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
CRC4,898.23
|
$8.83
MX$177.31
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$9.08
CRC4,563.57
|
$7.25
MX$145.64
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.01
CRC1,010.35
|
$1.11
MX$22.26
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.49
CRC749.53
|
$0.84
MX$16.78
|
|
pay 25.7% less for groceries
|
Costa Rica
|
Mexico
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$2.53
CRC1,272.46
|
$2.35
MX$47.26
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$3.76
CRC1,890.83
|
$3.62
MX$72.72
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$6.98
CRC3,505.50
|
$5.17
MX$103.91
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.21
CRC1,614.19
|
$2.18
MX$43.78
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$3.97
CRC1,995.44
|
$3.12
MX$62.74
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.79
CRC899.19
|
$1.08
MX$21.75
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.62
CRC310.00
|
$0.57
MX$11.39
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.22
CRC611.26
|
$0.71
MX$14.19
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.22
CRC613.90
|
$0.70
MX$14.03
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.09
CRC549.90
|
$0.81
MX$16.20
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.11
CRC559.66
|
$0.73
MX$14.75
|
|
pay 36.6% less for transportation
|
Costa Rica
|
Mexico
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$5.63
CRC2,827.67
|
$4.48
MX$89.97
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$49.00
CRC24,622.77
|
$26.30
MX$528.17
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$35,063.37
CRC17,619,910.98
|
$19,957.31
MX$400,768.65
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$15.62
CRC7,850.42
|
$15.63
MX$313.81
|
|
pay 37.7% less for housing
|
Costa Rica
|
Mexico
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$48.50
CRC24,372.25
|
$26.71
MX$536.42
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$778.04
CRC390,976.50
|
$486.26
MX$9,764.79
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$547.50
CRC275,129.26
|
$362.30
MX$7,275.41
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$68.26
CRC34,300.61
|
$44.69
MX$897.39
|
|
pay 61.3% less for childcare
|
Costa Rica
|
Mexico
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$519.07
CRC260,839.84
|
$205.12
MX$4,119.01
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$10,987.74
CRC5,521,518.53
|
$4,165.20
MX$83,642.62
|
|
pay 30.6% less for entertainment and sports
|
Costa Rica
|
Mexico
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$2.73
CRC1,370.44
|
$2.16
MX$43.31
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$3.65
CRC1,836.31
|
$2.84
MX$57.02
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$4.58
CRC2,302.68
|
$3.78
MX$75.98
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$59.46
CRC29,879.90
|
$33.67
MX$676.07
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$8.63
CRC4,334.66
|
$4.39
MX$88.17
|
|
pay 23.8% less for clothing
|
Costa Rica
|
Mexico
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$65.32
CRC32,826.19
|
$45.84
MX$920.55
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$44.54
CRC22,382.25
|
$36.33
MX$729.53
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$110.39
CRC55,470.51
|
$82.04
MX$1,647.47
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$97.22
CRC48,853.04
|
$76.65
MX$1,539.16
|
|
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