Cost of Living Comparison Between Costa Rica and United States

For major cities in those countries you get more relevant data by specifying cities.

City in Costa Rica:
City in United States:

Indices Difference
Cost of Living in United States is 26.4% higher than in Costa Rica (without rent)
Cost of Living Including Rent in United States is 47.6% higher than in Costa Rica
Rent Prices in United States are 122.4% higher than in Costa Rica
Restaurant Prices in United States are 42.1% higher than in Costa Rica
Groceries Prices in United States are 24.7% higher than in Costa Rica
Local Purchasing Power in United States is 189.5% higher than in Costa Rica

Currency: Sticky Currency Switch to metric measurement units

Restaurants	Costa Rica Edit	United States Edit	Difference
Meal, Inexpensive Restaurant	5,000.00 ₡ (10.11 $)	9,888.40 ₡ (20.00 $)	+97.8 %
Meal for 2 People, Mid-range Restaurant, Three-course	29,665.21 ₡ (60.00 $)	37,081.52 ₡ (75.00 $)	+25.0 %
McMeal at McDonalds (or Equivalent Combo Meal)	5,000.00 ₡ (10.11 $)	5,438.62 ₡ (11.00 $)	+8.8 %
Domestic Beer (1 pint draught)	1,500.00 ₡ (3.03 $)	2,966.52 ₡ (6.00 $)	+97.8 %
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle)	2,262.45 ₡ (4.58 $)	3,460.94 ₡ (7.00 $)	+53.0 %
Cappuccino (regular)	1,961.63 ₡ (3.97 $)	2,581.64 ₡ (5.22 $)	+31.6 %
Coke/Pepsi (12 oz small bottle)	1,090.80 ₡ (2.21 $)	1,262.56 ₡ (2.55 $)	+15.7 %
Water (12 oz small bottle)	833.00 ₡ (1.68 $)	1,028.76 ₡ (2.08 $)	+23.5 %
Markets	Costa Rica Edit	United States Edit
Milk (regular), (1 gallon)	3,786.66 ₡ (7.66 $)	1,976.90 ₡ (4.00 $)	-47.8 %
Loaf of Fresh White Bread (1 lb)	1,418.85 ₡ (2.87 $)	1,627.70 ₡ (3.29 $)	+14.7 %
Rice (white), (1 lb)	534.17 ₡ (1.08 $)	1,029.74 ₡ (2.08 $)	+92.8 %
Eggs (regular) (12)	1,706.29 ₡ (3.45 $)	2,054.58 ₡ (4.16 $)	+20.4 %
Local Cheese (1 lb)	2,050.63 ₡ (4.15 $)	2,907.07 ₡ (5.88 $)	+41.8 %
Chicken Fillets (1 lb)	2,147.49 ₡ (4.34 $)	2,725.79 ₡ (5.51 $)	+26.9 %
Beef Round (1 lb) (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat)	3,016.80 ₡ (6.10 $)	3,640.02 ₡ (7.36 $)	+20.7 %
Apples (1 lb)	1,006.52 ₡ (2.04 $)	1,183.00 ₡ (2.39 $)	+17.5 %
Banana (1 lb)	369.01 ₡ (0.75 $)	375.91 ₡ (0.76 $)	+1.9 %
Oranges (1 lb)	721.48 ₡ (1.46 $)	1,006.78 ₡ (2.04 $)	+39.5 %
Tomato (1 lb)	690.35 ₡ (1.40 $)	1,100.88 ₡ (2.23 $)	+59.5 %
Potato (1 lb)	665.47 ₡ (1.35 $)	656.55 ₡ (1.33 $)	-1.3 %
Onion (1 lb)	638.18 ₡ (1.29 $)	689.31 ₡ (1.39 $)	+8.0 %
Lettuce (1 head)	512.34 ₡ (1.04 $)	1,089.19 ₡ (2.20 $)	+112.6 %
Water (1.5 liter bottle)	1,243.91 ₡ (2.52 $)	1,099.39 ₡ (2.22 $)	-11.6 %
Bottle of Wine (Mid-Range)	8,000.00 ₡ (16.18 $)	7,416.30 ₡ (15.00 $)	-7.3 %
Domestic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)	1,195.40 ₡ (2.42 $)	959.91 ₡ (1.94 $)	-19.7 %
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle)	1,397.53 ₡ (2.83 $)	1,774.05 ₡ (3.59 $)	+26.9 %
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro)	2,500.00 ₡ (5.06 $)	4,944.20 ₡ (10.00 $)	+97.8 %
Transportation	Costa Rica Edit	United States Edit
One-way Ticket (Local Transport)	500.00 ₡ (1.01 $)	1,236.05 ₡ (2.50 $)	+147.2 %
Monthly Pass (Regular Price)	22,900.00 ₡ (46.32 $)	32,137.31 ₡ (65.00 $)	+40.3 %
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)	910.00 ₡ (1.84 $)	1,854.08 ₡ (3.75 $)	+103.7 %
