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 20.9% lower than in United States (without rent)
Cost of Living Including Rent in Costa Rica is 32.3% lower than in United States
Rent Prices in Costa Rica are 55.0% lower than in United States
Restaurant Prices in Costa Rica are 29.6% lower than in United States
Groceries Prices in Costa Rica are 19.8% lower than in United States
Local Purchasing Power in Costa Rica is 65.4% 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 $
(9,888.40 ₡)		 10.11 $
(5,000.00 ₡)		      -49.4 %
Meal for 2 People, Mid-range Restaurant, Three-course 75.00 $
(37,081.52 ₡)		 60.00 $
(29,665.21 ₡)		      -20.0 %
McMeal at McDonalds (or Equivalent Combo Meal) 11.00 $
(5,438.62 ₡)		 10.11 $
(5,000.00 ₡)		      -8.1 %
Domestic Beer (1 pint draught) 6.00 $
(2,966.52 ₡)		 3.03 $
(1,500.00 ₡)		      -49.4 %
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) 7.00 $
(3,460.94 ₡)		 4.58 $
(2,262.45 ₡)		      -34.6 %
Cappuccino (regular) 5.22 $
(2,581.64 ₡)		 3.97 $
(1,961.63 ₡)		      -24.0 %
Coke/Pepsi (12 oz small bottle) 2.55 $
(1,262.64 ₡)		 2.21 $
(1,090.80 ₡)		      -13.6 %
Water (12 oz small bottle) 2.08 $
(1,028.76 ₡)		 1.68 $
(833.00 ₡)		      -19.0 %
Markets
 United States Edit Costa Rica Edit
Milk (regular), (1 gallon) 4.00 $
(1,976.72 ₡)		 7.66 $
(3,786.66 ₡)		      +91.6 %
Loaf of Fresh White Bread (1 lb) 3.29 $
(1,627.73 ₡)		 2.87 $
(1,418.85 ₡)		      -12.8 %
Rice (white), (1 lb) 2.08 $
(1,030.10 ₡)		 1.08 $
(534.17 ₡)		      -48.1 %
Eggs (regular) (12) 4.16 $
(2,054.88 ₡)		 3.45 $
(1,706.29 ₡)		      -17.0 %
Local Cheese (1 lb) 5.88 $
(2,905.90 ₡)		 4.15 $
(2,050.63 ₡)		      -29.4 %
Chicken Fillets (1 lb) 5.51 $
(2,726.07 ₡)		 4.34 $
(2,147.49 ₡)		      -21.2 %
Beef Round (1 lb) (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) 7.36 $
(3,640.02 ₡)		 6.10 $
(3,016.80 ₡)		      -17.1 %
Apples (1 lb) 2.39 $
(1,183.00 ₡)		 2.04 $
(1,006.52 ₡)		      -14.9 %
Banana (1 lb) 0.76 $
(375.91 ₡)		 0.75 $
(369.01 ₡)		      -1.8 %
Oranges (1 lb) 2.04 $
(1,006.78 ₡)		 1.46 $
(721.48 ₡)		      -28.3 %
Tomato (1 lb) 2.23 $
(1,100.88 ₡)		 1.40 $
(690.35 ₡)		      -37.3 %
Potato (1 lb) 1.33 $
(656.55 ₡)		 1.35 $
(665.47 ₡)		      +1.4 %
Onion (1 lb) 1.39 $
(689.31 ₡)		 1.29 $
(638.18 ₡)		      -7.4 %
Lettuce (1 head) 2.20 $
(1,089.19 ₡)		 1.04 $
(512.34 ₡)		      -53.0 %
Water (1.5 liter bottle) 2.22 $
(1,099.61 ₡)		 2.52 $
(1,243.91 ₡)		      +13.1 %
Bottle of Wine (Mid-Range) 15.00 $
(7,416.30 ₡)		 16.18 $
(8,000.00 ₡)		      +7.9 %
Domestic Beer (0.5 liter bottle) 1.94 $
(959.91 ₡)		 2.42 $
(1,195.40 ₡)		      +24.5 %
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) 3.59 $
(1,774.05 ₡)		 2.83 $
(1,397.53 ₡)		      -21.2 %
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro) 10.00 $
(4,944.20 ₡)		 5.06 $
(2,500.00 ₡)		      -49.4 %
Transportation
 United States Edit Costa Rica Edit
One-way Ticket (Local Transport) 2.50 $
(1,236.05 ₡)		 1.01 $
(500.00 ₡)		      -59.5 %
Monthly Pass (Regular Price) 65.00 $
(32,137.31 ₡)		 46.32 $
(22,900.00 ₡)		      -28.7 %
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff) 3.75 $
(1,854.08 ₡)		 1.84 $
(910.00 ₡)		      -50.9 %
Taxi 1 mile (Normal Tariff) 2.80 $
(1,384.38 ₡)		 3.22 $
(1,591.38 ₡)		      +15.0 %
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff) 30.00 $
(14,832.61 ₡)		 7.78 $
