Cost of living comparison
Mexico is 35.0% cheaper than Costa Rica.
If you lived in Mexico instead of Costa Rica, you would:
pay 29.6% less for restaurants
|
Costa Rica
|
Mexico
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$9.75
CRC4,975.61
|
$8.83
MX$179.64
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$9.08
CRC4,635.67
|
$7.25
MX$147.55
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.01
CRC1,026.32
|
$1.11
MX$22.55
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.49
CRC761.37
|
$0.84
MX$17.00
|
|
pay 25.7% less for groceries
|
Costa Rica
|
Mexico
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$2.53
CRC1,292.57
|
$2.35
MX$47.88
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$3.76
CRC1,920.70
|
$3.62
MX$73.68
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$6.98
CRC3,560.88
|
$5.17
MX$105.27
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.21
CRC1,639.69
|
$2.18
MX$44.35
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$3.97
CRC2,026.96
|
$3.12
MX$63.57
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.79
CRC913.40
|
$1.08
MX$22.03
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.62
CRC314.90
|
$0.57
MX$11.54
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.22
CRC620.92
|
$0.71
MX$14.38
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.22
CRC623.60
|
$0.70
MX$14.21
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.09
CRC558.59
|
$0.81
MX$16.41
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.11
CRC568.50
|
$0.73
MX$14.94
|
|
pay 36.6% less for transportation
|
Costa Rica
|
Mexico
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$5.63
CRC2,872.34
|
$4.48
MX$91.15
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$49.00
CRC25,011.74
|
$26.30
MX$535.11
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$35,063.37
CRC17,898,258.10
|
$19,957.31
MX$406,034.38
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$15.62
CRC7,974.44
|
$15.63
MX$317.93
|
|
pay 37.7% less for housing
|
Costa Rica
|
Mexico
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$48.50
CRC24,757.27
|
$26.71
MX$543.47
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$778.04
CRC397,152.88
|
$486.26
MX$9,893.09
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$547.50
CRC279,475.56
|
$362.30
MX$7,371.00
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$68.26
CRC34,842.46
|
$44.69
MX$909.18
|
|
pay 61.3% less for childcare
|
Costa Rica
|
Mexico
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$519.07
CRC264,960.41
|
$205.12
MX$4,173.13
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$10,987.74
CRC5,608,743.64
|
$4,165.20
MX$84,741.61
|
|
pay 30.6% less for entertainment and sports
|
Costa Rica
|
Mexico
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$2.73
CRC1,392.09
|
$2.16
MX$43.88
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$3.65
CRC1,865.32
|
$2.84
MX$57.77
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$4.58
CRC2,339.06
|
$3.78
MX$76.98
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$59.46
CRC30,351.92
|
$33.67
MX$684.95
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$8.63
CRC4,403.14
|
$4.39
MX$89.32
|
|
pay 23.8% less for clothing
|
Costa Rica
|
Mexico
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$65.32
CRC33,344.76
|
$45.84
MX$932.65
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$44.54
CRC22,735.83
|
$36.33
MX$739.12
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$110.39
CRC56,346.79
|
$82.04
MX$1,669.11
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$97.22
CRC49,624.79
|
$76.65
MX$1,559.39
|
|
Change currency:
ASK THE ELSEWHERE COMMUNITY
Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Mexico or Costa Rica. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.