Cost of Living Comparison Between Germany and Costa Rica 
| Indices Difference |  |
|---|---|
| Cost of Living in Costa Rica is 21.2% lower than in Germany (excluding rent) | |
| Cost of Living Including Rent in Costa Rica is 22.4% lower than in Germany | |
| Rent Prices in Costa Rica are 26.3% lower than in Germany | |
| Restaurant Prices in Costa Rica are 24.6% lower than in Germany | |
| Groceries Prices in Costa Rica are 8.3% lower than in Germany | |
| Local Purchasing Power in Costa Rica is 60.7% lower than in Germany | |
Restaurants | Germany Edit |
Costa Rica Edit | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meal, Inexpensive Restaurant |
15.00 € (8,642.78 ₡) |
8.68 € (5,000.00 ₡) |
-42.1 % |
| Meal for 2 People, Mid-range Restaurant, Three-course |
65.60 € (37,797.76 ₡) |
52.07 € (30,000.00 ₡) |
-20.6 % |
| McMeal at McDonalds (or Equivalent Combo Meal) |
10.00 € (5,761.85 ₡) |
8.68 € (5,000.00 ₡) |
-13.2 % |
| Domestic Beer (1 pint draught) |
4.50 € (2,592.83 ₡) |
2.60 € (1,500.00 ₡) |
-42.1 % |
| Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) |
4.00 € (2,304.74 ₡) |
3.98 € (2,292.45 ₡) |
-0.5 % |
| Cappuccino (regular) |
3.51 € (2,019.67 ₡) |
3.48 € (2,003.55 ₡) |
-0.8 % |
| Coke/Pepsi (12 oz small bottle) |
2.89 € (1,662.87 ₡) |
1.89 € (1,088.55 ₡) |
-34.5 % |
| Water (12 oz small bottle) |
2.59 € (1,493.58 ₡) |
1.48 € (850.10 ₡) |
-43.1 % |
Markets | Germany Edit |
Costa Rica Edit | |
| Milk (regular), (1 gallon) |
4.18 € (2,410.31 ₡) |
6.74 € (3,884.01 ₡) |
+61.1 % |
| Loaf of Fresh White Bread (1 lb) |
1.75 € (1,007.93 ₡) |
2.51 € (1,448.84 ₡) |
+43.7 % |
| Rice (white), (1 lb) |
1.33 € (764.92 ₡) |
0.98 € (566.49 ₡) |
-25.9 % |
| Eggs (regular) (12) |
3.33 € (1,918.55 ₡) |
2.93 € (1,688.82 ₡) |
-12.0 % |
| Local Cheese (1 lb) |
5.81 € (3,347.80 ₡) |
3.60 € (2,076.93 ₡) |
-38.0 % |
| Chicken Fillets (1 lb) |
5.56 € (3,203.61 ₡) |
3.68 € (2,120.95 ₡) |
-33.8 % |
| Beef Round (1 lb) (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) |
7.79 € (4,487.39 ₡) |
5.28 € (3,043.04 ₡) |
-32.2 % |
| Apples (1 lb) |
1.26 € (726.49 ₡) |
1.79 € (1,030.06 ₡) |
+41.8 % |
| Banana (1 lb) |
0.72 € (414.52 ₡) |
0.64 € (368.13 ₡) |
-11.2 % |
| Oranges (1 lb) |
0.90 € (516.66 ₡) |
1.23 € (706.55 ₡) |
+36.8 % |
| Tomato (1 lb) |
1.90 € (1,095.11 ₡) |
1.18 € (681.72 ₡) |
-37.7 % |
| Potato (1 lb) |
0.62 € (357.58 ₡) |
1.16 € (671.22 ₡) |
+87.7 % |
| Onion (1 lb) |
0.63 € (365.64 ₡) |
1.09 € (627.68 ₡) |
+71.7 % |
| Lettuce (1 head) |
1.63 € (941.43 ₡) |
0.88 € (509.25 ₡) |
-45.9 % |
| Water (1.5 liter bottle) |
0.93 € (538.49 ₡) |
2.19 € (1,263.44 ₡) |
+134.6 % |
| Bottle of Wine (Mid-Range) |
5.00 € (2,880.93 ₡) |
13.88 € (8,000.00 ₡) |
+177.7 % |
| Domestic Beer (0.5 liter bottle) |
0.93 € (537.14 ₡) |
2.02 € (1,164.30 ₡) |
+116.8 % |
| Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) |
1.44 € (828.32 ₡) |
2.42 € (1,396.33 ₡) |
+68.6 % |
| Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro) |
8.40 € (4,839.96 ₡) |
4.34 € (2,500.00 ₡) |
-48.3 % |
Transportation | Germany Edit |
Costa Rica Edit | |
| One-way Ticket (Local Transport) |
3.20 € (1,843.79 ₡) |
0.87 € (500.00 ₡) |
-72.9 % |
| Monthly Pass (Regular Price) |
55.00 € (31,690.19 ₡) |
43.39 € (25,000.00 ₡) |
-21.1 % |
| Taxi Start (Normal Tariff) |
4.90 € (2,823.31 ₡) |
1.60 € (920.00 ₡) |
-67.4 % |
| Taxi 1 mile (Normal Tariff) |
4.02 € (2,318.20 ₡) |
2.72 € (1,569.11 ₡) |
-32.3 % |
| Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff) |
