Cost of Living Comparison Between United States and Costa Rica Reverse

For major cities in those countries you get more relevant data by specifying cities.
City in United States:
City in Costa Rica:
Indices DifferenceInfo
Cost of Living in Costa Rica is 22.7% lower than in United States (excluding rent)
Cost of Living Including Rent in Costa Rica is 33.6% lower than in United States
Rent Prices in Costa Rica are 55.8% lower than in United States
Restaurant Prices in Costa Rica are 31.3% lower than in United States
Groceries Prices in Costa Rica are 21.6% lower than in United States
Local Purchasing Power in Costa Rica is 65.2% lower than in United States
Currency: Sticky Currency      Switch to metric measurement units
Restaurants
 United States Edit Costa Rica Edit Difference
Meal, Inexpensive Restaurant 20.00 $
(10,126.01 ₡)		 9.88 $
(5,000.00 ₡)		      -50.6 %
Meal for 2 People, Mid-range Restaurant, Three-course 75.00 $
(37,972.56 ₡)		 59.25 $
(30,000.00 ₡)		      -21.0 %
McMeal at McDonalds (or Equivalent Combo Meal) 11.50 $
(5,822.46 ₡)		 9.88 $
(5,000.00 ₡)		      -14.1 %
Domestic Beer (1 pint draught) 6.00 $
(3,037.80 ₡)		 2.96 $
(1,500.00 ₡)		      -50.6 %
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) 7.00 $
(3,544.11 ₡)		 4.42 $
(2,239.18 ₡)		      -36.8 %
Cappuccino (regular) 5.24 $
(2,651.63 ₡)		 3.94 $
(1,996.32 ₡)		      -24.7 %
Coke/Pepsi (12 oz small bottle) 2.56 $
(1,297.66 ₡)		 2.16 $
(1,091.24 ₡)		      -15.9 %
Water (12 oz small bottle) 2.09 $
(1,058.04 ₡)		 1.68 $
(850.11 ₡)		      -19.7 %
Markets
 United States Edit Costa Rica Edit
Milk (regular), (1 gallon) 4.01 $
(2,028.18 ₡)		 7.63 $
(3,863.02 ₡)		      +90.5 %
Loaf of Fresh White Bread (1 lb) 3.29 $
(1,667.48 ₡)		 2.86 $
(1,449.50 ₡)		      -13.1 %
Rice (white), (1 lb) 2.09 $
(1,058.95 ₡)		 1.12 $
(566.41 ₡)		      -46.5 %
Eggs (regular) (12) 4.28 $
(2,165.77 ₡)		 3.38 $
(1,712.47 ₡)		      -20.9 %
Local Cheese (1 lb) 5.87 $
(2,969.66 ₡)		 4.07 $
(2,058.72 ₡)		      -30.7 %
Chicken Fillets (1 lb) 5.53 $
(2,800.19 ₡)		 4.19 $
(2,120.64 ₡)		      -24.3 %
Beef Round (1 lb) (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) 7.40 $
(3,744.65 ₡)		 6.01 $
(3,042.73 ₡)		      -18.7 %
Apples (1 lb) 2.40 $
(1,213.85 ₡)		 2.03 $
(1,029.96 ₡)		      -15.1 %
Banana (1 lb) 0.76 $
(386.13 ₡)		 0.73 $
(368.05 ₡)		      -4.7 %
Oranges (1 lb) 2.04 $
(1,033.55 ₡)		 1.40 $
(706.45 ₡)		      -31.6 %
Tomato (1 lb) 2.23 $
(1,127.65 ₡)		 1.35 $
(681.65 ₡)		      -39.6 %
Potato (1 lb) 1.33 $
(674.21 ₡)		 1.33 $
(671.15 ₡)		      -0.5 %
Onion (1 lb) 1.39 $
(706.00 ₡)		 1.24 $
(627.58 ₡)		      -11.1 %
Lettuce (1 head) 2.20 $
(1,114.73 ₡)		 1.01 $
(509.08 ₡)		      -54.3 %
Water (1.5 liter bottle) 2.23 $
(1,129.22 ₡)		 2.49 $
(1,260.31 ₡)		      +11.6 %
Bottle of Wine (Mid-Range) 15.00 $
(7,594.51 ₡)		 15.80 $
(8,000.00 ₡)		      +5.3 %
Domestic Beer (0.5 liter bottle) 1.95 $
(989.74 ₡)		 2.30 $
(1,163.20 ₡)		      +17.5 %
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) 3.60 $
(1,821.18 ₡)		 2.74 $
(1,388.94 ₡)		      -23.7 %
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro) 10.00 $
(5,063.01 ₡)		 4.94 $
(2,500.00 ₡)		      -50.6 %
Transportation
 United States Edit Costa Rica Edit
One-way Ticket (Local Transport) 2.50 $
(1,265.75 ₡)		 0.99 $
(500.00 ₡)		      -60.5 %
Monthly Pass (Regular Price) 65.00 $
(32,909.55 ₡)		 49.38 $
(25,000.00 ₡)		      -24.0 %
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff) 3.75 $
(1,898.63 ₡)		 1.82 $
(920.00 ₡)		      -51.5 %
