Cost of Living Comparison Between Uruguay and Costa Rica 
| Indices Difference |  |
|---|---|
| Cost of Living in Costa Rica is 1.6% higher than in Uruguay (excluding rent) | |
| Cost of Living Including Rent in Costa Rica is 7.3% higher than in Uruguay | |
| Rent Prices in Costa Rica are 33.4% higher than in Uruguay | |
| Restaurant Prices in Costa Rica are 12.1% lower than in Uruguay | |
| Groceries Prices in Costa Rica are 14.3% higher than in Uruguay | |
| Local Purchasing Power in Costa Rica is 4.8% higher than in Uruguay | |
Restaurants | Uruguay Edit |
Costa Rica Edit | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meal, Inexpensive Restaurant |
700.00 $U (8,433.21 ₡) |
415.03 $U (5,000.00 ₡) |
-40.7 % |
| Meal for 2 People, Mid-range Restaurant, Three-course |
2,200.00 $U (26,504.38 ₡) |
2,490.15 $U (30,000.00 ₡) |
+13.2 % |
| McMeal at McDonalds (or Equivalent Combo Meal) |
470.00 $U (5,662.30 ₡) |
415.03 $U (5,000.00 ₡) |
-11.7 % |
| Domestic Beer (1 pint draught) |
152.00 $U (1,831.21 ₡) |
124.51 $U (1,500.00 ₡) |
-18.1 % |
| Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) |
150.00 $U (1,807.12 ₡) |
199.21 $U (2,400.00 ₡) |
+32.8 % |
| Cappuccino (regular) |
169.24 $U (2,038.94 ₡) |
165.47 $U (1,993.43 ₡) |
-2.2 % |
| Coke/Pepsi (12 oz small bottle) |
96.35 $U (1,160.75 ₡) |
90.98 $U (1,096.11 ₡) |
-5.6 % |
| Water (12 oz small bottle) |
73.42 $U (884.54 ₡) |
70.25 $U (846.30 ₡) |
-4.3 % |
Markets | Uruguay Edit |
Costa Rica Edit | |
| Milk (regular), (1 gallon) |
182.07 $U (2,193.51 ₡) |
315.24 $U (3,797.89 ₡) |
+73.1 % |
| Loaf of Fresh White Bread (1 lb) |
99.00 $U (1,192.70 ₡) |
120.07 $U (1,446.52 ₡) |
+21.3 % |
| Rice (white), (1 lb) |
29.79 $U (358.94 ₡) |
44.95 $U (541.52 ₡) |
+50.9 % |
| Eggs (regular) (12) |
173.26 $U (2,087.35 ₡) |
142.22 $U (1,713.41 ₡) |
-17.9 % |
| Local Cheese (1 lb) |
252.74 $U (3,044.84 ₡) |
174.67 $U (2,104.28 ₡) |
-30.9 % |
| Chicken Fillets (1 lb) |
194.78 $U (2,346.59 ₡) |
178.17 $U (2,146.49 ₡) |
-8.5 % |
| Beef Round (1 lb) (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) |
201.11 $U (2,422.92 ₡) |
249.51 $U (3,005.95 ₡) |
+24.1 % |
| Apples (1 lb) |
51.81 $U (624.20 ₡) |
82.98 $U (999.75 ₡) |
+60.2 % |
| Banana (1 lb) |
44.54 $U (536.57 ₡) |
30.69 $U (369.78 ₡) |
-31.1 % |
| Oranges (1 lb) |
27.69 $U (333.57 ₡) |
60.72 $U (731.52 ₡) |
+119.3 % |
| Tomato (1 lb) |
61.68 $U (743.05 ₡) |
57.37 $U (691.16 ₡) |
-7.0 % |
| Potato (1 lb) |
37.09 $U (446.79 ₡) |
56.17 $U (676.76 ₡) |
+51.5 % |
| Onion (1 lb) |
37.56 $U (452.48 ₡) |
53.54 $U (644.99 ₡) |
+42.5 % |
| Lettuce (1 head) |
53.26 $U (641.70 ₡) |
42.02 $U (506.25 ₡) |
-21.1 % |
| Water (1.5 liter bottle) |
69.79 $U (840.85 ₡) |
103.25 $U (1,243.91 ₡) |
+47.9 % |
| Bottle of Wine (Mid-Range) |
313.00 $U (3,770.85 ₡) |
664.04 $U (8,000.00 ₡) |
+112.2 % |
| Domestic Beer (0.5 liter bottle) |
90.23 $U (1,087.10 ₡) |
97.39 $U (1,173.30 ₡) |
+7.9 % |
| Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) |
120.70 $U (1,454.13 ₡) |
114.35 $U (1,377.59 ₡) |
-5.3 % |
| Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro) |
210.00 $U (2,529.96 ₡) |
207.51 $U (2,500.00 ₡) |
-1.2 % |
Transportation | Uruguay Edit |
Costa Rica Edit | |
| One-way Ticket (Local Transport) |
50.00 $U (602.37 ₡) |
41.50 $U (500.00 ₡) |
-17.0 % |
| Monthly Pass (Regular Price) |
1,800.00 $U (21,685.40 ₡) |
2,075.13 $U (25,000.00 ₡) |
+15.3 % |
| Taxi Start (Normal Tariff) |
60.00 $U (722.85 ₡) |
75.53 $U (910.00 ₡) |
+25.9 % |
| Taxi 1 mile (Normal Tariff) |
104.61 $U (1,260.25 ₡) |
133.58 $U (1,609.34 ₡) |
+27.7 % |
| Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff) |
