Cost of Living Comparison Between Costa Rica and United States

For major cities in those countries you get more relevant data by specifying cities.

City in Costa Rica:
City in United States:

Indices Difference
Cost of Living in United States is 38.3% higher than in Costa Rica (without rent)
Cost of Living Including Rent in United States is 63.6% higher than in Costa Rica
Rent Prices in United States are 152.5% higher than in Costa Rica
Restaurant Prices in United States are 51.8% higher than in Costa Rica
Groceries Prices in United States are 34.5% higher than in Costa Rica
Local Purchasing Power in United States is 189.5% higher than in Costa Rica

Currency: Sticky Currency Switch to metric measurement units

Restaurants	Costa Rica Edit	United States Edit	Difference
Meal, Inexpensive Restaurant	5,000.00 ₡ (9.46 $)	10,572.57 ₡ (20.00 $)	+111.5 %
Meal for 2 People, Mid-range Restaurant, Three-course	30,000.00 ₡ (56.75 $)	39,647.14 ₡ (75.00 $)	+32.2 %
McMeal at McDonalds (or Equivalent Combo Meal)	5,000.00 ₡ (9.46 $)	5,814.91 ₡ (11.00 $)	+16.3 %
Domestic Beer (1 pint draught)	1,500.00 ₡ (2.84 $)	3,171.77 ₡ (6.00 $)	+111.5 %
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle)	2,500.00 ₡ (4.73 $)	3,700.40 ₡ (7.00 $)	+48.0 %
Cappuccino (regular)	1,856.85 ₡ (3.51 $)	2,718.70 ₡ (5.14 $)	+46.4 %
Coke/Pepsi (12 oz small bottle)	1,060.49 ₡ (2.01 $)	1,326.75 ₡ (2.51 $)	+25.1 %
Water (12 oz small bottle)	845.60 ₡ (1.60 $)	1,088.09 ₡ (2.06 $)	+28.7 %
Markets	Costa Rica Edit	United States Edit
Milk (regular), (1 gallon)	3,762.48 ₡ (7.12 $)	2,110.53 ₡ (3.99 $)	-43.9 %
Loaf of Fresh White Bread (1 lb)	1,320.11 ₡ (2.50 $)	1,719.43 ₡ (3.25 $)	+30.2 %
Rice (white), (1 lb)	507.74 ₡ (0.96 $)	1,090.98 ₡ (2.06 $)	+114.9 %
Eggs (regular) (12)	1,762.74 ₡ (3.33 $)	1,941.98 ₡ (3.67 $)	+10.2 %
Local Cheese (1 lb)	1,905.82 ₡ (3.61 $)	3,089.49 ₡ (5.84 $)	+62.1 %
Chicken Fillets (1 lb)	2,182.34 ₡ (4.13 $)	2,893.47 ₡ (5.47 $)	+32.6 %
Beef Round (1 lb) (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat)	3,047.37 ₡ (5.76 $)	3,840.48 ₡ (7.26 $)	+26.0 %
Apples (1 lb)	1,006.25 ₡ (1.90 $)	1,267.66 ₡ (2.40 $)	+26.0 %
Banana (1 lb)	385.26 ₡ (0.73 $)	401.46 ₡ (0.76 $)	+4.2 %
Oranges (1 lb)	702.28 ₡ (1.33 $)	1,078.86 ₡ (2.04 $)	+53.6 %
Tomato (1 lb)	627.76 ₡ (1.19 $)	1,178.79 ₡ (2.23 $)	+87.8 %
Potato (1 lb)	607.15 ₡ (1.15 $)	713.54 ₡ (1.35 $)	+17.5 %
Onion (1 lb)	623.53 ₡ (1.18 $)	733.52 ₡ (1.39 $)	+17.6 %
Lettuce (1 head)	514.73 ₡ (0.97 $)	1,148.44 ₡ (2.17 $)	+123.1 %
Water (1.5 liter bottle)	1,232.49 ₡ (2.33 $)	1,159.19 ₡ (2.19 $)	-5.9 %
Bottle of Wine (Mid-Range)	7,750.00 ₡ (14.66 $)	7,929.43 ₡ (15.00 $)	+2.3 %
Domestic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)	1,137.53 ₡ (2.15 $)	958.83 ₡ (1.81 $)	-15.7 %
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle)	1,435.84 ₡ (2.72 $)	1,858.30 ₡ (3.52 $)	+29.4 %
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro)	2,500.00 ₡ (4.73 $)	5,286.29 ₡ (10.00 $)	+111.5 %
Transportation	Costa Rica Edit	United States Edit
One-way Ticket (Local Transport)	500.00 ₡ (0.95 $)	1,321.57 ₡ (2.50 $)	+164.3 %
Monthly Pass (Regular Price)	21,739.13 ₡ (41.12 $)	37,004.00 ₡ (70.00 $)	+70.2 %
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)	900.00 ₡ (1.70 $)	1,850.20 ₡ (3.50 $)	+105.6 %
