Cost of Living Comparison Between United Kingdom and Costa Rica 
| Indices Difference |  |
|---|---|
| Cost of Living in Costa Rica is 17.2% lower than in United Kingdom (without rent) | |
| Cost of Living Including Rent in Costa Rica is 23.9% lower than in United Kingdom | |
| Rent Prices in Costa Rica are 40.9% lower than in United Kingdom | |
| Restaurant Prices in Costa Rica are 28.3% lower than in United Kingdom | |
| Groceries Prices in Costa Rica are 0.6% higher than in United Kingdom | |
| Local Purchasing Power in Costa Rica is 57.1% lower than in United Kingdom | |
Restaurants | United Kingdom Edit |
Costa Rica Edit | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meal, Inexpensive Restaurant |
15.00 £ (9,686.81 ₡) |
7.74 £ (5,000.00 ₡) |
-48.4 % |
| Meal for 2 People, Mid-range Restaurant, Three-course |
65.00 £ (41,976.16 ₡) |
46.36 £ (29,939.82 ₡) |
-28.7 % |
| McMeal at McDonalds (or Equivalent Combo Meal) |
7.50 £ (4,843.40 ₡) |
7.74 £ (5,000.00 ₡) |
+3.2 % |
| Domestic Beer (1 pint draught) |
5.00 £ (3,228.94 ₡) |
2.32 £ (1,500.00 ₡) |
-53.5 % |
| Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) |
4.50 £ (2,906.04 ₡) |
3.52 £ (2,272.74 ₡) |
-21.8 % |
| Cappuccino (regular) |
3.38 £ (2,181.04 ₡) |
3.04 £ (1,964.40 ₡) |
-9.9 % |
| Coke/Pepsi (12 oz small bottle) |
1.77 £ (1,142.24 ₡) |
1.69 £ (1,091.90 ₡) |
-4.4 % |
| Water (12 oz small bottle) |
1.26 £ (811.38 ₡) |
1.29 £ (833.63 ₡) |
+2.7 % |
Markets | United Kingdom Edit |
Costa Rica Edit | |
| Milk (regular), (1 gallon) |
4.70 £ (3,035.35 ₡) |
5.87 £ (3,788.11 ₡) |
+24.8 % |
| Loaf of Fresh White Bread (1 lb) |
1.12 £ (725.40 ₡) |
2.20 £ (1,419.98 ₡) |
+95.8 % |
| Rice (white), (1 lb) |
0.75 £ (482.01 ₡) |
0.83 £ (534.54 ₡) |
+10.9 % |
| Eggs (regular) (12) |
2.96 £ (1,913.98 ₡) |
2.64 £ (1,707.14 ₡) |
-10.8 % |
| Local Cheese (1 lb) |
3.25 £ (2,100.47 ₡) |
3.18 £ (2,051.26 ₡) |
-2.3 % |
| Chicken Fillets (1 lb) |
2.99 £ (1,933.94 ₡) |
3.33 £ (2,148.64 ₡) |
+11.1 % |
| Beef Round (1 lb) (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) |
4.70 £ (3,035.52 ₡) |
4.67 £ (3,017.74 ₡) |
-0.6 % |
| Apples (1 lb) |
0.99 £ (637.91 ₡) |
1.56 £ (1,006.78 ₡) |
+57.8 % |
| Banana (1 lb) |
0.54 £ (350.28 ₡) |
0.57 £ (369.34 ₡) |
+5.4 % |
| Oranges (1 lb) |
0.97 £ (623.37 ₡) |
1.12 £ (721.64 ₡) |
+15.8 % |
| Tomato (1 lb) |
1.19 £ (766.51 ₡) |
1.07 £ (690.62 ₡) |
-9.9 % |
| Potato (1 lb) |
0.55 £ (352.27 ₡) |
1.03 £ (665.75 ₡) |
+89.0 % |
| Onion (1 lb) |
0.51 £ (331.83 ₡) |
0.99 £ (638.47 ₡) |
+92.4 % |
| Lettuce (1 head) |
0.83 £ (535.69 ₡) |
0.79 £ (512.71 ₡) |
-4.3 % |
| Water (1.5 liter bottle) |
1.12 £ (725.22 ₡) |
1.93 £ (1,243.91 ₡) |
+71.5 % |
| Bottle of Wine (Mid-Range) |
8.00 £ (5,166.30 ₡) |
12.39 £ (8,000.00 ₡) |
+54.8 % |
| Domestic Beer (0.5 liter bottle) |
2.06 £ (1,333.49 ₡) |
1.85 £ (1,196.15 ₡) |
-10.3 % |
| Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) |
2.45 £ (1,583.77 ₡) |
2.17 £ (1,398.97 ₡) |
-11.7 % |
| Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro) |
14.60 £ (9,428.49 ₡) |
3.87 £ (2,500.00 ₡) |
-73.5 % |
Transportation | United Kingdom Edit |
Costa Rica Edit | |
| One-way Ticket (Local Transport) |
2.40 £ (1,549.89 ₡) |
0.77 £ (500.00 ₡) |
-67.7 % |
| Monthly Pass (Regular Price) |
70.00 £ (45,205.09 ₡) |
35.46 £ (22,900.00 ₡) |
-49.3 % |
| Taxi Start (Normal Tariff) |
3.85 £ (2,486.28 ₡) |
1.41 £ (910.00 ₡) |
-63.4 % |
| Taxi 1 mile (Normal Tariff) |
2.74 £ (1,766.80 ₡) |
2.49 £ (1,606.12 ₡) |
-9.1 % |
| Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff) |
20.00 £ (12,915.74 ₡) |
5.95 £ (3,845.00 ₡) |
-70.2 % |
