Cost of Living Comparison Between Costa Rica and Malaysia 
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| Indices Difference |  |
|---|---|
| Cost of Living in Malaysia is 37.3% lower than in Costa Rica (excluding rent) | |
| Cost of Living Including Rent in Malaysia is 40.3% lower than in Costa Rica | |
| Rent Prices in Malaysia are 50.5% lower than in Costa Rica | |
| Restaurant Prices in Malaysia are 50.3% lower than in Costa Rica | |
| Groceries Prices in Malaysia are 29.7% lower than in Costa Rica | |
| Local Purchasing Power in Malaysia is 55.9% higher than in Costa Rica | |
Restaurants | Costa Rica Edit |
Malaysia Edit | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meal, Inexpensive Restaurant |
5,000.00 ₡ (41.58 RM) |
1,803.93 ₡ (15.00 RM) |
-63.9 % |
| Meal for 2 People, Mid-range Restaurant, Three-course |
30,000.00 ₡ (249.45 RM) |
12,026.23 ₡ (100.00 RM) |
-59.9 % |
| McMeal at McDonalds (or Equivalent Combo Meal) |
5,000.00 ₡ (41.58 RM) |
2,405.25 ₡ (20.00 RM) |
-51.9 % |
| Domestic Beer (1 pint draught) |
1,500.00 ₡ (12.47 RM) |
1,924.20 ₡ (16.00 RM) |
+28.3 % |
| Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) |
2,289.73 ₡ (19.04 RM) |
2,405.25 ₡ (20.00 RM) |
+5.0 % |
| Cappuccino (regular) |
2,006.41 ₡ (16.68 RM) |
1,404.82 ₡ (11.68 RM) |
-30.0 % |
| Coke/Pepsi (12 oz small bottle) |
1,090.08 ₡ (9.06 RM) |
390.79 ₡ (3.25 RM) |
-64.2 % |
| Water (12 oz small bottle) |
848.73 ₡ (7.06 RM) |
212.62 ₡ (1.77 RM) |
-74.9 % |
Markets | Costa Rica Edit |
Malaysia Edit | |
| Milk (regular), (1 gallon) |
3,863.46 ₡ (32.13 RM) |
3,477.05 ₡ (28.91 RM) |
-10.0 % |
| Loaf of Fresh White Bread (1 lb) |
1,449.85 ₡ (12.06 RM) |
444.90 ₡ (3.70 RM) |
-69.3 % |
| Rice (white), (1 lb) |
566.54 ₡ (4.71 RM) |
315.41 ₡ (2.62 RM) |
-44.3 % |
| Eggs (regular) (12) |
1,713.06 ₡ (14.24 RM) |
1,046.04 ₡ (8.70 RM) |
-38.9 % |
| Local Cheese (1 lb) |
2,059.25 ₡ (17.12 RM) |
3,192.21 ₡ (26.54 RM) |
+55.0 % |
| Chicken Fillets (1 lb) |
2,121.18 ₡ (17.64 RM) |
943.91 ₡ (7.85 RM) |
-55.5 % |
| Beef Round (1 lb) (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) |
3,043.27 ₡ (25.31 RM) |
1,947.00 ₡ (16.19 RM) |
-36.0 % |
| Apples (1 lb) |
1,030.14 ₡ (8.57 RM) |
652.28 ₡ (5.42 RM) |
-36.7 % |
| Banana (1 lb) |
368.20 ₡ (3.06 RM) |
337.61 ₡ (2.81 RM) |
-8.3 % |
| Oranges (1 lb) |
706.62 ₡ (5.88 RM) |
599.27 ₡ (4.98 RM) |
-15.2 % |
| Tomato (1 lb) |
681.78 ₡ (5.67 RM) |
345.01 ₡ (2.87 RM) |
-49.4 % |
| Potato (1 lb) |
671.27 ₡ (5.58 RM) |
250.41 ₡ (2.08 RM) |
-62.7 % |
| Onion (1 lb) |
627.74 ₡ (5.22 RM) |
280.98 ₡ (2.34 RM) |
-55.2 % |
| Lettuce (1 head) |
509.37 ₡ (4.24 RM) |
535.62 ₡ (4.45 RM) |
+5.2 % |
| Water (1.5 liter bottle) |
1,260.31 ₡ (10.48 RM) |
288.12 ₡ (2.40 RM) |
-77.1 % |
| Bottle of Wine (Mid-Range) |
8,000.00 ₡ (66.52 RM) |
9,019.67 ₡ (75.00 RM) |
+12.7 % |
| Domestic Beer (0.5 liter bottle) |
1,163.40 ₡ (9.67 RM) |
1,454.04 ₡ (12.09 RM) |
+25.0 % |
| Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) |
1,389.37 ₡ (11.55 RM) |
1,899.30 ₡ (15.79 RM) |
+36.7 % |
| Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro) |
2,500.00 ₡ (20.79 RM) |
2,164.72 ₡ (18.00 RM) |
-13.4 % |
Transportation | Costa Rica Edit |
Malaysia Edit | |
| One-way Ticket (Local Transport) |
500.00 ₡ (4.16 RM) |
360.79 ₡ (3.00 RM) |
-27.8 % |
| Monthly Pass (Regular Price) |
25,000.00 ₡ (207.88 RM) |
6,013.11 ₡ (50.00 RM) |
-75.9 % |
| Taxi Start (Normal Tariff) |
920.00 ₡ (7.65 RM) |
601.31 ₡ (5.00 RM) |
-34.6 % |
| Taxi 1 mile (Normal Tariff) |
1,569.11 ₡ (13.05 RM) |
725.79 ₡ (6.04 RM) |
-53.7 % |
| Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff) |
3,845.00 ₡ (31.97 RM) |
3,006.56 ₡ (25.00 RM) |
-21.8 % |
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
2,825.94 ₡ (23.50 RM) |
934.71 ₡ (7.77 RM) |
-66.9 % |
| Volkswagen Golf 1.4 90 KW Trendline (Or Equivalent New Car) |
18,450,000.00 ₡ (153,414.71 RM) |
20,143,928.55 ₡ (167,500.00 RM) |
+9.2 % |
| Toyota Corolla Sedan 1.6l 97kW Comfort (Or Equivalent New Car) |
17,660,636.28 ₡ (146,851.03 RM) |
15,973,886.74 ₡ (132,825.43 RM) |
-9.6 % |
Utilities (Monthly) | Costa Rica Edit |
Malaysia Edit | |
| Basic (Electricity, Heating, Cooling, Water, Garbage) for 915 sq ft Apartment |
43,745.81 ₡ (363.75 RM) |
25,886.97 ₡ (215.25 RM) |
-40.8 % |
| Mobile Phone Monthly Plan with Calls and 10GB+ Data |
12,964.61 ₡ (107.80 RM) |
5,298.64 ₡ (44.06 RM) |
-59.1 % |
| Internet (60 Mbps or More, Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL) |
27,333.59 ₡ (227.28 RM) |
13,724.68 ₡ (114.12 RM) |
-49.8 % |
Sports And Leisure | Costa Rica Edit |
Malaysia Edit | |
| Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult |
29,281.51 ₡ (243.48 RM) |
18,682.02 ₡ (155.34 RM) |
-36.2 % |
| Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour on Weekend) |
14,522.18 ₡ (120.75 RM) |
3,426.20 ₡ (28.49 RM) |
-76.4 % |
| Cinema, International Release, 1 Seat |
4,500.00 ₡ (37.42 RM) |
2,405.25 ₡ (20.00 RM) |
-46.6 % |
Childcare | Costa Rica Edit |
Malaysia Edit | |
| Preschool (or Kindergarten), Full Day, Private, Monthly for 1 Child |
277,090.27 ₡ (2,304.05 RM) |
92,354.49 ₡ (767.94 RM) |
-66.7 % |
| International Primary School, Yearly for 1 Child |
5,052,035.91 ₡ (42,008.49 RM) |
3,524,435.86 ₡ (29,306.25 RM) |
-30.2 % |
Clothing And Shoes | Costa Rica Edit |
Malaysia Edit | |
| 1 Pair of Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar) |
36,709.29 ₡ (305.24 RM) |
30,586.09 ₡ (254.33 RM) |
-16.7 % |
| 1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, H&M, ...) |
27,762.93 ₡ (230.85 RM) |
17,022.98 ₡ (141.55 RM) |
-38.7 % |
| 1 Pair of Nike Running Shoes (Mid-Range) |
60,950.37 ₡ (506.81 RM) |
38,771.82 ₡ (322.39 RM) |
-36.4 % |
| 1 Pair of Men Leather Business Shoes |
53,464.54 ₡ (444.57 RM) |
33,451.81 ₡ (278.16 RM) |
-37.4 % |
Rent Per Month | Costa Rica Edit |
Malaysia Edit | |
| Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Centre |
394,155.88 ₡ (3,277.47 RM) |
201,013.97 ₡ (1,671.46 RM) |
-49.0 % |
| Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Centre |
265,748.91 ₡ (2,209.74 RM) |
136,980.86 ₡ (1,139.02 RM) |
-48.5 % |
| Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Centre |
737,385.51 ₡ (6,131.48 RM) |
366,442.02 ₡ (3,047.02 RM) |
-50.3 % |
| Apartment (3 bedrooms) Outside of Centre |
507,821.23 ₡ (4,222.62 RM) |
237,685.21 ₡ (1,976.39 RM) |
-53.2 % |
Buy Apartment Price | Costa Rica Edit |
Malaysia Edit | |
| Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment in City Centre |
120,687.25 ₡ (1,003.53 RM) |
95,651.47 ₡ (795.36 RM) |
-20.7 % |
| Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment Outside of Centre |
65,882.45 ₡ (547.82 RM) |
56,057.63 ₡ (466.13 RM) |
-14.9 % |
Salaries And Financing | Costa Rica Edit |
Malaysia Edit | |
| Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax) |
506,764.76 ₡ (4,213.83 RM) |
471,773.34 ₡ (3,922.87 RM) |
-6.9 % |
| Mortgage Interest Rate in Percentages (%), Yearly, for 20 Years Fixed-Rate | 10.53 | 4.20 | -60.1 % |
| Last update: | 22 May 2025 | 23 May 2025 | |
| Contributors in the past 12 months: | 122 | 544 |
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