Costa Rica vs Mexico - Cost of Living Comparison

Costa Rica Mexico
🚶 Cost of living one person
$1073
$911
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Cost of living Family
$2694
$2213
🏠 One person rent
$465
$413
🏘️ Family rent
$834
$738
🍽️ Food expenses
$426
$335
🚐 Transport expenses
$63.4
$76.3
💳 Monthly salary after tax
$874
$779
💸 GDP per capita
$13199
$11091
😃 Human freedom index
7.98
6.6
❤️ Life expectancy
77
70.2
👮 Corruption perceptions index
54
31
🌐 English speaking %
8.2%
13%
🎓 Higher education
76
89
😀 Quality of life
58
42
🏙️ Population
5.21M
125M

The average cost of living in Costa Rica ($1073) is 18% more expensive than in Mexico ($911). Costa Rica ranked 72nd vs 89th for Mexico in the list of the most expensive countries in the world.

The average after-tax salary is enough to cover living expenses for 0.8 months in Costa Rica compared to 0.9 months in Mexico. Ranked 65th and 115th best countries to live in the world.

Salary adjustment calculator
the estimated difference in money purchasing power

Cost of living in Costa Rica vs Mexico infographic

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Prices in Costa Rica vs Mexico

We calculate prices for Costa Rica and Mexico as a population-weighted mean of 9 and 144 cities, respectively. Since large cities tend to have a higher cost of living, it's better to visit specific city pages below for more relevant information.

Costa Rica Mexico
Eating Out
🍱 Lunch Menu
$9.23
$8.82
🥂 Dinner in a Restaurant, for 2
$41.8
$29.8
🥪 Fast food meal, equiv. McDonald's
$8.58
$7.48
🍻 Beer in a Pub, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$2.64
$2.43
 Cappuccino
$3.67
$3.49
🥤 Pepsi / Coke, 0.5 L or 16.9 fl oz
$1.76
$1.16
Rent & Utilities
🏙️ 1 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$541
$496
🏡 Cheap 1 bedroom apartment, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$337
$304
🏙️ 3 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$957
$908
🏡 Cheap 3 bedroom apartment, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$664
$580
🔌 Utility Bill one person, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$45.5
$42.2
🔌 Utility Bill for a Family, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$70.3
$65
🌐 Internet plan, 50 Mbps+ 1 month unlimited
$41.8
$28.1
🏦 Mortgage Interest Rate for 20 Years
10.22%
11.12%
🏙️ Apartment price to Buy in city Center, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$1780
$1574
🏡 House price to Buy in Suburbs, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$1318
$1198
Transportation
🚌 Local transport ticket
$0.85
$0.61
🎟️ Monthly ticket local transport
$49.8
$28.2
🚕 Taxi Ride, 8 km or 5 mi
$13.7
$10.7
 Gas / Petrol, 1 L or 0.26 gal
$1.5
$1.29
Groceries
🥛 Milk, 1 L or 1 qt
$1.82
$1.41
🍞 Bread, 0.5 kg or 1.1 lb
$2.04
$1.88
🍚 Rice, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.85
$1.53
🥚 Eggs, x12
$3.33
$2.3
🧀 Cheese, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$9.29
$8.29
🐔 Chicken Breast, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$8.2
$7.25
🥩 Round Steak, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$11.9
$11.2
🍏 Apples, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$4.28
$2.76
🍌 Banana, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.25
$1.39
🍊 Oranges, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$2.15
$1.46
🍅 Tomato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$2.28
$1.53
🥔 Potato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$2.29
$1.67
🧅 Onion, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$2.51
$1.54
🌊 Water, 1 L or 1 qt
$1.42
$0.65
🍹 Coca-Cola / Pepsi, 2 L or 67.6 fl oz
$2.97
$1.87
🍾 Wine (mid-priced), 750 mL bottle
$13.7
$12.3
🍺 Beer, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$2
$1.53
🚬 Cigarette pack
$4.38
$3.92
💊 Cold medicince, 1 week
$8.16
$5.91
🧴 Hair Shampoo
$6.96
$3.55
🧻 Toilet paper, 4 rolls
$3.09
$2
👄 Toothpaste, 1 tube
$2.92
$1.9
Other
🏋️ Gym Membership, 1 month
$49.5
$41.2
🎫 Cinema Ticket, 1 person
$6.5
$4.51
👩‍⚕️ Doctor's visit
$63.1
$33.4
💇 Haircut, simple
$12
$9.6
👖 Brand Jeans
$66.8
$51.5
👟 Brand Sneakers
$107
$91.4
👶 Daycare or Preschool, 1 month
$380
$252
🏫 International Primary School, 1 year
$8305
$5132

Cost of living in other countries

Cost of living

Cities Comparison in Costa Rica vs Mexico

More countries to compare

Cost of Living in Popular cities

In Costa Rica

City Cost of living Population
San Jose
$1136
342K
Limon
$1048
60.7K
Alajuela
$1021
48.3K
Liberia
$987
67.1K
Puntarenas
$884
41.5K
Cartago
$981
22.8K
Heredia
$879
19K
Tamarindo
$1371
8.14K
Santa Teresa
$999
3K

In Mexico

City Cost of living Population
Mexico City
$1208
9.21M
Tijuana
$1110
1.96M
Zapopan
$983
1.48M
Ecatepec de Morelos
$924
1.93M
Ciudad Juarez
$967
1.32M
Monterrey
$1221
1.14M
Guadalajara
$990
1.46M
Leon
$833
1.58M
Saltillo
$892
864K
Aguascalientes
$738
934K
Puebla
$869
1.43M
Ciudad Nezahualcoyotl
$839
1.08M
San Luis Potosi
$971
773K
Naucalpan
$935
872K
Chihuahua
$816
878K
Hermosillo
$866
856K
Mexicali
$772
1.03M
Cancun
$1087
889K
Merida
$1033
892K
Queretaro
$937
626K
Irapuato
$696
593K
Tlaquepaque
$794
664K
Culiacan
$810
808K
Torreon
$753
717K
Reynosa
$770
589K
Cuautitlan Izcalli
$726
531K
Tlalnepantla
$924
653K
Guadalupe
$873
692K
Tultitlan de Mariano Escobedo
$815
521K
Acapulco
$792
673K