Taxi 1 mile (Normal Tariff) 2.80 $
(1,417.64 ₡)		 3.10 $
(1,569.11 ₡)		      +10.7 %
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff) 30.00 $
(15,189.02 ₡)		 7.59 $
(3,845.00 ₡)		      -74.7 %
Gasoline (1 gallon) 3.50 $
(1,772.91 ₡)		 5.58 $
(2,825.38 ₡)		      +59.4 %
Volkswagen Golf 1.4 90 KW Trendline (Or Equivalent New Car) 30,000.00 $
(15,189,022.05 ₡)		 36,440.79 $
(18,450,000.00 ₡)		      +21.5 %
Toyota Corolla Sedan 1.6l 97kW Comfort (Or Equivalent New Car) 25,969.88 $
(13,148,567.06 ₡)		 34,842.85 $
(17,640,960.94 ₡)		      +34.2 %
Utilities (Monthly)
 United States Edit Costa Rica Edit
Basic (Electricity, Heating, Cooling, Water, Garbage) for 915 sq ft Apartment 208.47 $
(105,550.15 ₡)		 86.39 $
(43,736.97 ₡)		      -58.6 %
Mobile Phone Monthly Plan with Calls and 10GB+ Data 57.25 $
(28,987.02 ₡)		 25.60 $
(12,959.77 ₡)		      -55.3 %
Internet (60 Mbps or More, Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL) 71.63 $
(36,265.71 ₡)		 53.96 $
(27,320.71 ₡)		      -24.7 %
Sports And Leisure
 United States Edit Costa Rica Edit
Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult 46.25 $
(23,415.34 ₡)		 57.80 $
(29,264.16 ₡)		      +25.0 %
Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour on Weekend) 21.91 $
(11,092.83 ₡)		 28.68 $
(14,520.23 ₡)		      +30.9 %
Cinema, International Release, 1 Seat 14.44 $
(7,310.98 ₡)		 8.89 $
(4,500.00 ₡)		      -38.4 %
Childcare
 United States Edit Costa Rica Edit
Preschool (or Kindergarten), Full Day, Private, Monthly for 1 Child 1,373.10 $
(695,202.04 ₡)		 547.03 $
(276,963.83 ₡)		      -60.2 %
International Primary School, Yearly for 1 Child 22,558.60 $
(11,421,435.06 ₡)		 9,961.20 $
(5,043,361.69 ₡)		      -55.8 %
Clothing And Shoes
 United States Edit Costa Rica Edit
1 Pair of Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar) 52.13 $
(26,395.72 ₡)		 72.50 $
(36,704.42 ₡)		      +39.1 %
1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, H&M, ...) 42.49 $
(21,514.51 ₡)		 54.81 $
(27,749.31 ₡)		      +29.0 %
1 Pair of Nike Running Shoes (Mid-Range) 89.89 $
(45,510.97 ₡)		 120.33 $
(60,925.08 ₡)		      +33.9 %
1 Pair of Men Leather Business Shoes 113.41 $
(57,420.30 ₡)		 105.54 $
(53,432.93 ₡)		      -6.9 %
Rent Per Month
 United States Edit Costa Rica Edit
Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Centre 1,744.81 $
(883,397.13 ₡)		 776.44 $
(393,111.92 ₡)		      -55.5 %
Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Centre 1,438.58 $
(728,355.70 ₡)		 523.12 $
(264,856.74 ₡)		      -63.6 %
Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Centre 2,896.73 $
(1,466,615.52 ₡)		 1,453.23 $
(735,771.44 ₡)		      -49.8 %
Apartment (3 bedrooms) Outside of Centre 2,402.93 $
(1,216,607.20 ₡)		 1,000.87 $
(506,740.43 ₡)		      -58.3 %
Buy Apartment Price
 United States Edit Costa Rica Edit
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment in City Centre 299.82 $
(151,798.78 ₡)		 237.86 $
(120,429.67 ₡)		      -20.7 %
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment Outside of Centre 252.22 $
(127,698.25 ₡)		 129.81 $
(65,725.33 ₡)		      -48.5 %
Salaries And Financing
 United States Edit Costa Rica Edit
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax) 4,328.05 $
(2,191,292.64 ₡)		 999.56 $
(506,076.92 ₡)		      -76.9 %
Mortgage Interest Rate in Percentages (%), Yearly, for 20 Years Fixed-Rate 6.51 10.53      +61.8 %
Last update: May 2025May 2025
Contributors in the past 12 months:11110121
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