Cost of Living Comparison Between Spain and Costa Rica 
| Indices Difference |  |
|---|---|
| Cost of Living in Costa Rica is 5.7% higher than in Spain (excluding rent) | |
| Cost of Living Including Rent in Costa Rica is 1.6% lower than in Spain | |
| Rent Prices in Costa Rica are 21.1% lower than in Spain | |
| Restaurant Prices in Costa Rica are 5.9% lower than in Spain | |
| Groceries Prices in Costa Rica are 19.6% higher than in Spain | |
| Local Purchasing Power in Costa Rica is 47.2% lower than in Spain | |
Restaurants | Spain Edit |
Costa Rica Edit | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meal, Inexpensive Restaurant |
14.00 € (8,064.27 ₡) |
8.68 € (5,000.00 ₡) |
-38.0 % |
| Meal for 2 People, Mid-range Restaurant, Three-course |
50.00 € (28,800.97 ₡) |
52.08 € (30,000.00 ₡) |
+4.2 % |
| McMeal at McDonalds (or Equivalent Combo Meal) |
9.00 € (5,184.17 ₡) |
8.68 € (5,000.00 ₡) |
-3.6 % |
| Domestic Beer (1 pint draught) |
3.00 € (1,728.06 ₡) |
2.60 € (1,500.00 ₡) |
-13.2 % |
| Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) |
3.50 € (2,016.07 ₡) |
4.17 € (2,400.00 ₡) |
+19.0 % |
| Cappuccino (regular) |
2.00 € (1,151.76 ₡) |
3.45 € (1,988.69 ₡) |
+72.7 % |
| Coke/Pepsi (12 oz small bottle) |
2.16 € (1,244.74 ₡) |
1.89 € (1,091.08 ₡) |
-12.3 % |
| Water (12 oz small bottle) |
1.60 € (921.47 ₡) |
1.46 € (842.47 ₡) |
-8.6 % |
Markets | Spain Edit |
Costa Rica Edit | |
| Milk (regular), (1 gallon) |
3.94 € (2,268.94 ₡) |
6.59 € (3,797.61 ₡) |
+67.4 % |
| Loaf of Fresh White Bread (1 lb) |
1.21 € (695.09 ₡) |
2.51 € (1,446.31 ₡) |
+108.1 % |
| Rice (white), (1 lb) |
0.64 € (366.76 ₡) |
0.94 € (541.44 ₡) |
+47.6 % |
| Eggs (regular) (12) |
2.59 € (1,491.76 ₡) |
2.97 € (1,713.17 ₡) |
+14.8 % |
| Local Cheese (1 lb) |
5.51 € (3,173.75 ₡) |
3.65 € (2,104.07 ₡) |
-33.7 % |
| Chicken Fillets (1 lb) |
3.30 € (1,898.53 ₡) |
3.73 € (2,146.29 ₡) |
+13.0 % |
| Beef Round (1 lb) (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) |
6.17 € (3,554.09 ₡) |
5.22 € (3,005.95 ₡) |
-15.4 % |
| Apples (1 lb) |
0.95 € (547.34 ₡) |
1.74 € (999.75 ₡) |
+82.7 % |
| Banana (1 lb) |
0.78 € (450.28 ₡) |
0.64 € (369.71 ₡) |
-17.9 % |
| Oranges (1 lb) |
0.80 € (461.71 ₡) |
1.27 € (731.47 ₡) |
+58.4 % |
| Tomato (1 lb) |
1.00 € (578.48 ₡) |
1.20 € (691.12 ₡) |
+19.5 % |
| Potato (1 lb) |
0.70 € (402.20 ₡) |
1.17 € (676.72 ₡) |
+68.3 % |
| Onion (1 lb) |
0.74 € (428.65 ₡) |
1.12 € (644.89 ₡) |
+50.4 % |
| Lettuce (1 head) |
1.12 € (646.42 ₡) |
0.88 € (506.13 ₡) |
-21.7 % |
| Water (1.5 liter bottle) |
0.66 € (382.57 ₡) |
2.16 € (1,243.91 ₡) |
+225.1 % |
| Bottle of Wine (Mid-Range) |
5.00 € (2,880.10 ₡) |
13.89 € (8,000.00 ₡) |
+177.8 % |
| Domestic Beer (0.5 liter bottle) |
1.10 € (632.31 ₡) |
2.04 € (1,173.17 ₡) |
+85.5 % |
| Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) |
1.80 € (1,037.47 ₡) |
2.39 € (1,377.45 ₡) |
+32.8 % |
| Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro) |
5.50 € (3,168.11 ₡) |
4.34 € (2,500.00 ₡) |
-21.1 % |
Transportation | Spain Edit |
Costa Rica Edit | |
| One-way Ticket (Local Transport) |
1.50 € (864.03 ₡) |
0.87 € (500.00 ₡) |
-42.1 % |
| Monthly Pass (Regular Price) |
30.00 € (17,280.58 ₡) |
43.40 € (25,000.00 ₡) |
+44.7 % |
