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 27.7% higher than in Costa Rica (without rent)
Cost of Living Including Rent in United States is 48.5% higher than in Costa Rica
Rent Prices in United States are 120.1% higher than in Costa Rica
Restaurant Prices in United States are 42.7% higher than in Costa Rica
Groceries Prices in United States are 25.8% higher than in Costa Rica
Local Purchasing Power in United States is 190.8% 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 ₡ (9.97 $)	10,025.71 ₡ (20.00 $)	+100.5 %
Meal for 2 People, Mid-range Restaurant, Three-course	30,000.00 ₡ (59.85 $)	37,596.40 ₡ (75.00 $)	+25.3 %
McMeal at McDonalds (or Equivalent Combo Meal)	5,000.00 ₡ (9.97 $)	5,514.14 ₡ (11.00 $)	+10.3 %
Domestic Beer (1 pint draught)	1,500.00 ₡ (2.99 $)	3,007.71 ₡ (6.00 $)	+100.5 %
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle)	2,500.00 ₡ (4.99 $)	3,509.00 ₡ (7.00 $)	+40.4 %
Cappuccino (regular)	1,968.10 ₡ (3.93 $)	2,605.00 ₡ (5.20 $)	+32.4 %
Coke/Pepsi (12 oz small bottle)	1,100.03 ₡ (2.19 $)	1,271.81 ₡ (2.54 $)	+15.6 %
Water (12 oz small bottle)	837.81 ₡ (1.67 $)	1,037.51 ₡ (2.07 $)	+23.8 %
Markets	Costa Rica Edit	United States Edit
Milk (regular), (1 gallon)	3,827.55 ₡ (7.64 $)	1,998.74 ₡ (3.99 $)	-47.8 %
Loaf of Fresh White Bread (1 lb)	1,420.91 ₡ (2.83 $)	1,642.41 ₡ (3.28 $)	+15.6 %
Rice (white), (1 lb)	535.04 ₡ (1.07 $)	1,043.07 ₡ (2.08 $)	+95.0 %
Eggs (regular) (12)	1,750.04 ₡ (3.49 $)	1,906.83 ₡ (3.80 $)	+9.0 %
Local Cheese (1 lb)	2,027.79 ₡ (4.05 $)	2,936.81 ₡ (5.86 $)	+44.8 %
Chicken Fillets (1 lb)	2,173.73 ₡ (4.34 $)	2,734.65 ₡ (5.46 $)	+25.8 %
Beef Round (1 lb) (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat)	3,029.76 ₡ (6.04 $)	3,661.34 ₡ (7.30 $)	+20.8 %
Apples (1 lb)	1,032.80 ₡ (2.06 $)	1,192.55 ₡ (2.38 $)	+15.5 %
Banana (1 lb)	361.30 ₡ (0.72 $)	381.18 ₡ (0.76 $)	+5.5 %
Oranges (1 lb)	706.16 ₡ (1.41 $)	1,020.40 ₡ (2.04 $)	+44.5 %
Tomato (1 lb)	649.29 ₡ (1.30 $)	1,114.06 ₡ (2.22 $)	+71.6 %
Potato (1 lb)	625.45 ₡ (1.25 $)	667.44 ₡ (1.33 $)	+6.7 %
Onion (1 lb)	631.70 ₡ (1.26 $)	698.43 ₡ (1.39 $)	+10.6 %
Lettuce (1 head)	508.49 ₡ (1.01 $)	1,101.12 ₡ (2.20 $)	+116.5 %
Water (1.5 liter bottle)	1,229.05 ₡ (2.45 $)	1,109.25 ₡ (2.21 $)	-9.7 %
Bottle of Wine (Mid-Range)	8,000.00 ₡ (15.96 $)	7,519.28 ₡ (15.00 $)	-6.0 %
Domestic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)	1,201.03 ₡ (2.40 $)	960.44 ₡ (1.92 $)	-20.0 %
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle)	1,418.49 ₡ (2.83 $)	1,777.49 ₡ (3.55 $)	+25.3 %
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro)	2,500.00 ₡ (4.99 $)	5,012.85 ₡ (10.00 $)	+100.5 %
Transportation	Costa Rica Edit	United States Edit
One-way Ticket (Local Transport)	500.00 ₡ (1.00 $)	1,253.21 ₡ (2.50 $)	+150.6 %
Monthly Pass (Regular Price)	20,800.00 ₡ (41.49 $)	32,583.54 ₡ (65.00 $)	+56.7 %
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)	915.00 ₡ (1.83 $)	1,879.82 ₡ (3.75 $)	+105.4 %
Taxi 1 mile (Normal Tariff)	1,609.34 ₡ (3.21 $)	1,403.60 ₡ (2.80 $)	-12.8 %
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)	3,725.00 ₡ (7.43 $)	15,038.56 ₡ (30.00 $)	+303.7 %
