Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living costs are similar in San Pedro and in Mexico City: $1,714 and $1,674 a month, rent and utilities included.

83

Cost of Living Index in San Pedro
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San Pedro Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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San Pedro

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,714

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,674

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,714 in San Pedro versus $1,674 in Mexico City.

San Pedro $1,714
Mexico City $1,674

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,716 in San Pedro versus $2,606 in Mexico City.

San Pedro $2,716
Mexico City $2,606

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,718 in San Pedro versus $3,537 in Mexico City.

San Pedro $3,718
Mexico City $3,537

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

Both cities are pricier than the global median: San Pedro 27% above, Mexico City 24% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.28 ₡5,522

$10.59 MX$197

15.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.9 ₡27.4K

$52.0 MX$967

17.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.62 ₡5,225

$10.73 MX$200

8.29%

Cappuccino

$4.47 ₡2,008

$3.80 MX$70.6

17.63%

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

$2.71 ₡1,219

$1.61 MX$30.01

68.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 ₡839

$1.21 MX$22.55

54.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.22 ₡1,447

$3.18 MX$59.1

1.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.32 ₡1,941

$5.44 MX$101

-20.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.31 ₡1,040

$1.72 MX$31.96

34.30%

White Bread (500g)

$3.08 ₡1,384

$2.97 MX$55.2

3.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.40 ₡1,080

$1.93 MX$35.84

24.35%

Eggs

$3.46 ₡1,556

$2.77 MX$51.6

24.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.56 ₡4,750

$11.67 MX$217

-9.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.28 ₡4,624

$9.48 MX$176

8.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.01 ₡6,300

$15.37 MX$286

-8.85%

Apples (1kg)

$5.08 ₡2,286

$3.10 MX$57.8

63.87%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 ₡738

$1.96 MX$36.49

-16.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.73 ₡2,127

$1.98 MX$36.88

138.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.94 ₡1,771

$2.34 MX$43.46

68.38%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,707

$2.02 MX$37.66

88.12%

Onion (1kg)

$3.76 ₡1,690

$1.82 MX$33.95

106.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ₡483

$1.54 MX$28.74

-30.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.12 ₡1,402

$1.31 MX$24.42

138.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.76 ₡2,590

$5.35 MX$99.6

7.66%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.79 ₡8,902

$16.19 MX$301

22.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.81 ₡1,264

$1.96 MX$36.46

43.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ₡1,654

$4.35 MX$81.0

-15.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.33 ₡598

$0.30 MX$5.67

343.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.49 MX$363

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.40 ₡1,081

$1.92 MX$35.68

25.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡708

$0.47 MX$8.80

234.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.58 ₡3,856

$5.41 MX$101

58.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 ₡686

$1.48 MX$27.61

3.38%

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

$34.1K ₡15.3M

$21.4K MX$397.7K

59.38%

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

$41.2K ₡18.5M

$23.8K MX$442.1K

73.63%

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

$93.6 ₡42.1K

$62.0 MX$1,154

50.93%

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

$35.72 ₡16.1K

$28.47 MX$530

25.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$59.5 ₡26.7K

$34.11 MX$635

74.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.5 ₡30.8K

$58.4 MX$1,087

17.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.50 MX$456

Cinema Ticket

$7.72 ₡3,472

$6.59 MX$123

17.15%

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

$976 ₡439.0K

$434 MX$8,081

124.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.1K ₡7.7M

$14.0K MX$261.2K

21.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.4 ₡32.5K

$68.4 MX$1,272

5.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.6 ₡25.4K

$54.8 MX$1,020

3.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$128 ₡57.7K

$111 MX$2,063

15.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 ₡59.3K

$116 MX$2,158

13.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$818 ₡367.9K

$1,179 MX$21.9K

-30.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$623 ₡280.1K

$771 MX$14.3K

-19.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,869 ₡840.7K

$2,570 MX$47.8K

-27.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,242 ₡558.3K

$1,420 MX$26.4K

-12.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,586 MX$66.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,064 MX$38.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,003 MX$18.7K

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 Pedro: 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 Pedro

$623 36.3%

Mexico City

$771 46.1% 23.8% $148

Groceries & Markets

San Pedro

$398 23.2%

Mexico City

$324 19.3% 18.7% $74

Eating Out

San Pedro

$230 13.4%

Mexico City

$201 12% 12.7% $29

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Pedro

$189 11%

Mexico City

$125 7.4% 34% $64

Clothing & Footwear

San Pedro

$175 10.2%

Mexico City

$158 9.4% 10.1% $18

Sport & Entertainment

San Pedro

$84 4.9%

Mexico City

$72 4.3% 14.7% $12

Getting Around

San Pedro

$16 * 0.9%

Mexico City

$25 1.5% 60.2% $9.4

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 $818 in San Pedro and $1,179 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $61 in San Pedro vs $52 in Mexico City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $398 vs $324 per month, with Mexico City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 San Pedro

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

13:49 1:49 PM

Same time as San Pedro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

27,477

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 = 5.37 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 = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.81 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

San Pedro Mexico City 1,900 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

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

You’d need roughly $2,571 in San Pedro and $2,510 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: $818 in San Pedro versus $1,179 in Mexico City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $976 in San Pedro versus $434 in Mexico City. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 23% higher in San Pedro. 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.