Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tibas and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,608 a month against $1,724 in Tibas, rent and utilities included – about $1,400 less a year. The total is higher in Tibas despite lower rent and utilities.

82

Cost of Living Index in Tibas
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Tibas Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Tibas

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,724

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,724 in Tibas versus $1,608 in Mexico City.

Tibas $1,724
Mexico City $1,608

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,646 in Tibas versus $2,549 in Mexico City.

Tibas $2,646
Mexico City $2,549

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,567 in Tibas versus $3,490 in Mexico City.

Tibas $3,567
Mexico City $3,490

Living in Tibas is roughly 7% more expensive than in Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Tibas 27% above, Mexico City 18% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.21 ₡5,510

$10.62 MX$198

14.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.56 ₡15.6K

$48.35 MX$901

-28.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.92 ₡4,930

$10.35 MX$193

5.51%

Cappuccino

$3.90 ₡1,760

$3.69 MX$68.7

5.69%

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

$2.37 ₡1,071

$1.67 MX$31.05

41.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 ₡859

$1.27 MX$23.58

49.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.80 ₡1,263

$3.19 MX$59.5

-12.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,020

$5.31 MX$98.9

-15.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.39 ₡1,078

$1.72 MX$32.13

38.95%

White Bread (500g)

$3.08 ₡1,391

$3.04 MX$56.6

1.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.52 ₡1,139

$1.94 MX$36.17

29.90%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,614

$2.89 MX$53.8

23.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.67 ₡4,819

$10.97 MX$204

-2.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.60 ₡4,785

$9.25 MX$172

14.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.08 ₡6,357

$15.13 MX$282

-6.94%

Apples (1kg)

$4.98 ₡2,247

$3.05 MX$56.8

63.28%

Banana (1kg)

$1.57 ₡709

$1.94 MX$36.17

-19.07%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.69 ₡2,117

$2.03 MX$37.73

131.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.85 ₡1,740

$2.31 MX$43.12

66.67%

Potato (1kg)

$3.74 ₡1,689

$2.04 MX$37.91

83.33%

Onion (1kg)

$3.62 ₡1,633

$1.80 MX$33.53

101.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ₡486

$1.48 MX$27.56

-27.03%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.20 ₡1,444

$1.27 MX$23.62

151.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.07 ₡2,739

$5.30 MX$98.8

14.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.22 ₡9,127

$16.10 MX$300

25.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.89 ₡1,303

$1.98 MX$36.95

45.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.72 ₡1,678

$4.25 MX$79.2

-12.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.30 ₡586

$0.31 MX$5.68

319.35%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$368

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.39 ₡1,078

$1.84 MX$34.23

29.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.61 ₡725

$0.53 MX$9.94

203.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.63 ₡3,898

$5.30 MX$98.7

62.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡710

$1.51 MX$28.14

3.97%

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

$34.6K ₡15.6M

$21.8K MX$405.3K

59.03%

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

$41.5K ₡18.7M

$24.0K MX$446.9K

72.96%

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

$95.9 ₡43.3K

$63.0 MX$1,173

52.27%

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

$35.33 ₡15.9K

$27.39 MX$510

28.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$59.0 ₡26.6K

$35.67 MX$664

65.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.6 ₡31.0K

$58.9 MX$1,098

16.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$441

Cinema Ticket

$7.88 ₡3,556

$6.40 MX$119

23.12%

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

$972 ₡438.8K

$432 MX$8,041

125.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.4K ₡7.9M

$11.4K MX$212.8K

52.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.8 ₡31.9K

$68.2 MX$1,271

3.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.3 ₡25.4K

$53.1 MX$990

5.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$127 ₡57.2K

$108 MX$2,008

17.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 ₡59.3K

$117 MX$2,185

12.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$814 ₡367.6K

$1,113 MX$20.7K

-26.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$641 ₡289.5K

$710 MX$13.2K

-9.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,886 ₡851.5K

$2,588 MX$48.2K

-27.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,240 ₡559.6K

$1,406 MX$26.2K

-11.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$67.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$39.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$983 ₡443.8K

$946 MX$17.6K

3.89%

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 Tibas: October 24, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tibas

$641 37.2%

Mexico City

$710 44.2% 10.8% $69

Groceries & Markets

Tibas

$402 23.3%

Mexico City

$320 19.9% 20.5% $83

Eating Out

Tibas

$217 12.6%

Mexico City

$199 12.4% 8.6% $19

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tibas

$190 11%

Mexico City

$126 7.8% 33.7% $64

Clothing & Footwear

Tibas

$173 10.1%

Mexico City

$156 9.7% 10.1% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Tibas

$84 4.9%

Mexico City

$72 4.5% 15% $13

Getting Around

Tibas

$16 * 0.9%

Mexico City

$25 1.6% 63.1% $9.9

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 $814 in Tibas and $1,113 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Tibas pays 4% 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: $35 in Tibas vs $48 in Mexico City. Groceries flip the comparison at $402 vs $320, with Mexico City cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Tibas

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

04:22 4:22 AM

Same time as Tibas

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

64,842

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 = 4.81 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 29, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 18.63 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 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

Tibas Mexico City 1,920 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Tibas
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

Tibas vs Mexico City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,724 in Tibas and $1,608 in Mexico City, so Mexico City is about 7% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 4% higher in Tibas, 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: $814 in Tibas versus $1,113 in Mexico City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $972 in Tibas versus $432 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 Tibas – a meal for two runs $35 versus $48 in Mexico City. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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, Tibas on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.