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
Consumer Prices in United States are 35.4% higher than in Costa Rica (without rent)
Consumer Prices Including Rent in United States are 69.9% higher than in Costa Rica
Rent Prices in United States are 198.6% higher than in Costa Rica
Restaurant Prices in United States are 51.6% higher than in Costa Rica
Groceries Prices in United States are 40.3% higher than in Costa Rica
Local Purchasing Power in United States is 193.5% 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 ₡ (9.26 $)	9,716.47 ₡ (18.00 $)	+94.3 %
Meal for 2 People, Mid-range Restaurant, Three-course	30,000.00 ₡ (55.58 $)	37,786.29 ₡ (70.00 $)	+26.0 %
McMeal at McDonalds (or Equivalent Combo Meal)	4,500.00 ₡ (8.34 $)	5,392.64 ₡ (9.99 $)	+19.8 %
Domestic Beer (1 pint draught)	1,500.00 ₡ (2.78 $)	2,699.02 ₡ (5.00 $)	+79.9 %
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle)	2,181.33 ₡ (4.04 $)	3,508.73 ₡ (6.50 $)	+60.9 %
Cappuccino (regular)	1,633.92 ₡ (3.03 $)	2,526.63 ₡ (4.68 $)	+54.6 %
Coke/Pepsi (12 oz small bottle)	995.19 ₡ (1.84 $)	1,244.42 ₡ (2.31 $)	+25.0 %
Water (12 oz small bottle)	829.78 ₡ (1.54 $)	983.38 ₡ (1.82 $)	+18.5 %
Markets	Costa Rica Edit	United States Edit
Milk (regular), (1 gallon)	3,398.12 ₡ (6.30 $)	2,091.48 ₡ (3.87 $)	-38.5 %
Loaf of Fresh White Bread (1 lb)	991.56 ₡ (1.84 $)	1,600.87 ₡ (2.97 $)	+61.4 %
Rice (white), (1 lb)	449.62 ₡ (0.83 $)	1,018.54 ₡ (1.89 $)	+126.5 %
Eggs (regular) (12)	1,522.04 ₡ (2.82 $)	2,219.94 ₡ (4.11 $)	+45.9 %
Local Cheese (1 lb)	1,833.24 ₡ (3.40 $)	2,871.34 ₡ (5.32 $)	+56.6 %
Chicken Fillets (1 lb)	2,017.41 ₡ (3.74 $)	2,917.52 ₡ (5.40 $)	+44.6 %
Beef Round (1 lb) (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat)	2,719.86 ₡ (5.04 $)	3,680.28 ₡ (6.82 $)	+35.3 %
Apples (1 lb)	1,024.80 ₡ (1.90 $)	1,184.35 ₡ (2.19 $)	+15.6 %
Banana (1 lb)	359.66 ₡ (0.67 $)	394.58 ₡ (0.73 $)	+9.7 %
Oranges (1 lb)	646.51 ₡ (1.20 $)	1,013.77 ₡ (1.88 $)	+56.8 %
Tomato (1 lb)	565.16 ₡ (1.05 $)	1,109.53 ₡ (2.06 $)	+96.3 %
Potato (1 lb)	524.10 ₡ (0.97 $)	670.48 ₡ (1.24 $)	+27.9 %
Onion (1 lb)	601.07 ₡ (1.11 $)	673.26 ₡ (1.25 $)	+12.0 %
Lettuce (1 head)	520.48 ₡ (0.96 $)	1,138.30 ₡ (2.11 $)	+118.7 %
Water (1.5 liter bottle)	1,182.32 ₡ (2.19 $)	1,044.38 ₡ (1.93 $)	-11.7 %
Bottle of Wine (Mid-Range)	7,000.00 ₡ (12.97 $)	7,017.45 ₡ (13.00 $)	+0.2 %
Domestic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)	1,058.14 ₡ (1.96 $)	1,451.67 ₡ (2.69 $)	+37.2 %
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle)	1,379.95 ₡ (2.56 $)	1,808.48 ₡ (3.35 $)	+31.1 %
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro)	2,500.00 ₡ (4.63 $)	4,858.24 ₡ (9.00 $)	+94.3 %
Transportation	Costa Rica Edit	United States Edit
One-way Ticket (Local Transport)	500.00 ₡ (0.93 $)	1,349.51 ₡ (2.50 $)	+169.9 %
Monthly Pass (Regular Price)	20,400.00 ₡ (37.79 $)	37,786.29 ₡ (70.00 $)	+85.2 %
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)	675.00 ₡ (1.25 $)	1,889.31 ₡ (3.50 $)	+179.9 %
Taxi 1 mile (Normal Tariff)	1,126.54 ₡ (2.09 $)	1,457.47 ₡ (2.70 $)	+29.4 %
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)	3,500.00 ₡ (6.48 $)	16,194.12 ₡ (30.00 $)	+362.7 %