450.00 $U (5,421.35 ₡) |
319.15 $U (3,845.00 ₡) |
-29.1 % |
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
295.58 $U (3,560.97 ₡) |
235.28 $U (2,834.48 ₡) |
-20.4 % |
| Volkswagen Golf 1.4 90 KW Trendline (Or Equivalent New Car) |
1,600,000.00 $U (19,275,915.44 ₡) |
1,514,843.75 $U (18,250,000.00 ₡) |
-5.3 % |
| Toyota Corolla Sedan 1.6l 97kW Comfort (Or Equivalent New Car) |
1,568,275.09 $U (18,893,711.26 ₡) |
1,481,280.41 $U (17,845,647.45 ₡) |
-5.5 % |
Utilities (Monthly) | Uruguay Edit |
Costa Rica Edit | |
| Basic (Electricity, Heating, Cooling, Water, Garbage) for 915 sq ft Apartment |
5,829.23 $U (70,227.34 ₡) |
3,703.29 $U (44,615.18 ₡) |
-36.5 % |
| Mobile Phone Monthly Plan with Calls and 10GB+ Data |
708.33 $U (8,533.61 ₡) |
1,071.57 $U (12,909.67 ₡) |
+51.3 % |
| Internet (60 Mbps or More, Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL) |
1,729.86 $U (20,840.40 ₡) |
2,283.77 $U (27,513.62 ₡) |
+32.0 % |
Sports And Leisure | Uruguay Edit |
Costa Rica Edit | |
| Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult |
2,288.31 $U (27,568.29 ₡) |
2,388.89 $U (28,779.99 ₡) |
+4.4 % |
| Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour on Weekend) |
806.25 $U (9,713.25 ₡) |
1,270.67 $U (15,308.33 ₡) |
+57.6 % |
| Cinema, International Release, 1 Seat |
415.00 $U (4,999.69 ₡) |
332.02 $U (4,000.00 ₡) |
-20.0 % |
Childcare | Uruguay Edit |
Costa Rica Edit | |
| Preschool (or Kindergarten), Full Day, Private, Monthly for 1 Child |
16,595.62 $U (199,934.92 ₡) |
22,870.78 $U (275,534.56 ₡) |
+37.8 % |
| International Primary School, Yearly for 1 Child |
340,771.01 $U (4,105,420.78 ₡) |
404,619.93 $U (4,874,637.20 ₡) |
+18.7 % |
Clothing And Shoes | Uruguay Edit |
Costa Rica Edit | |
| 1 Pair of Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar) |
3,679.51 $U (44,328.71 ₡) |
3,069.14 $U (36,975.32 ₡) |
-16.6 % |
| 1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, H&M, ...) |
1,988.86 $U (23,960.64 ₡) |
2,287.98 $U (27,564.32 ₡) |
+15.0 % |
| 1 Pair of Nike Running Shoes (Mid-Range) |
4,707.71 $U (56,715.94 ₡) |
5,204.63 $U (62,702.56 ₡) |
+10.6 % |
| 1 Pair of Men Leather Business Shoes |
4,760.07 $U (57,346.73 ₡) |
4,485.16 $U (54,034.68 ₡) |
-5.8 % |
Rent Per Month | Uruguay Edit |
Costa Rica Edit | |
| Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Centre |
24,322.22 $U (293,020.65 ₡) |
32,472.34 $U (391,208.76 ₡) |
+33.5 % |
| Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Centre |
18,593.71 $U (224,006.73 ₡) |
22,166.76 $U (267,052.89 ₡) |
+19.2 % |
| Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Centre |
42,517.08 $U (512,222.28 ₡) |
61,148.78 $U (736,686.65 ₡) |
+43.8 % |
| Apartment (3 bedrooms) Outside of Centre |
32,811.97 $U (395,300.52 ₡) |
41,901.78 $U (504,809.44 ₡) |
+27.7 % |
Buy Apartment Price | Uruguay Edit |
Costa Rica Edit | |
| Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment in City Centre |
11,295.98 $U (136,087.74 ₡) |
10,400.19 $U (125,295.78 ₡) |
-7.9 % |
| Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment Outside of Centre |
9,405.28 $U (113,309.59 ₡) |
5,810.14 $U (69,997.39 ₡) |
-38.2 % |
Salaries And Financing | Uruguay Edit |
Costa Rica Edit | |
| Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax) |
37,879.56 $U (456,351.94 ₡) |
42,594.50 $U (513,154.97 ₡) |
+12.4 % |
| Mortgage Interest Rate in Percentages (%), Yearly, for 20 Years Fixed-Rate | 6.30 | 10.29 | +63.3 % |
| Last update: | April 2025 | April 2025 | |
| Contributors in the past 12 months: | 120 | 114 |
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