Cost of Living Comparison Between Costa Rica and Uruguay 
| Indices Difference |  |
|---|---|
| Cost of Living in Uruguay is 2.6% lower than in Costa Rica (excluding rent) | |
| Cost of Living Including Rent in Uruguay is 7.5% lower than in Costa Rica | |
| Rent Prices in Uruguay are 25.0% lower than in Costa Rica | |
| Restaurant Prices in Uruguay are 12.6% higher than in Costa Rica | |
| Groceries Prices in Uruguay are 13.4% lower than in Costa Rica | |
| Local Purchasing Power in Uruguay is 4.7% lower than in Costa Rica | |
Restaurants | Costa Rica Edit |
Uruguay Edit | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meal, Inexpensive Restaurant |
5,000.00 ₡ (419.42 $U) |
8,344.92 ₡ (700.00 $U) |
+66.9 % |
| Meal for 2 People, Mid-range Restaurant, Three-course |
30,000.00 ₡ (2,516.50 $U) |
26,226.88 ₡ (2,200.00 $U) |
-12.6 % |
| McMeal at McDonalds (or Equivalent Combo Meal) |
5,000.00 ₡ (419.42 $U) |
5,603.02 ₡ (470.00 $U) |
+12.1 % |
| Domestic Beer (1 pint draught) |
1,500.00 ₡ (125.83 $U) |
1,812.04 ₡ (152.00 $U) |
+20.8 % |
| Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) |
2,400.00 ₡ (201.32 $U) |
1,788.20 ₡ (150.00 $U) |
-25.5 % |
| Cappuccino (regular) |
1,990.51 ₡ (166.97 $U) |
2,017.52 ₡ (169.24 $U) |
+1.4 % |
| Coke/Pepsi (12 oz small bottle) |
1,095.47 ₡ (91.89 $U) |
1,148.57 ₡ (96.35 $U) |
+4.8 % |
| Water (12 oz small bottle) |
845.46 ₡ (70.92 $U) |
875.10 ₡ (73.41 $U) |
+3.5 % |
Markets | Costa Rica Edit |
Uruguay Edit | |
| Milk (regular), (1 gallon) |
3,796.91 ₡ (318.50 $U) |
2,175.68 ₡ (182.50 $U) |
-42.7 % |
| Loaf of Fresh White Bread (1 lb) |
1,445.77 ₡ (121.28 $U) |
1,180.21 ₡ (99.00 $U) |
-18.4 % |
| Rice (white), (1 lb) |
541.22 ₡ (45.40 $U) |
355.18 ₡ (29.79 $U) |
-34.4 % |
| Eggs (regular) (12) |
1,712.54 ₡ (143.65 $U) |
2,065.49 ₡ (173.26 $U) |
+20.6 % |
| Local Cheese (1 lb) |
2,103.53 ₡ (176.45 $U) |
3,012.94 ₡ (252.74 $U) |
+43.2 % |
| Chicken Fillets (1 lb) |
2,145.78 ₡ (180.00 $U) |
2,322.00 ₡ (194.78 $U) |
+8.2 % |
| Beef Round (1 lb) (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) |
3,005.95 ₡ (252.15 $U) |
2,397.54 ₡ (201.11 $U) |
-20.2 % |
| Apples (1 lb) |
999.75 ₡ (83.86 $U) |
617.66 ₡ (51.81 $U) |
-38.2 % |
| Banana (1 lb) |
369.52 ₡ (31.00 $U) |
530.82 ₡ (44.53 $U) |
+43.7 % |
| Oranges (1 lb) |
731.33 ₡ (61.35 $U) |
329.92 ₡ (27.68 $U) |
-54.9 % |
| Tomato (1 lb) |
691.01 ₡ (57.96 $U) |
735.27 ₡ (61.68 $U) |
+6.4 % |
| Potato (1 lb) |
676.61 ₡ (56.76 $U) |
441.99 ₡ (37.08 $U) |
-34.7 % |
| Onion (1 lb) |
644.64 ₡ (54.07 $U) |
447.74 ₡ (37.56 $U) |
-30.5 % |
| Lettuce (1 head) |
505.79 ₡ (42.43 $U) |
634.98 ₡ (53.26 $U) |
+25.5 % |
| Water (1.5 liter bottle) |
1,243.91 ₡ (104.34 $U) |
832.05 ₡ (69.79 $U) |
-33.1 % |
| Bottle of Wine (Mid-Range) |
8,000.00 ₡ (671.07 $U) |
3,731.37 ₡ (313.00 $U) |
-53.4 % |
| Domestic Beer (0.5 liter bottle) |
1,172.85 ₡ (98.38 $U) |
1,075.71 ₡ (90.23 $U) |
-8.3 % |
| Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) |
1,377.11 ₡ (115.52 $U) |
1,438.90 ₡ (120.70 $U) |
+4.5 % |
| Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro) |
2,500.00 ₡ (209.71 $U) |
2,503.48 ₡ (210.00 $U) |
+0.1 % |
Transportation | Costa Rica Edit |
Uruguay Edit | |
| One-way Ticket (Local Transport) |
500.00 ₡ (41.94 $U) |
596.07 ₡ (50.00 $U) |
+19.2 % |
| Monthly Pass (Regular Price) |
25,000.00 ₡ (2,097.08 $U) |
21,458.36 ₡ (1,800.00 $U) |
-14.2 % |
| Taxi Start (Normal Tariff) |
910.00 ₡ (76.33 $U) |
715.28 ₡ (60.00 $U) |
-21.4 % |
| Taxi 1 mile (Normal Tariff) |
1,609.34 ₡ (135.00 $U) |
1,247.06 ₡ (104.61 $U) |
-22.5 % |
| Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff) |
