Cost of Living Comparison Between Spain and Costa Rica 
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| Indices Difference |  |
|---|---|
| Cost of Living in Costa Rica is 11.3% higher than in Spain (excluding rent) | |
| Cost of Living Including Rent in Costa Rica is 3.7% higher than in Spain | |
| Rent Prices in Costa Rica are 16.5% lower than in Spain | |
| Restaurant Prices in Costa Rica are 1.0% lower than in Spain | |
| Groceries Prices in Costa Rica are 25.9% higher than in Spain | |
| Local Purchasing Power in Costa Rica is 48.2% lower than in Spain | |
Restaurants | Spain Edit |
Costa Rica Edit | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meal, Inexpensive Restaurant |
14.00 € (7,668.80 ₡) |
9.13 € (5,000.00 ₡) |
-34.8 % |
| Meal for 2 People, Mid-range Restaurant, Three-course |
50.00 € (27,388.56 ₡) |
54.77 € (30,000.00 ₡) |
+9.5 % |
| McMeal at McDonalds (or Equivalent Combo Meal) |
9.00 € (4,929.94 ₡) |
9.13 € (5,000.00 ₡) |
+1.4 % |
| Domestic Beer (1 pint draught) |
3.00 € (1,643.31 ₡) |
2.74 € (1,500.00 ₡) |
-8.7 % |
| Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) |
3.50 € (1,917.20 ₡) |
4.38 € (2,400.00 ₡) |
+25.2 % |
| Cappuccino (regular) |
1.99 € (1,092.61 ₡) |
3.64 € (1,993.48 ₡) |
+82.5 % |
| Coke/Pepsi (12 oz small bottle) |
2.16 € (1,181.61 ₡) |
2.00 € (1,095.47 ₡) |
-7.3 % |
| Water (12 oz small bottle) |
1.59 € (873.01 ₡) |
1.54 € (845.46 ₡) |
-3.2 % |
Markets | Spain Edit |
Costa Rica Edit | |
| Milk (regular), (1 gallon) |
3.94 € (2,157.05 ₡) |
6.93 € (3,796.91 ₡) |
+76.0 % |
| Loaf of Fresh White Bread (1 lb) |
1.20 € (657.25 ₡) |
2.64 € (1,445.77 ₡) |
+120.0 % |
| Rice (white), (1 lb) |
0.63 € (347.13 ₡) |
0.99 € (541.22 ₡) |
+55.9 % |
| Eggs (regular) (12) |
2.58 € (1,411.83 ₡) |
3.13 € (1,712.54 ₡) |
+21.3 % |
| Local Cheese (1 lb) |
5.45 € (2,986.59 ₡) |
3.75 € (2,051.70 ₡) |
-31.3 % |
| Chicken Fillets (1 lb) |
3.29 € (1,800.38 ₡) |
3.92 € (2,145.78 ₡) |
+19.2 % |
| Beef Round (1 lb) (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) |
6.14 € (3,363.67 ₡) |
5.49 € (3,005.95 ₡) |
-10.6 % |
| Apples (1 lb) |
0.95 € (519.84 ₡) |
1.83 € (999.75 ₡) |
+92.3 % |
| Banana (1 lb) |
0.78 € (427.80 ₡) |
0.67 € (369.52 ₡) |
-13.6 % |
| Oranges (1 lb) |
0.80 € (437.84 ₡) |
1.34 € (731.33 ₡) |
+67.0 % |
| Tomato (1 lb) |
1.01 € (551.33 ₡) |
1.26 € (691.01 ₡) |
+25.3 % |
| Potato (1 lb) |
0.70 € (381.41 ₡) |
1.21 € (665.48 ₡) |
+74.5 % |
| Onion (1 lb) |
0.74 € (406.19 ₡) |
1.18 € (644.64 ₡) |
+58.7 % |
| Lettuce (1 head) |
1.12 € (612.72 ₡) |
0.92 € (505.79 ₡) |
-17.5 % |
| Water (1.5 liter bottle) |
0.66 € (361.70 ₡) |
2.27 € (1,243.91 ₡) |
+243.9 % |
| Bottle of Wine (Mid-Range) |
5.00 € (2,738.86 ₡) |
14.60 € (8,000.00 ₡) |
+192.1 % |
| Domestic Beer (0.5 liter bottle) |
1.10 € (600.68 ₡) |
2.14 € (1,172.85 ₡) |
+95.3 % |
| Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) |
1.80 € (985.09 ₡) |
2.51 € (1,377.11 ₡) |
+39.8 % |
| Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro) |
5.50 € (3,012.74 ₡) |
4.56 € (2,500.00 ₡) |
-17.0 % |
Transportation | Spain Edit |
Costa Rica Edit | |
| One-way Ticket (Local Transport) |
1.50 € (821.66 ₡) |
0.91 € (500.00 ₡) |
-39.1 % |
| Monthly Pass (Regular Price) |
30.00 € (16,433.13 ₡) |
45.64 € (25,000.00 ₡) |
+52.1 % |
| Taxi Start (Normal Tariff) |
3.67 € (2,013.06 ₡) |
1.66 € (910.00 ₡) |
-54.8 % |
| Taxi 1 mile (Normal Tariff) |
2.09 € (1,146.02 ₡) |
2.94 € (1,609.34 ₡) |
+40.4 % |
| Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff) |
23.00 € (12,598.74 ₡) |
7.02 € (3,845.00 ₡) |
-69.5 % |
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
5.86 € (3,211.08 ₡) |
5.17 € (2,833.28 ₡) |
-11.8 % |
| Volkswagen Golf 1.4 90 KW Trendline (Or Equivalent New Car) |
33,365.00 € (18,276,384.16 ₡) |
33,316.83 € (18,250,000.00 ₡) |
-0.1 % |
| Toyota Corolla Sedan 1.6l 97kW Comfort (Or Equivalent New Car) |
26,809.34 € (14,685,385.39 ₡) |
32,501.28 € (17,803,262.39 ₡) |
+21.2 % |
Utilities (Monthly) | Spain Edit |
Costa Rica Edit | |
| Basic (Electricity, Heating, Cooling, Water, Garbage) for 915 sq ft Apartment |
129.83 € (71,118.57 ₡) |
81.39 € (44,581.45 ₡) |
-37.3 % |
| Mobile Phone Monthly Plan with Calls and 10GB+ Data |
17.67 € (9,679.23 ₡) |
23.89 € (13,087.10 ₡) |
+35.2 % |
| Internet (60 Mbps or More, Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL) |
29.46 € (16,134.80 ₡) |
50.18 € (27,489.22 ₡) |
+70.4 % |
Sports And Leisure | Spain Edit |
Costa Rica Edit | |
| Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult |
39.96 € (21,889.89 ₡) |
52.77 € (28,906.16 ₡) |
+32.1 % |
| Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour on Weekend) |
13.61 € (7,456.27 ₡) |
27.95 € (15,308.33 ₡) |
+105.3 % |
| Cinema, International Release, 1 Seat |
8.00 € (4,382.17 ₡) |
7.30 € (4,000.00 ₡) |
-8.7 % |
Childcare | Spain Edit |
Costa Rica Edit | |
| Preschool (or Kindergarten), Full Day, Private, Monthly for 1 Child |
438.68 € (240,296.08 ₡) |
502.75 € (275,391.19 ₡) |
+14.6 % |
| International Primary School, Yearly for 1 Child |
8,492.94 € (4,652,184.81 ₡) |
9,066.07 € (4,966,129.05 ₡) |
+6.7 % |
Clothing And Shoes | Spain Edit |
Costa Rica Edit | |
| 1 Pair of Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar) |
74.23 € (40,660.60 ₡) |
67.48 € (36,964.42 ₡) |
-9.1 % |
| 1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, H&M, ...) |
31.41 € (17,206.13 ₡) |
50.82 € (27,836.38 ₡) |
+61.8 % |
| 1 Pair of Nike Running Shoes (Mid-Range) |
77.87 € (42,656.89 ₡) |
114.36 € (62,644.33 ₡) |
+46.9 % |
| 1 Pair of Men Leather Business Shoes |
91.08 € (49,888.88 ₡) |
98.51 € (53,963.63 ₡) |
+8.2 % |
Rent Per Month | Spain Edit |
Costa Rica Edit | |
| Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Centre |
922.32 € (505,222.97 ₡) |
723.12 € (396,104.73 ₡) |
-21.6 % |
| Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Centre |
712.19 € (390,116.73 ₡) |
485.34 € (265,857.56 ₡) |
-31.9 % |
| Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Centre |
1,449.07 € (793,759.45 ₡) |
1,338.93 € (733,428.01 ₡) |
-7.6 % |
| Apartment (3 bedrooms) Outside of Centre |
1,063.80 € (582,719.75 ₡) |
917.66 € (502,665.25 ₡) |
-13.7 % |
Buy Apartment Price | Spain Edit |
Costa Rica Edit | |
| Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment in City Centre |
339.02 € (185,704.03 ₡) |
228.59 € (125,213.76 ₡) |
-32.6 % |
| Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment Outside of Centre |
211.07 € (115,618.16 ₡) |
127.34 € (69,752.77 ₡) |
-39.7 % |
Salaries And Financing | Spain Edit |
Costa Rica Edit | |
| Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax) |
1,710.69 € (937,067.32 ₡) |
918.62 € (503,193.82 ₡) |
-46.3 % |
| Mortgage Interest Rate in Percentages (%), Yearly, for 20 Years Fixed-Rate | 3.52 | 10.29 | +192.4 % |
| Last update: | April 2025 | March 2025 | |
| Contributors in the past 12 months: | 1608 | 112 |
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