Cost of living comparison
Mexico is 31.8% cheaper than Costa Rica.
If you lived in Mexico instead of Costa Rica, you would:
pay 31.0% less for restaurants
Costa Rica
|
Mexico
|
||
---|---|---|---|
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$9.42
₡4,774
|
$8.03
MX$133.58
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$8.16
₡4,138
|
$6.54
MX$108.81
|
|
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$1.73
₡876
|
$1.03
MX$17.16
|
|
Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.50
₡763
|
$0.77
MX$12.76
|
|
pay 25.8% less for groceries
Costa Rica
|
Mexico
|
||
---|---|---|---|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$1.87
₡949
|
$1.99
MX$33.05
|
|
Local cheese (8 oz) |
$4.15
₡2,105
|
$3.54
MX$58.89
|
|
Milk (1 gallon) |
$6.45
₡3,271
|
$4.85
MX$80.77
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$2.63
₡1,334
|
$2.03
MX$33.70
|
|
Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$3.92
₡1,986
|
$3.00
MX$49.91
|
|
Apples (1 lb) |
$1.85
₡937
|
$1.21
MX$20.08
|
|
Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.66
₡335
|
$0.55
MX$9.21
|
|
Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.26
₡637
|
$0.60
MX$9.91
|
|
Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$0.97
₡489
|
$0.64
MX$10.70
|
|
Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.92
₡469
|
$0.68
MX$11.32
|
|
Onions (1 lb) |
$1.08
₡548
|
$0.64
MX$10.68
|
|
pay 27.4% less for transportation
Costa Rica
|
Mexico
|
||
---|---|---|---|
Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$5.58
₡2,831
|
$4.64
MX$77.23
|
|
Monthly public transit pass |
$44.09
₡22,353
|
$20.68
MX$344.24
|
|
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$25,829.98
₡13,095,893
|
$18,674.04
MX$310,792.02
|
|
Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$13.39
₡6,787
|
$11.82
MX$196.80
|
|
pay 41.0% less for housing
Costa Rica
|
Mexico
|
||
---|---|---|---|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$53.15
₡26,945
|
$30.39
MX$505.86
|
|
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$813.71
₡412,555
|
$421.91
MX$7,021.92
|
|
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$522.16
₡264,739
|
$289.43
MX$4,816.94
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$64.83
₡32,869
|
$46.38
MX$771.92
|
|
pay 48.8% less for childcare
Costa Rica
|
Mexico
|
||
---|---|---|---|
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$366.72
₡185,927
|
$204.47
MX$3,402.99
|
|
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$8,358.53
₡4,237,803
|
$3,904.22
MX$64,977.99
|
|
pay 27.5% less for entertainment and sports
Costa Rica
|
Mexico
|
||
---|---|---|---|
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$2.88
₡1,461
|
$2.08
MX$34.56
|
|
Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$2.93
₡1,483
|
$2.65
MX$44.13
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$4.48
₡2,273
|
$3.58
MX$59.53
|
|
Monthly membership at local gym |
$55.95
₡28,367
|
$34.48
MX$573.80
|
|
Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$7.18
₡3,639
|
$4.19
MX$69.75
|
|
pay 20.9% less for clothing
Costa Rica
|
Mexico
|
||
---|---|---|---|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$66.61
₡33,770
|
$44.78
MX$745.28
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$44.99
₡22,812
|
$34.80
MX$579.14
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$101.09
₡51,254
|
$81.99
MX$1,364.52
|
|
Men's business shoes (leather) |
$77.50
₡39,292
|
$70.46
MX$1,172.61
|
|
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