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 30.4% higher than in Costa Rica (without rent)
Cost of Living Including Rent in United States is 51.9% higher than in Costa Rica
Rent Prices in United States are 125.8% higher than in Costa Rica
Restaurant Prices in United States are 45.4% higher than in Costa Rica
Groceries Prices in United States are 27.3% higher than in Costa Rica
Local Purchasing Power in United States is 200.2% 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 ₡ (9.84 $)	10,165.03 ₡ (20.00 $)	+103.3 %
Meal for 2 People, Mid-range Restaurant, Three-course	30,000.00 ₡ (59.03 $)	38,118.86 ₡ (75.00 $)	+27.1 %
McMeal at McDonalds (or Equivalent Combo Meal)	5,000.00 ₡ (9.84 $)	5,590.77 ₡ (11.00 $)	+11.8 %
Domestic Beer (1 pint draught)	1,500.00 ₡ (2.95 $)	3,049.51 ₡ (6.00 $)	+103.3 %
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle)	2,500.00 ₡ (4.92 $)	3,557.76 ₡ (7.00 $)	+42.3 %
Cappuccino (regular)	1,909.60 ₡ (3.76 $)	2,631.18 ₡ (5.18 $)	+37.8 %
Coke/Pepsi (12 oz small bottle)	1,093.78 ₡ (2.15 $)	1,290.61 ₡ (2.54 $)	+18.0 %
Water (12 oz small bottle)	832.95 ₡ (1.64 $)	1,051.42 ₡ (2.07 $)	+26.2 %
Markets	Costa Rica Edit	United States Edit
Milk (regular), (1 gallon)	3,804.67 ₡ (7.49 $)	2,030.86 ₡ (4.00 $)	-46.6 %
Loaf of Fresh White Bread (1 lb)	1,409.54 ₡ (2.77 $)	1,661.94 ₡ (3.27 $)	+17.9 %
Rice (white), (1 lb)	543.68 ₡ (1.07 $)	1,057.11 ₡ (2.08 $)	+94.4 %
Eggs (regular) (12)	1,724.80 ₡ (3.39 $)	1,905.00 ₡ (3.75 $)	+10.4 %
Local Cheese (1 lb)	1,962.43 ₡ (3.86 $)	2,982.58 ₡ (5.87 $)	+52.0 %
Chicken Fillets (1 lb)	2,219.08 ₡ (4.37 $)	2,766.52 ₡ (5.44 $)	+24.7 %
Beef Round (1 lb) (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat)	3,056.06 ₡ (6.01 $)	3,695.49 ₡ (7.27 $)	+20.9 %
Apples (1 lb)	1,061.64 ₡ (2.09 $)	1,211.70 ₡ (2.38 $)	+14.1 %
Banana (1 lb)	359.76 ₡ (0.71 $)	386.77 ₡ (0.76 $)	+7.5 %
Oranges (1 lb)	714.66 ₡ (1.41 $)	1,034.21 ₡ (2.03 $)	+44.7 %
Tomato (1 lb)	651.83 ₡ (1.28 $)	1,130.93 ₡ (2.23 $)	+73.5 %
Potato (1 lb)	617.83 ₡ (1.22 $)	680.78 ₡ (1.34 $)	+10.2 %
Onion (1 lb)	633.91 ₡ (1.25 $)	707.87 ₡ (1.39 $)	+11.7 %
Lettuce (1 head)	504.51 ₡ (0.99 $)	1,110.13 ₡ (2.18 $)	+120.0 %
Water (1.5 liter bottle)	1,196.37 ₡ (2.35 $)	1,122.01 ₡ (2.21 $)	-6.2 %
Bottle of Wine (Mid-Range)	8,000.00 ₡ (15.74 $)	7,623.77 ₡ (15.00 $)	-4.7 %
Domestic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)	1,189.79 ₡ (2.34 $)	959.34 ₡ (1.89 $)	-19.4 %
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle)	1,414.94 ₡ (2.78 $)	1,797.99 ₡ (3.54 $)	+27.1 %
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro)	2,500.00 ₡ (4.92 $)	5,082.51 ₡ (10.00 $)	+103.3 %
Transportation	Costa Rica Edit	United States Edit
One-way Ticket (Local Transport)	500.00 ₡ (0.98 $)	1,270.63 ₡ (2.50 $)	+154.1 %
Monthly Pass (Regular Price)	20,800.00 ₡ (40.92 $)	33,036.35 ₡ (65.00 $)	+58.8 %
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)	910.00 ₡ (1.79 $)	1,905.94 ₡ (3.75 $)	+109.4 %
Taxi 1 mile (Normal Tariff)	1,569.11 ₡ (3.09 $)	1,423.10 ₡ (2.80 $)	-9.3 %
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)	3,647.50 ₡ (7.18 $)	15,247.54 ₡ (30.00 $)	+318.0 %
Gasoline (1 gallon)	2,875.95 ₡ (5.66 $)	1,831.34 ₡ (3.60 $)	-36.3 %