Taxi 1 mile (Normal Tariff)	1,591.38 ₡ (3.22 $)	1,384.38 ₡ (2.80 $)	-13.0 %
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)	3,845.00 ₡ (7.78 $)	14,832.61 ₡ (30.00 $)	+285.8 %
Gasoline (1 gallon)	2,831.56 ₡ (5.73 $)	1,737.73 ₡ (3.51 $)	-38.6 %
Volkswagen Golf 1.4 90 KW Trendline (Or Equivalent New Car)	18,250,000.00 ₡ (36,911.92 $)	14,832,606.75 ₡ (30,000.00 $)	-18.7 %
Toyota Corolla Sedan 1.6l 97kW Comfort (Or Equivalent New Car)	17,742,645.42 ₡ (35,885.76 $)	12,836,635.15 ₡ (25,963.01 $)	-27.7 %
Utilities (Monthly)	Costa Rica Edit	United States Edit
Basic (Electricity, Heating, Cooling, Water, Garbage) for 915 sq ft Apartment	44,465.76 ₡ (89.94 $)	102,795.15 ₡ (207.91 $)	+131.2 %
Mobile Phone Monthly Plan with Calls and 10GB+ Data	13,081.88 ₡ (26.46 $)	28,279.91 ₡ (57.20 $)	+116.2 %
Internet (60 Mbps or More, Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL)	27,232.04 ₡ (55.08 $)	35,350.25 ₡ (71.50 $)	+29.8 %
Sports And Leisure	Costa Rica Edit	United States Edit
Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult	28,836.49 ₡ (58.32 $)	23,025.11 ₡ (46.57 $)	-20.2 %
Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour on Weekend)	15,308.33 ₡ (30.96 $)	10,800.03 ₡ (21.84 $)	-29.5 %
Cinema, International Release, 1 Seat	4,000.00 ₡ (8.09 $)	6,968.85 ₡ (14.09 $)	+74.2 %
Childcare	Costa Rica Edit	United States Edit
Preschool (or Kindergarten), Full Day, Private, Monthly for 1 Child	275,186.16 ₡ (556.58 $)	680,264.46 ₡ (1,375.88 $)	+147.2 %
International Primary School, Yearly for 1 Child	4,943,135.54 ₡ (9,997.84 $)	11,188,135.47 ₡ (22,628.80 $)	+126.3 %
Clothing And Shoes	Costa Rica Edit	United States Edit
1 Pair of Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)	36,915.36 ₡ (74.66 $)	25,722.95 ₡ (52.03 $)	-30.3 %
1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, H&M, ...)	27,920.74 ₡ (56.47 $)	21,065.38 ₡ (42.61 $)	-24.6 %
1 Pair of Nike Running Shoes (Mid-Range)	61,606.03 ₡ (124.60 $)	44,244.35 ₡ (89.49 $)	-28.2 %
1 Pair of Men Leather Business Shoes	53,862.00 ₡ (108.94 $)	55,971.79 ₡ (113.21 $)	+3.9 %
Rent Per Month	Costa Rica Edit	United States Edit
Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Centre	390,689.55 ₡ (790.20 $)	862,655.93 ₡ (1,744.78 $)	+120.8 %
Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Centre	263,797.68 ₡ (533.55 $)	711,016.38 ₡ (1,438.08 $)	+169.5 %
Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Centre	728,474.00 ₡ (1,473.39 $)	1,439,161.60 ₡ (2,910.81 $)	+97.6 %
Apartment (3 bedrooms) Outside of Centre	505,510.03 ₡ (1,022.43 $)	1,186,295.60 ₡ (2,399.37 $)	+134.7 %
Buy Apartment Price	Costa Rica Edit	United States Edit
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment in City Centre	124,642.77 ₡ (252.10 $)	148,562.03 ₡ (300.48 $)	+19.2 %
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment Outside of Centre	67,125.75 ₡ (135.77 $)	124,377.59 ₡ (251.56 $)	+85.3 %
Salaries And Financing	Costa Rica Edit	United States Edit
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)	501,956.86 ₡ (1,015.24 $)	2,145,105.94 ₡ (4,338.63 $)	+327.3 %
Mortgage Interest Rate in Percentages (%), Yearly, for 20 Years Fixed-Rate	10.29	6.57	-36.1 %
Last update:	March 2025	March 2025
Contributors in the past 12 months:	111	10379

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