Gasoline (1 gallon)	2,826.68 ₡ (5.64 $)	1,767.90 ₡ (3.53 $)	-37.5 %
Volkswagen Golf 1.4 90 KW Trendline (Or Equivalent New Car)	18,250,000.00 ₡ (36,406.42 $)	15,038,558.04 ₡ (30,000.00 $)	-17.6 %
Toyota Corolla Sedan 1.6l 97kW Comfort (Or Equivalent New Car)	17,504,207.55 ₡ (34,918.66 $)	12,982,747.20 ₡ (25,898.92 $)	-25.8 %
Utilities (Monthly)	Costa Rica Edit	United States Edit
Basic (Electricity, Heating, Cooling, Water, Garbage) for 915 sq ft Apartment	42,369.77 ₡ (84.52 $)	103,511.04 ₡ (206.49 $)	+144.3 %
Mobile Phone Monthly Plan with Calls and 10GB+ Data	13,040.06 ₡ (26.01 $)	28,472.99 ₡ (56.80 $)	+118.4 %
Internet (60 Mbps or More, Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL)	27,303.45 ₡ (54.47 $)	35,545.25 ₡ (70.91 $)	+30.2 %
Sports And Leisure	Costa Rica Edit	United States Edit
Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult	30,000.18 ₡ (59.85 $)	23,474.13 ₡ (46.83 $)	-21.8 %
Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour on Weekend)	15,308.33 ₡ (30.54 $)	10,707.02 ₡ (21.36 $)	-30.1 %
Cinema, International Release, 1 Seat	4,005.14 ₡ (7.99 $)	7,017.99 ₡ (14.00 $)	+75.2 %
Childcare	Costa Rica Edit	United States Edit
Preschool (or Kindergarten), Full Day, Private, Monthly for 1 Child	281,419.45 ₡ (561.40 $)	691,952.47 ₡ (1,380.36 $)	+145.9 %
International Primary School, Yearly for 1 Child	4,810,360.60 ₡ (9,596.05 $)	11,516,115.62 ₡ (22,973.18 $)	+139.4 %
Clothing And Shoes	Costa Rica Edit	United States Edit
1 Pair of Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)	37,802.57 ₡ (75.41 $)	25,961.21 ₡ (51.79 $)	-31.3 %
1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, H&M, ...)	27,946.49 ₡ (55.75 $)	21,331.85 ₡ (42.55 $)	-23.7 %
1 Pair of Nike Running Shoes (Mid-Range)	60,206.25 ₡ (120.10 $)	44,583.67 ₡ (88.94 $)	-25.9 %
1 Pair of Men Leather Business Shoes	54,328.57 ₡ (108.38 $)	56,699.77 ₡ (113.11 $)	+4.4 %
Rent Per Month	Costa Rica Edit	United States Edit
Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Centre	392,906.51 ₡ (783.80 $)	877,427.29 ₡ (1,750.36 $)	+123.3 %
Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Centre	274,319.59 ₡ (547.23 $)	722,066.68 ₡ (1,440.43 $)	+163.2 %
Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Centre	748,731.18 ₡ (1,493.62 $)	1,463,351.23 ₡ (2,919.20 $)	+95.4 %
Apartment (3 bedrooms) Outside of Centre	521,092.83 ₡ (1,039.51 $)	1,199,762.46 ₡ (2,393.37 $)	+130.2 %
Buy Apartment Price	Costa Rica Edit	United States Edit
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment in City Centre	124,725.61 ₡ (248.81 $)	149,801.84 ₡ (298.84 $)	+20.1 %
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment Outside of Centre	69,231.16 ₡ (138.11 $)	125,847.05 ₡ (251.05 $)	+81.8 %
Salaries And Financing	Costa Rica Edit	United States Edit
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)	506,643.82 ₡ (1,010.69 $)	2,187,960.48 ₡ (4,364.70 $)	+331.9 %
Mortgage Interest Rate in Percentages (%), Yearly, for 20 Years Fixed-Rate	10.38	6.57	-36.7 %
Last update:	January 2025	January 2025
Contributors in the past 12 months:	101	8914

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