Gasoline (1 gallon)	3,033.42 ₡ (5.62 $)	2,040.68 ₡ (3.78 $)	-32.7 %
Volkswagen Golf 1.4 90 KW Trendline (Or Equivalent New Car)	15,000,000.00 ₡ (27,787.86 $)	13,495,102.63 ₡ (25,000.00 $)	-10.0 %
Toyota Corolla Sedan 1.6l 97kW Comfort (Or Equivalent New Car)	15,549,113.79 ₡ (28,805.10 $)	12,592,797.17 ₡ (23,328.46 $)	-19.0 %
Utilities (Monthly)	Costa Rica Edit	United States Edit
Basic (Electricity, Heating, Cooling, Water, Garbage) for 915 sq ft Apartment	38,003.75 ₡ (70.40 $)	98,829.45 ₡ (183.08 $)	+160.1 %
1 min. of Prepaid Mobile Tariff Local (No Discounts or Plans)	36.42 ₡ (0.07 $)	90.57 ₡ (0.17 $)	+148.7 %
Internet (60 Mbps or More, Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL)	28,370.87 ₡ (52.56 $)	37,547.48 ₡ (69.56 $)	+32.3 %
Sports And Leisure	Costa Rica Edit	United States Edit
Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult	27,994.67 ₡ (51.86 $)	22,620.45 ₡ (41.90 $)	-19.2 %
Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour on Weekend)	16,818.42 ₡ (31.16 $)	9,920.03 ₡ (18.38 $)	-41.0 %
Cinema, International Release, 1 Seat	3,600.00 ₡ (6.67 $)	6,477.65 ₡ (12.00 $)	+79.9 %
Childcare	Costa Rica Edit	United States Edit
Preschool (or Kindergarten), Full Day, Private, Monthly for 1 Child	207,221.39 ₡ (383.88 $)	631,334.16 ₡ (1,169.56 $)	+204.7 %
International Primary School, Yearly for 1 Child	4,493,140.64 ₡ (8,323.65 $)	8,934,122.50 ₡ (16,550.68 $)	+98.8 %
Clothing And Shoes	Costa Rica Edit	United States Edit
1 Pair of Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)	40,202.83 ₡ (74.48 $)	25,070.58 ₡ (46.44 $)	-37.6 %
1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, H&M, ...)	27,675.67 ₡ (51.27 $)	19,770.59 ₡ (36.63 $)	-28.6 %
1 Pair of Nike Running Shoes (Mid-Range)	59,806.10 ₡ (110.79 $)	43,291.97 ₡ (80.20 $)	-27.6 %
1 Pair of Men Leather Business Shoes	53,624.23 ₡ (99.34 $)	59,325.10 ₡ (109.90 $)	+10.6 %
Rent Per Month	Costa Rica Edit	United States Edit
Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Centre	308,140.78 ₡ (570.84 $)	920,256.51 ₡ (1,704.80 $)	+198.6 %
Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Centre	211,258.33 ₡ (391.36 $)	743,643.43 ₡ (1,377.62 $)	+252.0 %
Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Centre	564,458.57 ₡ (1,045.67 $)	1,536,427.41 ₡ (2,846.27 $)	+172.2 %
Apartment (3 bedrooms) Outside of Centre	396,323.19 ₡ (734.20 $)	1,212,068.98 ₡ (2,245.39 $)	+205.8 %
Buy Apartment Price	Costa Rica Edit	United States Edit
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment in City Centre	94,597.30 ₡ (175.24 $)	226,952.42 ₡ (420.43 $)	+139.9 %
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment Outside of Centre	65,939.88 ₡ (122.16 $)	152,959.91 ₡ (283.36 $)	+132.0 %
Salaries And Financing	Costa Rica Edit	United States Edit
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)	456,817.37 ₡ (846.27 $)	2,277,266.50 ₡ (4,218.69 $)	+398.5 %
Mortgage Interest Rate in Percentages (%), Yearly, for 20 Years Fixed-Rate	9.51	5.38	-43.4 %
Last update:	March 2023	March 2023
Contributors in the past 12 months:	123	12184

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