Cost of Living Comparison Between Costa Rica and United States Reverse

For major cities in those countries you get more relevant data by specifying cities.
City in Costa Rica:
City in United States:
Indices DifferenceInfo
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 2023October 2023
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