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 28.9% higher than in Costa Rica (excluding rent)
Cost of Living Including Rent in United States is 50.4% higher than in Costa Rica
Rent Prices in United States are 126.2% higher than in Costa Rica
Restaurant Prices in United States are 44.7% higher than in Costa Rica
Groceries Prices in United States are 27.3% higher than in Costa Rica
Local Purchasing Power in United States is 184.6% 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 ₡ (9.88 $)	10,122.96 ₡ (20.00 $)	+102.5 %
Meal for 2 People, Mid-range Restaurant, Three-course	30,000.00 ₡ (59.27 $)	37,961.12 ₡ (75.00 $)	+26.5 %
McMeal at McDonalds (or Equivalent Combo Meal)	5,000.00 ₡ (9.88 $)	5,689.11 ₡ (11.24 $)	+13.8 %
Domestic Beer (1 pint draught)	1,500.00 ₡ (2.96 $)	3,036.89 ₡ (6.00 $)	+102.5 %
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle)	2,400.00 ₡ (4.74 $)	3,543.04 ₡ (7.00 $)	+47.6 %
Cappuccino (regular)	1,988.69 ₡ (3.93 $)	2,647.14 ₡ (5.23 $)	+33.1 %
Coke/Pepsi (12 oz small bottle)	1,091.08 ₡ (2.16 $)	1,297.24 ₡ (2.56 $)	+18.9 %
Water (12 oz small bottle)	842.47 ₡ (1.66 $)	1,057.58 ₡ (2.09 $)	+25.5 %
Markets	Costa Rica Edit	United States Edit
Milk (regular), (1 gallon)	3,797.61 ₡ (7.50 $)	2,025.44 ₡ (4.00 $)	-46.7 %
Loaf of Fresh White Bread (1 lb)	1,446.31 ₡ (2.86 $)	1,665.90 ₡ (3.29 $)	+15.2 %
Rice (white), (1 lb)	541.44 ₡ (1.07 $)	1,057.79 ₡ (2.09 $)	+95.4 %
Eggs (regular) (12)	1,713.17 ₡ (3.38 $)	2,142.46 ₡ (4.23 $)	+25.1 %
Local Cheese (1 lb)	2,104.07 ₡ (4.16 $)	2,965.98 ₡ (5.86 $)	+41.0 %
Chicken Fillets (1 lb)	2,146.29 ₡ (4.24 $)	2,793.97 ₡ (5.52 $)	+30.2 %
Beef Round (1 lb) (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat)	3,005.95 ₡ (5.94 $)	3,737.88 ₡ (7.38 $)	+24.3 %
Apples (1 lb)	999.75 ₡ (1.98 $)	1,212.04 ₡ (2.39 $)	+21.2 %
Banana (1 lb)	369.71 ₡ (0.73 $)	384.84 ₡ (0.76 $)	+4.1 %
Oranges (1 lb)	731.47 ₡ (1.45 $)	1,033.39 ₡ (2.04 $)	+41.3 %
Tomato (1 lb)	691.12 ₡ (1.37 $)	1,128.33 ₡ (2.23 $)	+63.3 %
Potato (1 lb)	676.72 ₡ (1.34 $)	673.57 ₡ (1.33 $)	-0.5 %
Onion (1 lb)	644.89 ₡ (1.27 $)	707.02 ₡ (1.40 $)	+9.6 %
Lettuce (1 head)	506.13 ₡ (1.00 $)	1,115.76 ₡ (2.20 $)	+120.5 %
Water (1.5 liter bottle)	1,243.91 ₡ (2.46 $)	1,127.61 ₡ (2.23 $)	-9.3 %
Bottle of Wine (Mid-Range)	8,000.00 ₡ (15.81 $)	7,592.22 ₡ (15.00 $)	-5.1 %
Domestic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)	1,173.17 ₡ (2.32 $)	987.08 ₡ (1.95 $)	-15.9 %
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle)	1,377.45 ₡ (2.72 $)	1,816.87 ₡ (3.59 $)	+31.9 %
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro)	2,500.00 ₡ (4.94 $)	5,061.48 ₡ (10.00 $)	+102.5 %
Transportation	Costa Rica Edit	United States Edit
One-way Ticket (Local Transport)	500.00 ₡ (0.99 $)	1,265.37 ₡ (2.50 $)	+153.1 %
Monthly Pass (Regular Price)	25,000.00 ₡ (49.39 $)	32,899.63 ₡ (65.00 $)	+31.6 %
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)	910.00 ₡ (1.80 $)	1,898.06 ₡ (3.75 $)	+108.6 %
Taxi 1 mile (Normal Tariff)	1,609.34 ₡ (3.18 $)	1,417.22 ₡ (2.80 $)	-11.9 %
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)	3,845.00 ₡ (7.60 $)	15,184.45 ₡ (30.00 $)	+294.9 %