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
5.47 £ (3,532.55 ₡) |
4.39 £ (2,832.57 ₡) |
-19.8 % |
| Volkswagen Golf 1.4 90 KW Trendline (Or Equivalent New Car) |
28,285.00 £ (18,266,085.56 ₡) |
28,260.09 £ (18,250,000.00 ₡) |
-0.1 % |
| Toyota Corolla Sedan 1.6l 97kW Comfort (Or Equivalent New Car) |
29,735.51 £ (19,202,804.43 ₡) |
27,529.59 £ (17,778,254.11 ₡) |
-7.4 % |
Utilities (Monthly) | United Kingdom Edit |
Costa Rica Edit | |
| Basic (Electricity, Heating, Cooling, Water, Garbage) for 915 sq ft Apartment |
239.06 £ (154,379.27 ₡) |
68.90 £ (44,494.09 ₡) |
-71.2 % |
| Mobile Phone Monthly Plan with Calls and 10GB+ Data |
12.78 £ (8,250.60 ₡) |
20.26 £ (13,084.93 ₡) |
+58.6 % |
| Internet (60 Mbps or More, Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL) |
30.97 £ (19,999.20 ₡) |
42.22 £ (27,263.98 ₡) |
+36.3 % |
Sports And Leisure | United Kingdom Edit |
Costa Rica Edit | |
| Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult |
33.82 £ (21,838.23 ₡) |
44.72 £ (28,880.58 ₡) |
+32.2 % |
| Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour on Weekend) |
11.47 £ (7,407.02 ₡) |
23.70 £ (15,308.33 ₡) |
+106.7 % |
| Cinema, International Release, 1 Seat |
10.00 £ (6,457.87 ₡) |
6.19 £ (4,000.00 ₡) |
-38.1 % |
Childcare | United Kingdom Edit |
Costa Rica Edit | |
| Preschool (or Kindergarten), Full Day, Private, Monthly for 1 Child |
1,245.49 £ (804,324.23 ₡) |
426.31 £ (275,306.61 ₡) |
-65.8 % |
| International Primary School, Yearly for 1 Child |
15,402.61 £ (9,946,807.86 ₡) |
7,675.35 £ (4,956,642.79 ₡) |
-50.2 % |
Clothing And Shoes | United Kingdom Edit |
Costa Rica Edit | |
| 1 Pair of Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar) |
65.18 £ (42,094.58 ₡) |
57.22 £ (36,951.98 ₡) |
-12.2 % |
| 1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, H&M, ...) |
32.66 £ (21,091.19 ₡) |
43.26 £ (27,937.91 ₡) |
+32.5 % |
| 1 Pair of Nike Running Shoes (Mid-Range) |
74.64 £ (48,201.89 ₡) |
95.48 £ (61,660.48 ₡) |
+27.9 % |
| 1 Pair of Men Leather Business Shoes |
75.83 £ (48,971.71 ₡) |
83.50 £ (53,921.70 ₡) |
+10.1 % |
Rent Per Month | United Kingdom Edit |
Costa Rica Edit | |
| Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Centre |
1,032.11 £ (666,521.61 ₡) |
607.42 £ (392,263.14 ₡) |
-41.1 % |
| Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Centre |
838.11 £ (541,240.98 ₡) |
409.87 £ (264,685.73 ₡) |
-51.1 % |
| Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Centre |
1,732.30 £ (1,118,695.62 ₡) |
1,132.65 £ (731,452.55 ₡) |
-34.6 % |
| Apartment (3 bedrooms) Outside of Centre |
1,361.57 £ (879,286.73 ₡) |
785.94 £ (507,552.43 ₡) |
-42.3 % |
Buy Apartment Price | United Kingdom Edit |
Costa Rica Edit | |
| Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment in City Centre |
447.62 £ (289,066.93 ₡) |
193.52 £ (124,970.93 ₡) |
-56.8 % |
| Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment Outside of Centre |
352.91 £ (227,907.83 ₡) |
104.24 £ (67,315.46 ₡) |
-70.5 % |
Salaries And Financing | United Kingdom Edit |
Costa Rica Edit | |
| Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax) |
2,383.89 £ (1,539,483.54 ₡) |
778.25 £ (502,581.15 ₡) |
-67.4 % |
| Mortgage Interest Rate in Percentages (%), Yearly, for 20 Years Fixed-Rate | 5.77 | 10.29 | +78.3 % |
| Last update: | March 2025 | March 2025 | |
| Contributors in the past 12 months: | 2879 | 111 |
Other comparisons United Kingdom vs Costa Rica:
- Quality of Life Comparison United Kingdom vs Costa Rica
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- Property Prices Comparison United Kingdom vs Costa Rica
- Traffic Comparison United Kingdom vs Costa Rica