3,845.00 ₡ (322.53 $U) |
5,364.59 ₡ (450.00 $U) |
+39.5 % |
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
2,833.28 ₡ (237.67 $U) |
3,523.67 ₡ (295.58 $U) |
+24.4 % |
| Volkswagen Golf 1.4 90 KW Trendline (Or Equivalent New Car) |
18,250,000.00 ₡ (1,530,872.00 $U) |
19,074,096.38 ₡ (1,600,000.00 $U) |
+4.5 % |
| Toyota Corolla Sedan 1.6l 97kW Comfort (Or Equivalent New Car) |
17,803,262.39 ₡ (1,493,398.13 $U) |
18,695,552.99 ₡ (1,568,246.49 $U) |
+5.0 % |
Utilities (Monthly) | Costa Rica Edit |
Uruguay Edit | |
| Basic (Electricity, Heating, Cooling, Water, Garbage) for 915 sq ft Apartment |
44,581.45 ₡ (3,739.64 $U) |
69,491.63 ₡ (5,829.19 $U) |
+55.9 % |
| Mobile Phone Monthly Plan with Calls and 10GB+ Data |
12,901.06 ₡ (1,082.18 $U) |
8,444.26 ₡ (708.33 $U) |
-34.5 % |
| Internet (60 Mbps or More, Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL) |
27,489.22 ₡ (2,305.89 $U) |
20,622.08 ₡ (1,729.85 $U) |
-25.0 % |
Sports And Leisure | Costa Rica Edit |
Uruguay Edit | |
| Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult |
28,741.72 ₡ (2,410.95 $U) |
27,279.49 ₡ (2,288.30 $U) |
-5.1 % |
| Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour on Weekend) |
15,308.33 ₡ (1,284.12 $U) |
9,611.56 ₡ (806.25 $U) |
-37.2 % |
| Cinema, International Release, 1 Seat |
4,000.00 ₡ (335.53 $U) |
4,947.34 ₡ (415.00 $U) |
+23.7 % |
Childcare | Costa Rica Edit |
Uruguay Edit | |
| Preschool (or Kindergarten), Full Day, Private, Monthly for 1 Child |
275,391.19 ₡ (23,100.75 $U) |
197,841.59 ₡ (16,595.62 $U) |
-28.2 % |
| International Primary School, Yearly for 1 Child |
4,857,636.78 ₡ (407,475.07 $U) |
4,062,334.99 ₡ (340,762.46 $U) |
-16.4 % |
Clothing And Shoes | Costa Rica Edit |
Uruguay Edit | |
| 1 Pair of Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar) |
36,964.42 ₡ (3,100.70 $U) |
43,845.85 ₡ (3,677.94 $U) |
+18.6 % |
| 1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, H&M, ...) |
27,534.98 ₡ (2,309.73 $U) |
23,695.41 ₡ (1,987.65 $U) |
-13.9 % |
| 1 Pair of Nike Running Shoes (Mid-Range) |
62,644.33 ₡ (5,254.82 $U) |
56,122.12 ₡ (4,707.71 $U) |
-10.4 % |
| 1 Pair of Men Leather Business Shoes |
53,963.63 ₡ (4,526.65 $U) |
56,745.25 ₡ (4,759.98 $U) |
+5.2 % |
Rent Per Month | Costa Rica Edit |
Uruguay Edit | |
| Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Centre |
389,423.27 ₡ (32,666.15 $U) |
291,926.87 ₡ (24,487.82 $U) |
-25.0 % |
| Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Centre |
265,857.56 ₡ (22,301.04 $U) |
221,656.45 ₡ (18,593.30 $U) |
-16.6 % |
| Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Centre |
733,428.01 ₡ (61,522.43 $U) |
510,995.46 ₡ (42,864.04 $U) |
-30.3 % |
| Apartment (3 bedrooms) Outside of Centre |
502,665.25 ₡ (42,165.27 $U) |
394,435.01 ₡ (33,086.55 $U) |
-21.5 % |
Buy Apartment Price | Costa Rica Edit |
Uruguay Edit | |
| Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment in City Centre |
125,213.76 ₡ (10,503.36 $U) |
134,464.81 ₡ (11,279.36 $U) |
+7.4 % |
| Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment Outside of Centre |
69,752.77 ₡ (5,851.10 $U) |
112,107.94 ₡ (9,403.99 $U) |
+60.7 % |
Salaries And Financing | Costa Rica Edit |
Uruguay Edit | |
| Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax) |
512,580.47 ₡ (42,996.99 $U) |
451,564.31 ₡ (37,878.75 $U) |
-11.9 % |
| Mortgage Interest Rate in Percentages (%), Yearly, for 20 Years Fixed-Rate | 10.29 | 6.30 | -38.8 % |
| Last update: | April 2025 | April 2025 | |
| Contributors in the past 12 months: | 113 | 119 |
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