33.00 € (19,014.12 ₡) |
6.67 € (3,845.00 ₡) |
-79.8 % |
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
6.56 € (3,777.00 ₡) |
4.90 € (2,825.70 ₡) |
-25.2 % |
| Volkswagen Golf 1.4 90 KW Trendline (Or Equivalent New Car) |
27,180.00 € (15,660,717.20 ₡) |
32,020.95 € (18,450,000.00 ₡) |
+17.8 % |
| Toyota Corolla Sedan 1.6l 97kW Comfort (Or Equivalent New Car) |
32,286.78 € (18,603,166.42 ₡) |
30,636.49 € (17,652,295.37 ₡) |
-5.1 % |
Utilities (Monthly) | Germany Edit |
Costa Rica Edit | |
| Basic (Electricity, Heating, Cooling, Water, Garbage) for 915 sq ft Apartment |
302.79 € (174,461.69 ₡) |
76.74 € (44,214.46 ₡) |
-74.7 % |
| Mobile Phone Monthly Plan with Calls and 10GB+ Data |
23.82 € (13,725.62 ₡) |
22.54 € (12,984.63 ₡) |
-5.4 % |
| Internet (60 Mbps or More, Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL) |
44.71 € (25,759.54 ₡) |
47.43 € (27,328.13 ₡) |
+6.1 % |
Sports And Leisure | Germany Edit |
Costa Rica Edit | |
| Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult |
35.10 € (20,223.72 ₡) |
50.81 € (29,274.15 ₡) |
+44.8 % |
| Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour on Weekend) |
21.39 € (12,322.37 ₡) |
25.20 € (14,521.35 ₡) |
+17.8 % |
| Cinema, International Release, 1 Seat |
12.00 € (6,914.22 ₡) |
7.81 € (4,500.00 ₡) |
-34.9 % |
Childcare | Germany Edit |
Costa Rica Edit | |
| Preschool (or Kindergarten), Full Day, Private, Monthly for 1 Child |
413.06 € (237,996.50 ₡) |
480.81 € (277,036.67 ₡) |
+16.4 % |
| International Primary School, Yearly for 1 Child |
13,010.07 € (7,496,211.27 ₡) |
8,761.69 € (5,048,358.67 ₡) |
-32.7 % |
Clothing And Shoes | Germany Edit |
Costa Rica Edit | |
| 1 Pair of Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar) |
81.11 € (46,737.04 ₡) |
63.71 € (36,707.23 ₡) |
-21.5 % |
| 1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, H&M, ...) |
38.13 € (21,971.24 ₡) |
48.17 € (27,757.16 ₡) |
+26.3 % |
| 1 Pair of Nike Running Shoes (Mid-Range) |
88.55 € (51,018.84 ₡) |
105.76 € (60,939.64 ₡) |
+19.4 % |
| 1 Pair of Men Leather Business Shoes |
115.08 € (66,305.20 ₡) |
92.77 € (53,451.14 ₡) |
-19.4 % |
Rent Per Month | Germany Edit |
Costa Rica Edit | |
| Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Centre |
892.85 € (514,448.12 ₡) |
683.47 € (393,805.78 ₡) |
-23.5 % |
| Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Centre |
674.09 € (388,398.94 ₡) |
468.23 € (269,785.29 ₡) |
-30.5 % |
| Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Centre |
1,661.39 € (957,269.56 ₡) |
1,268.56 € (730,928.06 ₡) |
-23.6 % |
| Apartment (3 bedrooms) Outside of Centre |
1,259.79 € (725,870.37 ₡) |
886.96 € (511,053.53 ₡) |
-29.6 % |
Buy Apartment Price | Germany Edit |
Costa Rica Edit | |
| Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment in City Centre |
510.56 € (294,178.90 ₡) |
209.21 € (120,543.03 ₡) |
-59.0 % |
| Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment Outside of Centre |
399.72 € (230,310.93 ₡) |
114.21 € (65,803.65 ₡) |
-71.4 % |
Salaries And Financing | Germany Edit |
Costa Rica Edit | |
| Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax) |
2,884.50 € (1,662,006.31 ₡) |
879.07 € (506,509.05 ₡) |
-69.5 % |
| Mortgage Interest Rate in Percentages (%), Yearly, for 20 Years Fixed-Rate | 3.98 | 10.53 | +164.8 % |
| Last update: | 31 May 2025 | 27 May 2025 | |
| Contributors in the past 12 months: | 3041 | 124 |
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