Cost of Living Comparison Between Portugal and Costa Rica 
| Indices Difference |  |
|---|---|
| Cost of Living in Costa Rica is 11.0% higher than in Portugal (excluding rent) | |
| Cost of Living Including Rent in Costa Rica is 0.0% lower than in Portugal | |
| Rent Prices in Costa Rica are 26.0% lower than in Portugal | |
| Restaurant Prices in Costa Rica are 13.1% higher than in Portugal | |
| Groceries Prices in Costa Rica are 27.0% higher than in Portugal | |
| Local Purchasing Power in Costa Rica is 16.5% lower than in Portugal | |
Restaurants | Portugal Edit |
Costa Rica Edit | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meal, Inexpensive Restaurant |
10.00 € (5,773.33 ₡) |
8.66 € (5,000.00 ₡) |
-13.4 % |
| Meal for 2 People, Mid-range Restaurant, Three-course |
45.00 € (25,980.00 ₡) |
51.96 € (30,000.00 ₡) |
+15.5 % |
| McMeal at McDonalds (or Equivalent Combo Meal) |
8.00 € (4,618.67 ₡) |
8.66 € (5,000.00 ₡) |
+8.3 % |
| Domestic Beer (1 pint draught) |
2.50 € (1,443.33 ₡) |
2.60 € (1,500.00 ₡) |
+3.9 % |
| Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) |
3.00 € (1,732.00 ₡) |
4.16 € (2,400.00 ₡) |
+38.6 % |
| Cappuccino (regular) |
1.89 € (1,090.66 ₡) |
3.44 € (1,988.68 ₡) |
+82.3 % |
| Coke/Pepsi (12 oz small bottle) |
1.72 € (994.66 ₡) |
1.89 € (1,091.08 ₡) |
+9.7 % |
| Water (12 oz small bottle) |
1.20 € (694.58 ₡) |
1.46 € (842.47 ₡) |
+21.3 % |
Markets | Portugal Edit |
Costa Rica Edit | |
| Milk (regular), (1 gallon) |
3.55 € (2,052.29 ₡) |
6.58 € (3,797.61 ₡) |
+85.0 % |
| Loaf of Fresh White Bread (1 lb) |
1.25 € (724.47 ₡) |
2.51 € (1,446.31 ₡) |
+99.6 % |
| Rice (white), (1 lb) |
0.64 € (371.59 ₡) |
0.94 € (541.44 ₡) |
+45.7 % |
| Eggs (regular) (12) |
2.68 € (1,546.19 ₡) |
2.97 € (1,713.17 ₡) |
+10.8 % |
| Local Cheese (1 lb) |
4.68 € (2,700.34 ₡) |
3.64 € (2,104.07 ₡) |
-22.1 % |
| Chicken Fillets (1 lb) |
3.02 € (1,740.99 ₡) |
3.72 € (2,146.29 ₡) |
+23.3 % |
| Beef Round (1 lb) (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) |
5.68 € (3,276.43 ₡) |
5.21 € (3,005.95 ₡) |
-8.3 % |
| Apples (1 lb) |
0.88 € (510.53 ₡) |
1.73 € (999.75 ₡) |
+95.8 % |
| Banana (1 lb) |
0.58 € (333.50 ₡) |
0.64 € (369.71 ₡) |
+10.9 % |
| Oranges (1 lb) |
0.73 € (419.98 ₡) |
1.27 € (731.47 ₡) |
+74.2 % |
| Tomato (1 lb) |
1.00 € (574.58 ₡) |
1.20 € (691.12 ₡) |
+20.3 % |
| Potato (1 lb) |
0.67 € (384.37 ₡) |
1.17 € (676.72 ₡) |
+76.1 % |
| Onion (1 lb) |
0.79 € (455.65 ₡) |
1.12 € (644.89 ₡) |
+41.5 % |
| Lettuce (1 head) |
1.36 € (784.44 ₡) |
0.88 € (506.13 ₡) |
-35.5 % |
| Water (1.5 liter bottle) |
0.69 € (395.88 ₡) |
2.15 € (1,243.91 ₡) |
+214.2 % |
| Bottle of Wine (Mid-Range) |
4.99 € (2,880.89 ₡) |
13.86 € (8,000.00 ₡) |
+177.7 % |
| Domestic Beer (0.5 liter bottle) |
1.12 € (645.25 ₡) |
2.03 € (1,173.17 ₡) |
+81.8 % |
| Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) |
2.20 € (1,268.99 ₡) |
2.39 € (1,377.45 ₡) |
+8.5 % |
| Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro) |
5.50 € (3,175.33 ₡) |
4.33 € (2,500.00 ₡) |
-21.3 % |
Transportation | Portugal Edit |
Costa Rica Edit | |
| One-way Ticket (Local Transport) |
2.00 € (1,154.67 ₡) |
0.87 € (500.00 ₡) |
-56.7 % |
| Monthly Pass (Regular Price) |
40.00 € (23,093.34 ₡) |
43.30 € (25,000.00 ₡) |
+8.3 % |
| Taxi Start (Normal Tariff) |
3.50 € (2,020.67 ₡) |
1.58 € (910.00 ₡) |
-55.0 % |
| Taxi 1 mile (Normal Tariff) |
1.58 € (910.55 ₡) |
2.79 € (1,609.34 ₡) |
+76.7 % |
| Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff) |
