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 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 2023March 2023
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