 29.1% 64.2% $495

Groceries & Markets

San Jose

$399 20.7%

Mexicali

$197 20.8% 50.6% $202

Eating Out

San Jose

$228 11.8%

Mexicali

$192 20.3% 15.6% $36

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Jose

$188 9.8%

Mexicali

$100 10.5% 46.9% $88

Clothing & Footwear

San Jose

$175 9.1%

Mexicali

$83 8.7% 52.8% $92

Sport & Entertainment

San Jose

$88 4.6%

Mexicali

$47 5% 46.1% $40

Getting Around

San Jose

$80 4.1%

Mexicali

$53 5.6% 32.9% $26

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $934 in San Jose versus $998 in Mexicali. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 17% higher in San Jose, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $60.0 in San Jose versus $34.00 in Mexicali. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $399 vs $197 – making Mexicali the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 San Jose

🇲🇽 Mexicali

🕒 Local time

04:27 4:27 AM

03:27 3:27 AM

1 h behind San Jose

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

342,188 Capital

854,186

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

100 MXN = 5.45 USD

100 MXN = 4.86 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 505 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 18.36 MXN (100 MXN = 5.45 USD). 1 EUR = 20.57 MXN (100 MXN = 4.86 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

San Jose Mexicali 4,090 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

San Jose
Mexicali

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 Jose vs Mexicali: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,949 in San Jose, $949 in Mexicali – roughly 105% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,924 per month in San Jose and $1,423 in Mexicali. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Mexicali, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 102% more in San Jose, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $60.0 in San Jose and $34.00 in Mexicali. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Mexicali, where all-in costs run around $949, than in San Jose at $1,949. In Mexicali it covers expenses comfortably, while in San Jose it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. San Jose has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $949 in Mexicali to $1,949 in San Jose. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Mexicali. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, San Jose makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.