Volkswagen Golf 1.4 90 KW Trendline (Or Equivalent New Car)	18,250,000.00 ₡ (35,907.42 $)	17,118,257.63 ₡ (33,680.68 $)	-6.2 %
Toyota Corolla Sedan 1.6l 97kW Comfort (Or Equivalent New Car)	17,538,994.14 ₡ (34,508.50 $)	13,303,648.69 ₡ (26,175.33 $)	-24.1 %
Utilities (Monthly)	Costa Rica Edit	United States Edit
Basic (Electricity, Heating, Cooling, Water, Garbage) for 915 sq ft Apartment	41,475.77 ₡ (81.60 $)	105,305.38 ₡ (207.19 $)	+153.9 %
Mobile Phone Monthly Plan with Calls and 10GB+ Data	12,753.90 ₡ (25.09 $)	28,349.59 ₡ (55.78 $)	+122.3 %
Internet (60 Mbps or More, Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL)	26,900.38 ₡ (52.93 $)	36,103.47 ₡ (71.03 $)	+34.2 %
Sports And Leisure	Costa Rica Edit	United States Edit
Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult	29,775.82 ₡ (58.58 $)	23,764.83 ₡ (46.76 $)	-20.2 %
Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour on Weekend)	16,053.85 ₡ (31.59 $)	10,664.02 ₡ (20.98 $)	-33.6 %
Cinema, International Release, 1 Seat	4,000.00 ₡ (7.87 $)	7,115.52 ₡ (14.00 $)	+77.9 %
Childcare	Costa Rica Edit	United States Edit
Preschool (or Kindergarten), Full Day, Private, Monthly for 1 Child	281,450.13 ₡ (553.76 $)	702,198.02 ₡ (1,381.60 $)	+149.5 %
International Primary School, Yearly for 1 Child	4,833,602.58 ₡ (9,510.26 $)	11,538,072.00 ₡ (22,701.50 $)	+138.7 %
Clothing And Shoes	Costa Rica Edit	United States Edit
1 Pair of Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)	38,092.79 ₡ (74.95 $)	26,572.12 ₡ (52.28 $)	-30.2 %
1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, H&M, ...)	27,453.71 ₡ (54.02 $)	21,766.04 ₡ (42.83 $)	-20.7 %
1 Pair of Nike Running Shoes (Mid-Range)	60,803.69 ₡ (119.63 $)	45,372.43 ₡ (89.27 $)	-25.4 %
1 Pair of Men Leather Business Shoes	54,639.02 ₡ (107.50 $)	57,920.07 ₡ (113.96 $)	+6.0 %
Rent Per Month	Costa Rica Edit	United States Edit
Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Centre	391,528.89 ₡ (770.34 $)	895,695.44 ₡ (1,762.31 $)	+128.8 %
Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Centre	270,744.77 ₡ (532.70 $)	738,201.73 ₡ (1,452.43 $)	+172.7 %
Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Centre	745,369.98 ₡ (1,466.54 $)	1,499,400.55 ₡ (2,950.12 $)	+101.2 %
Apartment (3 bedrooms) Outside of Centre	521,515.65 ₡ (1,026.10 $)	1,223,583.81 ₡ (2,407.44 $)	+134.6 %
Buy Apartment Price	Costa Rica Edit	United States Edit
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment in City Centre	111,103.48 ₡ (218.60 $)	168,085.77 ₡ (330.71 $)	+51.3 %
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment Outside of Centre	65,517.75 ₡ (128.91 $)	132,489.00 ₡ (260.68 $)	+102.2 %
Salaries And Financing	Costa Rica Edit	United States Edit
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)	493,559.45 ₡ (971.09 $)	2,250,764.14 ₡ (4,428.45 $)	+356.0 %
Mortgage Interest Rate in Percentages (%), Yearly, for 20 Years Fixed-Rate	10.31	6.57	-36.3 %
Last update:	November 2024	November 2024
Contributors in the past 12 months:	184	15234

Moving to Costa Rica? Explore:

Moving to United States? Explore:

Other comparisons Costa Rica vs United States:

About In the News Newsletter API