(3,845.00 ₡)		      -74.1 %
Gasoline (1 gallon) 3.51 $
(1,737.73 ₡)		 5.73 $
(2,831.56 ₡)		      +62.9 %
Volkswagen Golf 1.4 90 KW Trendline (Or Equivalent New Car) 30,000.00 $
(14,832,606.75 ₡)		 36,911.92 $
(18,250,000.00 ₡)		      +23.0 %
Toyota Corolla Sedan 1.6l 97kW Comfort (Or Equivalent New Car) 25,965.89 $
(12,838,059.82 ₡)		 35,885.76 $
(17,742,645.42 ₡)		      +38.2 %
Utilities (Monthly)
 United States Edit Costa Rica Edit
Basic (Electricity, Heating, Cooling, Water, Garbage) for 915 sq ft Apartment 207.86 $
(102,769.77 ₡)		 89.94 $
(44,465.76 ₡)		      -56.7 %
Mobile Phone Monthly Plan with Calls and 10GB+ Data 57.20 $
(28,281.23 ₡)		 26.46 $
(13,081.88 ₡)		      -53.7 %
Internet (60 Mbps or More, Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL) 71.50 $
(35,350.03 ₡)		 55.08 $
(27,232.04 ₡)		      -23.0 %
Sports And Leisure
 United States Edit Costa Rica Edit
Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult 46.58 $
(23,027.92 ₡)		 58.32 $
(28,836.49 ₡)		      +25.2 %
Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour on Weekend) 21.84 $
(10,800.03 ₡)		 30.96 $
(15,308.33 ₡)		      +41.7 %
Cinema, International Release, 1 Seat 14.19 $
(7,015.82 ₡)		 8.09 $
(4,000.00 ₡)		      -43.0 %
Childcare
 United States Edit Costa Rica Edit
Preschool (or Kindergarten), Full Day, Private, Monthly for 1 Child 1,375.88 $
(680,264.46 ₡)		 556.58 $
(275,186.16 ₡)		      -59.5 %
International Primary School, Yearly for 1 Child 22,628.80 $
(11,188,135.47 ₡)		 9,997.84 $
(4,943,135.54 ₡)		      -55.8 %
Clothing And Shoes
 United States Edit Costa Rica Edit
1 Pair of Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar) 52.03 $
(25,722.95 ₡)		 74.66 $
(36,915.36 ₡)		      +43.5 %
1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, H&M, ...) 42.61 $
(21,065.38 ₡)		 56.47 $
(27,920.74 ₡)		      +32.5 %
1 Pair of Nike Running Shoes (Mid-Range) 89.50 $
(44,251.34 ₡)		 124.60 $
(61,606.03 ₡)		      +39.2 %
1 Pair of Men Leather Business Shoes 113.21 $
(55,971.79 ₡)		 108.94 $
(53,862.00 ₡)		      -3.8 %
Rent Per Month
 United States Edit Costa Rica Edit
Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Centre 1,745.26 $
(862,889.54 ₡)		 790.20 $
(390,689.55 ₡)		      -54.7 %
Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Centre 1,438.70 $
(711,321.73 ₡)		 533.55 $
(263,797.68 ₡)		      -62.9 %
Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Centre 2,912.04 $
(1,439,771.87 ₡)		 1,473.39 $
(728,474.00 ₡)		      -49.4 %
Apartment (3 bedrooms) Outside of Centre 2,400.26 $
(1,186,735.87 ₡)		 1,022.43 $
(505,510.03 ₡)		      -57.4 %
Buy Apartment Price
 United States Edit Costa Rica Edit
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment in City Centre 301.03 $
(148,837.51 ₡)		 252.10 $
(124,642.77 ₡)		      -16.3 %
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment Outside of Centre 252.05 $
(124,620.11 ₡)		 135.77 $
(67,125.75 ₡)		      -46.1 %
Salaries And Financing
 United States Edit Costa Rica Edit
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax) 4,338.12 $
(2,144,853.12 ₡)		 1,015.24 $
(501,956.86 ₡)		      -76.6 %
Mortgage Interest Rate in Percentages (%), Yearly, for 20 Years Fixed-Rate 6.57 10.29      +56.6 %
Last update: March 2025March 2025
Contributors in the past 12 months:10387111
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