Taxi 1 mile (Normal Tariff)	1,504.74 ₡ (2.85 $)	1,480.16 ₡ (2.80 $)	-1.6 %
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)	3,725.00 ₡ (7.05 $)	15,858.86 ₡ (30.00 $)	+325.7 %
Gasoline (1 gallon)	2,910.18 ₡ (5.51 $)	1,925.36 ₡ (3.64 $)	-33.8 %
Volkswagen Golf 1.4 90 KW Trendline (Or Equivalent New Car)	16,900,000.00 ₡ (31,969.52 $)	17,804,570.41 ₡ (33,680.68 $)	+5.4 %
Toyota Corolla Sedan 1.6l 97kW Comfort (Or Equivalent New Car)	17,969,272.20 ₡ (33,992.25 $)	13,824,877.71 ₡ (26,152.35 $)	-23.1 %
Utilities (Monthly)	Costa Rica Edit	United States Edit
Basic (Electricity, Heating, Cooling, Water, Garbage) for 915 sq ft Apartment	46,383.86 ₡ (87.74 $)	109,909.71 ₡ (207.91 $)	+137.0 %
Mobile Phone Monthly Plan with Calls and 10GB+ Data	12,657.55 ₡ (23.94 $)	28,809.85 ₡ (54.50 $)	+127.6 %
Internet (60 Mbps or More, Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL)	26,671.33 ₡ (50.45 $)	37,571.86 ₡ (71.07 $)	+40.9 %
Sports And Leisure	Costa Rica Edit	United States Edit
Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult	28,983.53 ₡ (54.83 $)	24,962.34 ₡ (47.22 $)	-13.9 %
Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour on Weekend)	16,913.33 ₡ (31.99 $)	11,651.94 ₡ (22.04 $)	-31.1 %
Cinema, International Release, 1 Seat	4,000.00 ₡ (7.57 $)	7,400.80 ₡ (14.00 $)	+85.0 %
Childcare	Costa Rica Edit	United States Edit
Preschool (or Kindergarten), Full Day, Private, Monthly for 1 Child	258,183.42 ₡ (488.40 $)	730,950.34 ₡ (1,382.73 $)	+183.1 %
International Primary School, Yearly for 1 Child	4,874,600.16 ₡ (9,221.22 $)	11,982,907.86 ₡ (22,667.92 $)	+145.8 %
Clothing And Shoes	Costa Rica Edit	United States Edit
1 Pair of Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)	38,200.00 ₡ (72.26 $)	27,692.12 ₡ (52.38 $)	-27.5 %
1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, H&M, ...)	27,237.56 ₡ (51.52 $)	22,754.83 ₡ (43.05 $)	-16.5 %
1 Pair of Nike Running Shoes (Mid-Range)	59,873.22 ₡ (113.26 $)	47,015.47 ₡ (88.94 $)	-21.5 %
1 Pair of Men Leather Business Shoes	53,511.77 ₡ (101.23 $)	60,343.68 ₡ (114.15 $)	+12.8 %
Rent Per Month	Costa Rica Edit	United States Edit
Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Centre	378,748.09 ₡ (716.47 $)	967,548.72 ₡ (1,830.30 $)	+155.5 %
Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Centre	270,701.36 ₡ (512.08 $)	800,685.57 ₡ (1,514.65 $)	+195.8 %
Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Centre	722,722.88 ₡ (1,367.17 $)	1,648,204.12 ₡ (3,117.89 $)	+128.1 %
Apartment (3 bedrooms) Outside of Centre	507,820.81 ₡ (960.64 $)	1,331,187.34 ₡ (2,518.19 $)	+162.1 %
Buy Apartment Price	Costa Rica Edit	United States Edit
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment in City Centre	109,196.49 ₡ (206.57 $)	240,902.01 ₡ (455.71 $)	+120.6 %
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment Outside of Centre	64,204.27 ₡ (121.45 $)	190,351.60 ₡ (360.09 $)	+196.5 %
Salaries And Financing	Costa Rica Edit	United States Edit
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)	494,774.08 ₡ (935.96 $)	2,343,787.75 ₡ (4,433.71 $)	+373.7 %
Mortgage Interest Rate in Percentages (%), Yearly, for 20 Years Fixed-Rate	10.27	6.63	-35.4 %
Last update:	July 2024	July 2024
Contributors in the past 12 months:	151	13347

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