Gasoline (1 gallon)	2,834.15 ₡ (5.60 $)	1,774.69 ₡ (3.51 $)	-37.4 %
Volkswagen Golf 1.4 90 KW Trendline (Or Equivalent New Car)	18,250,000.00 ₡ (36,056.63 $)	15,184,446.18 ₡ (30,000.00 $)	-16.8 %
Toyota Corolla Sedan 1.6l 97kW Comfort (Or Equivalent New Car)	17,833,891.88 ₡ (35,234.53 $)	13,140,491.83 ₡ (25,961.75 $)	-26.3 %
Utilities (Monthly)	Costa Rica Edit	United States Edit
Basic (Electricity, Heating, Cooling, Water, Garbage) for 915 sq ft Apartment	44,605.82 ₡ (88.13 $)	105,410.91 ₡ (208.26 $)	+136.3 %
Mobile Phone Monthly Plan with Calls and 10GB+ Data	12,907.28 ₡ (25.50 $)	28,995.99 ₡ (57.29 $)	+124.6 %
Internet (60 Mbps or More, Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL)	27,506.85 ₡ (54.35 $)	36,189.51 ₡ (71.50 $)	+31.6 %
Sports And Leisure	Costa Rica Edit	United States Edit
Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult	28,769.37 ₡ (56.84 $)	23,564.08 ₡ (46.56 $)	-18.1 %
Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour on Weekend)	15,308.33 ₡ (30.24 $)	11,128.34 ₡ (21.99 $)	-27.3 %
Cinema, International Release, 1 Seat	4,000.00 ₡ (7.90 $)	7,308.78 ₡ (14.44 $)	+82.7 %
Childcare	Costa Rica Edit	United States Edit
Preschool (or Kindergarten), Full Day, Private, Monthly for 1 Child	275,494.79 ₡ (544.30 $)	697,014.08 ₡ (1,377.09 $)	+153.0 %
International Primary School, Yearly for 1 Child	4,869,922.10 ₡ (9,621.53 $)	11,443,938.18 ₡ (22,609.86 $)	+135.0 %
Clothing And Shoes	Costa Rica Edit	United States Edit
1 Pair of Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)	36,972.30 ₡ (73.05 $)	26,380.35 ₡ (52.12 $)	-28.6 %
1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, H&M, ...)	27,556.18 ₡ (54.44 $)	21,540.55 ₡ (42.56 $)	-21.8 %
1 Pair of Nike Running Shoes (Mid-Range)	62,686.41 ₡ (123.85 $)	45,381.45 ₡ (89.66 $)	-27.6 %
1 Pair of Men Leather Business Shoes	54,014.98 ₡ (106.72 $)	57,288.56 ₡ (113.19 $)	+6.1 %
Rent Per Month	Costa Rica Edit	United States Edit
Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Centre	391,040.57 ₡ (772.58 $)	881,520.27 ₡ (1,741.62 $)	+125.4 %
Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Centre	267,374.92 ₡ (528.25 $)	727,494.92 ₡ (1,437.32 $)	+172.1 %
Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Centre	735,782.86 ₡ (1,453.69 $)	1,468,851.86 ₡ (2,902.02 $)	+99.6 %
Apartment (3 bedrooms) Outside of Centre	504,214.74 ₡ (996.18 $)	1,216,827.68 ₡ (2,404.09 $)	+141.3 %
Buy Apartment Price	Costa Rica Edit	United States Edit
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment in City Centre	125,739.26 ₡ (248.42 $)	152,555.05 ₡ (301.40 $)	+21.3 %
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment Outside of Centre	69,929.55 ₡ (138.16 $)	127,244.81 ₡ (251.40 $)	+82.0 %
Salaries And Financing	Costa Rica Edit	United States Edit
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)	513,191.12 ₡ (1,013.91 $)	2,196,464.85 ₡ (4,339.57 $)	+328.0 %
Mortgage Interest Rate in Percentages (%), Yearly, for 20 Years Fixed-Rate	10.29	6.51	-36.8 %
Last update:	April 2025	April 2025
Contributors in the past 12 months:	115	10777

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