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 39.5% higher than in Costa Rica (without rent)
Consumer Prices Including Rent in United States are 73.1% higher than in Costa Rica
Rent Prices in United States are 196.7% higher than in Costa Rica
Restaurant Prices in United States are 59.6% higher than in Costa Rica
Groceries Prices in United States are 42.8% higher than in Costa Rica
Local Purchasing Power in United States is 218.1% 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 ₡ (9.30 $)	10,756.40 ₡ (20.00 $)	+115.1 %
Meal for 2 People, Mid-range Restaurant, Three-course	30,000.00 ₡ (55.78 $)	40,336.49 ₡ (75.00 $)	+34.5 %
McMeal at McDonalds (or Equivalent Combo Meal)	4,950.00 ₡ (9.20 $)	5,378.20 ₡ (10.00 $)	+8.7 %
Domestic Beer (1 pint draught)	1,500.00 ₡ (2.79 $)	3,226.92 ₡ (6.00 $)	+115.1 %
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle)	2,200.00 ₡ (4.09 $)	3,764.74 ₡ (7.00 $)	+71.1 %
Cappuccino (regular)	1,714.55 ₡ (3.19 $)	2,600.05 ₡ (4.83 $)	+51.6 %
Coke/Pepsi (12 oz small bottle)	1,011.68 ₡ (1.88 $)	1,277.96 ₡ (2.38 $)	+26.3 %
Water (12 oz small bottle)	823.65 ₡ (1.53 $)	1,017.35 ₡ (1.89 $)	+23.5 %
Markets	Costa Rica Edit	United States Edit
Milk (regular), (1 gallon)	3,624.41 ₡ (6.74 $)	2,112.80 ₡ (3.93 $)	-41.7 %
Loaf of Fresh White Bread (1 lb)	1,146.79 ₡ (2.13 $)	1,736.90 ₡ (3.23 $)	+51.5 %
Rice (white), (1 lb)	474.68 ₡ (0.88 $)	1,113.68 ₡ (2.07 $)	+134.6 %
Eggs (regular) (12)	1,641.66 ₡ (3.05 $)	2,319.04 ₡ (4.31 $)	+41.3 %
Local Cheese (1 lb)	1,829.63 ₡ (3.40 $)	3,142.20 ₡ (5.84 $)	+71.7 %
Chicken Fillets (1 lb)	2,021.43 ₡ (3.76 $)	2,930.50 ₡ (5.45 $)	+45.0 %
Beef Round (1 lb) (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat)	2,782.62 ₡ (5.17 $)	3,732.60 ₡ (6.94 $)	+34.1 %
Apples (1 lb)	978.42 ₡ (1.82 $)	1,293.19 ₡ (2.40 $)	+32.2 %
Banana (1 lb)	364.12 ₡ (0.68 $)	394.46 ₡ (0.73 $)	+8.3 %
Oranges (1 lb)	622.43 ₡ (1.16 $)	1,028.63 ₡ (1.91 $)	+65.3 %
Tomato (1 lb)	555.86 ₡ (1.03 $)	1,130.20 ₡ (2.10 $)	+103.3 %
Potato (1 lb)	592.17 ₡ (1.10 $)	741.29 ₡ (1.38 $)	+25.2 %
Onion (1 lb)	569.79 ₡ (1.06 $)	735.79 ₡ (1.37 $)	+29.1 %
Lettuce (1 head)	521.52 ₡ (0.97 $)	1,157.62 ₡ (2.15 $)	+122.0 %
Water (1.5 liter bottle)	1,187.32 ₡ (2.21 $)	1,147.06 ₡ (2.13 $)	-3.4 %
Bottle of Wine (Mid-Range)	7,000.00 ₡ (13.02 $)	7,524.10 ₡ (13.99 $)	+7.5 %
Domestic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)	1,120.30 ₡ (2.08 $)	972.75 ₡ (1.81 $)	-13.2 %
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle)	1,529.12 ₡ (2.84 $)	1,850.39 ₡ (3.44 $)	+21.0 %
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro)	2,350.00 ₡ (4.37 $)	4,840.38 ₡ (9.00 $)	+106.0 %
Transportation	Costa Rica Edit	United States Edit
One-way Ticket (Local Transport)	500.00 ₡ (0.93 $)	1,344.55 ₡ (2.50 $)	+168.9 %
Monthly Pass (Regular Price)	20,000.00 ₡ (37.19 $)	37,647.39 ₡ (70.00 $)	+88.2 %
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)	800.00 ₡ (1.49 $)	1,882.37 ₡ (3.50 $)	+135.3 %
Taxi 1 mile (Normal Tariff)	1,287.48 ₡ (2.39 $)	1,452.12 ₡ (2.70 $)	+12.8 %
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)	3,527.50 ₡ (6.56 $)	16,134.59 ₡ (30.00 $)	+357.4 %