15.00 € (8,660.00 ₡) |
6.66 € (3,845.00 ₡) |
-55.6 % |
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
6.45 € (3,725.42 ₡) |
4.91 € (2,834.15 ₡) |
-23.9 % |
| Volkswagen Golf 1.4 90 KW Trendline (Or Equivalent New Car) |
30,000.00 € (17,320,002.49 ₡) |
31,610.85 € (18,250,000.00 ₡) |
+5.4 % |
| Toyota Corolla Sedan 1.6l 97kW Comfort (Or Equivalent New Car) |
34,056.37 € (19,661,877.72 ₡) |
30,890.11 € (17,833,891.88 ₡) |
-9.3 % |
Utilities (Monthly) | Portugal Edit |
Costa Rica Edit | |
| Basic (Electricity, Heating, Cooling, Water, Garbage) for 915 sq ft Apartment |
115.18 € (66,496.96 ₡) |
77.26 € (44,605.82 ₡) |
-32.9 % |
| Mobile Phone Monthly Plan with Calls and 10GB+ Data |
18.84 € (10,874.56 ₡) |
22.36 € (12,907.28 ₡) |
+18.7 % |
| Internet (60 Mbps or More, Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL) |
37.16 € (21,455.74 ₡) |
47.64 € (27,506.85 ₡) |
+28.2 % |
Sports And Leisure | Portugal Edit |
Costa Rica Edit | |
| Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult |
38.39 € (22,162.87 ₡) |
49.83 € (28,769.37 ₡) |
+29.8 % |
| Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour on Weekend) |
14.14 € (8,164.78 ₡) |
26.52 € (15,308.33 ₡) |
+87.5 % |
| Cinema, International Release, 1 Seat |
7.50 € (4,330.00 ₡) |
6.93 € (4,000.00 ₡) |
-7.6 % |
Childcare | Portugal Edit |
Costa Rica Edit | |
| Preschool (or Kindergarten), Full Day, Private, Monthly for 1 Child |
438.52 € (253,173.44 ₡) |
477.18 € (275,494.79 ₡) |
+8.8 % |
| International Primary School, Yearly for 1 Child |
10,370.42 € (5,987,189.17 ₡) |
8,435.20 € (4,869,922.10 ₡) |
-18.7 % |
Clothing And Shoes | Portugal Edit |
Costa Rica Edit | |
| 1 Pair of Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar) |
80.18 € (46,291.05 ₡) |
64.04 € (36,972.30 ₡) |
-20.1 % |
| 1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, H&M, ...) |
33.71 € (19,460.50 ₡) |
47.73 € (27,556.18 ₡) |
+41.6 % |
| 1 Pair of Nike Running Shoes (Mid-Range) |
77.72 € (44,868.13 ₡) |
108.58 € (62,686.41 ₡) |
+39.7 % |
| 1 Pair of Men Leather Business Shoes |
92.33 € (53,306.10 ₡) |
93.56 € (54,014.98 ₡) |
+1.3 % |
Rent Per Month | Portugal Edit |
Costa Rica Edit | |
| Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Centre |
928.85 € (536,254.23 ₡) |
677.32 € (391,038.22 ₡) |
-27.1 % |
| Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Centre |
738.42 € (426,317.35 ₡) |
463.15 € (267,389.89 ₡) |
-37.3 % |
| Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Centre |
1,597.97 € (922,560.84 ₡) |
1,274.45 € (735,782.86 ₡) |
-20.2 % |
| Apartment (3 bedrooms) Outside of Centre |
1,176.01 € (678,949.32 ₡) |
873.35 € (504,214.74 ₡) |
-25.7 % |
Buy Apartment Price | Portugal Edit |
Costa Rica Edit | |
| Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment in City Centre |
342.65 € (197,824.08 ₡) |
217.79 € (125,739.41 ₡) |
-36.4 % |
| Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment Outside of Centre |
246.24 € (142,160.97 ₡) |
121.13 € (69,929.55 ₡) |
-50.8 % |
Salaries And Financing | Portugal Edit |
Costa Rica Edit | |
| Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax) |
1,065.07 € (614,901.48 ₡) |
888.90 € (513,191.12 ₡) |
-16.5 % |
| Mortgage Interest Rate in Percentages (%), Yearly, for 20 Years Fixed-Rate | 4.78 | 10.29 | +115.4 % |
| Last update: | April 2025 | April 2025 | |
| Contributors in the past 12 months: | 1015 | 115 |
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