Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santa Teresa and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Santa Teresa: $1,530 a month against $1,674 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $1,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Mexico City outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

73

Cost of Living Index in Santa Teresa
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Santa Teresa Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Santa Teresa

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,530

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,674

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,530 in Santa Teresa versus $1,674 in Mexico City.

Santa Teresa $1,530
Mexico City $1,674

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,295 in Santa Teresa versus $2,606 in Mexico City.

Santa Teresa $2,295
Mexico City $2,606

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,061 in Santa Teresa versus $3,537 in Mexico City.

Santa Teresa $3,061
Mexico City $3,537

Living in Santa Teresa costs roughly 9% less than in Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Santa Teresa 13% above, Mexico City 24% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.90 ₡4,450

$10.59 MX$197

-6.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.31 ₡19.0K

$52.0 MX$967

-18.57%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.71 ₡4,365

$10.73 MX$200

-9.51%

Cappuccino

$3.70 ₡1,664

$3.80 MX$70.7

-2.63%

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

$2.04 ₡915

$1.61 MX$30.01

26.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.63 ₡733

$1.21 MX$22.55

34.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.03 ₡1,363

$3.18 MX$59.1

-4.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.55 ₡2,044

$5.44 MX$101

-16.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.05 ₡923

$1.72 MX$31.96

19.19%

White Bread (500g)

$2.82 ₡1,267

$2.97 MX$55.2

-5.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.16 ₡970

$1.93 MX$35.84

11.92%

Eggs

$2.98 ₡1,341

$2.77 MX$51.6

7.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.01 ₡4,500

$11.67 MX$217

-14.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.97 ₡4,034

$9.48 MX$176

-5.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.60 ₡6,114

$15.37 MX$286

-11.52%

Apples (1kg)

$4.56 ₡2,048

$3.10 MX$57.8

47.10%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 ₡649

$1.96 MX$36.49

-26.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.12 ₡1,852

$1.98 MX$36.88

108.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.07 ₡1,382

$2.34 MX$43.46

31.20%

Potato (1kg)

$3.39 ₡1,522

$2.02 MX$37.66

67.82%

Onion (1kg)

$2.58 ₡1,159

$1.82 MX$33.95

41.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.01 ₡454

$1.54 MX$28.74

-34.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.85 ₡1,279

$1.31 MX$24.42

117.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.09 ₡2,287

$5.35 MX$99.6

-4.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.79 ₡6,198

$16.19 MX$301

-14.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.36 ₡1,060

$1.96 MX$36.46

20.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.62 ₡1,177

$4.35 MX$81.0

-39.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.96 ₡432

$0.30 MX$5.67

220.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.49 MX$363

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 ₡828

$1.92 MX$35.68

-4.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.83 ₡824

$0.47 MX$8.80

289.36%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.95 ₡3,573

$5.41 MX$101

46.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 ₡658

$1.48 MX$27.61

-1.35%

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

$38.4K ₡17.3M

$21.4K MX$397.7K

79.61%

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

$32.7K ₡14.7M

$23.8K MX$442.1K

37.78%

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

$84.9 ₡38.2K

$62.0 MX$1,154

36.96%

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

$26.16 ₡11.8K

$28.47 MX$530

-8.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.4 ₡22.7K

$34.11 MX$635

47.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.1 ₡22.5K

$58.4 MX$1,087

-14.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.66 ₡10.6K

$24.50 MX$456

-3.43%

Cinema Ticket

$8.89 ₡3,995

$6.59 MX$123

34.90%

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

$573 ₡257.3K

$434 MX$8,081

31.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.4K ₡5.6M

$14.0K MX$261.2K

-11.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.8 ₡27.8K

$68.4 MX$1,272

-9.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.2 ₡23.0K

$54.8 MX$1,020

-6.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$127 ₡57.3K

$111 MX$2,063

15.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 ₡47.9K

$116 MX$2,159

-8.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$706 ₡317.6K

$1,179 MX$21.9K

-40.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$592 ₡266.0K

$771 MX$14.3K

-23.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,461 ₡656.5K

$2,570 MX$47.8K

-43.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$955 ₡429.1K

$1,420 MX$26.4K

-32.75%

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 %)

10.17

11.35

-10.40%

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

Last update for Santa Teresa: November 1, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Santa Teresa

$592 38.7%

Mexico City

$771 46.1% 30.3% $179

Groceries & Markets

Santa Teresa

$346 22.6%

Mexico City

$324 19.3% 6.6% $23

Eating Out

Santa Teresa

$192 12.5%

Mexico City

$201 12% 4.6% $8.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santa Teresa

$161 10.6%

Mexico City

$125 7.4% 22.8% $37

Clothing & Footwear

Santa Teresa

$156 10.2%

Mexico City

$158 9.4% 0.8% $1.3

Sport & Entertainment

Santa Teresa

$68 4.4%

Mexico City

$72 4.3% 5.5% $3.7

Getting Around

Santa Teresa

$15 * 1%

Mexico City

$25 1.5% 68.2% $10

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 $706 in Santa Teresa and $1,179 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $42 in Santa Teresa vs $52 in Mexico City. Groceries flip the comparison at $346 vs $324, with Mexico City cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Santa Teresa

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

06:16 6:16 AM

Same time as Santa Teresa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,099

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 = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.79 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 4, 2026: 1 USD = 450 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.86 MXN (100 MXN = 4.79 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Santa Teresa Mexico City 1,850 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Santa Teresa
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

Santa Teresa vs Mexico City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,530 in Santa Teresa and $1,674 in Mexico City, so Santa Teresa is about 9% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $2,295 in Santa Teresa 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: $706 in Santa Teresa versus $1,179 in Mexico City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $573 in Santa Teresa versus $434 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 Santa Teresa – a meal for two runs $42 versus $52 in Mexico City. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,500. Santa Teresa is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both work as nomad bases, but Santa Teresa delivers better value at $1,530 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Santa Teresa hard to pass up.