Gasoline (1 gallon)	3,062.97 ₡ (5.70 $)	2,047.48 ₡ (3.81 $)	-33.2 %
Volkswagen Golf 1.4 90 KW Trendline (Or Equivalent New Car)	16,146,000.00 ₡ (30,021.21 $)	13,445,495.55 ₡ (25,000.00 $)	-16.7 %
Toyota Corolla Sedan 1.6l 97kW Comfort (Or Equivalent New Car)	16,075,877.20 ₡ (29,890.82 $)	12,982,887.01 ₡ (24,139.84 $)	-19.2 %
Utilities (Monthly)	Costa Rica Edit	United States Edit
Basic (Electricity, Heating, Cooling, Water, Garbage) for 915 sq ft Apartment	40,899.25 ₡ (76.05 $)	102,975.44 ₡ (191.47 $)	+151.8 %
Mobile Phone Monthly Plan with Calls and 10GB+ Data	11,165.02 ₡ (20.76 $)	25,156.44 ₡ (46.77 $)	+125.3 %
Internet (60 Mbps or More, Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL)	25,990.93 ₡ (48.33 $)	38,107.46 ₡ (70.86 $)	+46.6 %
Sports And Leisure	Costa Rica Edit	United States Edit
Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult	26,989.57 ₡ (50.18 $)	24,797.72 ₡ (46.11 $)	-8.1 %
Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour on Weekend)	17,633.30 ₡ (32.79 $)	10,589.26 ₡ (19.69 $)	-39.9 %
Cinema, International Release, 1 Seat	3,600.00 ₡ (6.69 $)	6,986.28 ₡ (12.99 $)	+94.1 %
Childcare	Costa Rica Edit	United States Edit
Preschool (or Kindergarten), Full Day, Private, Monthly for 1 Child	215,022.96 ₡ (399.80 $)	653,088.99 ₡ (1,214.33 $)	+203.7 %
International Primary School, Yearly for 1 Child	4,552,622.54 ₡ (8,464.96 $)	9,399,265.80 ₡ (17,476.61 $)	+106.5 %
Clothing And Shoes	Costa Rica Edit	United States Edit
1 Pair of Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)	38,928.97 ₡ (72.38 $)	27,802.28 ₡ (51.69 $)	-28.6 %
1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, H&M, ...)	26,326.05 ₡ (48.95 $)	22,118.82 ₡ (41.13 $)	-16.0 %
1 Pair of Nike Running Shoes (Mid-Range)	60,166.30 ₡ (111.87 $)	44,821.88 ₡ (83.34 $)	-25.5 %
1 Pair of Men Leather Business Shoes	52,002.50 ₡ (96.69 $)	60,536.29 ₡ (112.56 $)	+16.4 %
Rent Per Month	Costa Rica Edit	United States Edit
Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Centre	316,396.75 ₡ (588.30 $)	985,334.30 ₡ (1,832.09 $)	+211.4 %
Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Centre	223,335.30 ₡ (415.26 $)	744,192.99 ₡ (1,383.72 $)	+233.2 %
Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Centre	600,626.98 ₡ (1,116.78 $)	1,637,207.11 ₡ (3,044.16 $)	+172.6 %
Apartment (3 bedrooms) Outside of Centre	428,723.98 ₡ (797.15 $)	1,316,615.24 ₡ (2,448.06 $)	+207.1 %
Buy Apartment Price	Costa Rica Edit	United States Edit
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment in City Centre	95,988.52 ₡ (178.48 $)	237,859.97 ₡ (442.27 $)	+147.8 %
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment Outside of Centre	63,591.81 ₡ (118.24 $)	161,908.30 ₡ (301.05 $)	+154.6 %
Salaries And Financing	Costa Rica Edit	United States Edit
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)	456,926.96 ₡ (849.59 $)	2,515,977.40 ₡ (4,678.10 $)	+450.6 %
Mortgage Interest Rate in Percentages (%), Yearly, for 20 Years Fixed-Rate	9.57	6.64	-30.6 %
Last update:	October 2023	October 2023
Contributors in the past 12 months:	185	15893

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