| Taxi Start (Normal Tariff) |
3.70 € (2,131.27 ₡) |
1.58 € (910.00 ₡) |
-57.3 % |
| Taxi 1 mile (Normal Tariff) |
2.09 € (1,205.12 ₡) |
2.79 € (1,609.34 ₡) |
+33.5 % |
| Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff) |
23.00 € (13,248.45 ₡) |
6.68 € (3,845.00 ₡) |
-71.0 % |
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
5.86 € (3,375.93 ₡) |
4.92 € (2,834.15 ₡) |
-16.0 % |
| Volkswagen Golf 1.4 90 KW Trendline (Or Equivalent New Car) |
33,365.00 € (19,218,885.73 ₡) |
31,682.96 € (18,250,000.00 ₡) |
-5.0 % |
| Toyota Corolla Sedan 1.6l 97kW Comfort (Or Equivalent New Car) |
26,817.15 € (15,447,196.69 ₡) |
30,960.58 € (17,833,891.88 ₡) |
+15.5 % |
Utilities (Monthly) | Spain Edit |
Costa Rica Edit | |
| Basic (Electricity, Heating, Cooling, Water, Garbage) for 915 sq ft Apartment |
130.26 € (75,030.55 ₡) |
77.44 € (44,605.82 ₡) |
-40.5 % |
| Mobile Phone Monthly Plan with Calls and 10GB+ Data |
17.53 € (10,095.48 ₡) |
22.41 € (12,907.28 ₡) |
+27.9 % |
| Internet (60 Mbps or More, Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL) |
29.56 € (17,028.39 ₡) |
47.75 € (27,506.85 ₡) |
+61.5 % |
Sports And Leisure | Spain Edit |
Costa Rica Edit | |
| Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult |
40.03 € (23,060.45 ₡) |
49.95 € (28,769.37 ₡) |
+24.8 % |
| Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour on Weekend) |
13.66 € (7,868.12 ₡) |
26.58 € (15,308.33 ₡) |
+94.6 % |
| Cinema, International Release, 1 Seat |
8.00 € (4,608.15 ₡) |
6.94 € (4,000.00 ₡) |
-13.2 % |
Childcare | Spain Edit |
Costa Rica Edit | |
| Preschool (or Kindergarten), Full Day, Private, Monthly for 1 Child |
439.65 € (253,248.66 ₡) |
478.27 € (275,494.79 ₡) |
+8.8 % |
| International Primary School, Yearly for 1 Child |
8,563.25 € (4,932,595.11 ₡) |
8,454.44 € (4,869,922.10 ₡) |
-1.3 % |
Clothing And Shoes | Spain Edit |
Costa Rica Edit | |
| 1 Pair of Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar) |
74.57 € (42,954.59 ₡) |
64.19 € (36,972.30 ₡) |
-13.9 % |
| 1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, H&M, ...) |
31.51 € (18,148.97 ₡) |
47.84 € (27,556.18 ₡) |
+51.8 % |
| 1 Pair of Nike Running Shoes (Mid-Range) |
77.79 € (44,810.10 ₡) |
108.83 € (62,686.41 ₡) |
+39.9 % |
| 1 Pair of Men Leather Business Shoes |
91.39 € (52,644.41 ₡) |
93.77 € (54,014.98 ₡) |
+2.6 % |
Rent Per Month | Spain Edit |
Costa Rica Edit | |
| Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Centre |
924.99 € (532,812.72 ₡) |
678.87 € (391,040.57 ₡) |
-26.6 % |
| Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Centre |
714.53 € (411,581.31 ₡) |
464.18 € (267,374.92 ₡) |
-35.0 % |
| Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Centre |
1,463.27 € (842,871.63 ₡) |
1,277.36 € (735,782.86 ₡) |
-12.7 % |
| Apartment (3 bedrooms) Outside of Centre |
1,071.82 € (617,387.93 ₡) |
875.34 € (504,214.74 ₡) |
-18.3 % |
Buy Apartment Price | Spain Edit |
Costa Rica Edit | |
| Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment in City Centre |
338.27 € (194,849.71 ₡) |
218.29 € (125,739.26 ₡) |
-35.5 % |
| Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment Outside of Centre |
213.54 € (123,003.55 ₡) |
121.40 € (69,929.55 ₡) |
-43.1 % |
Salaries And Financing | Spain Edit |
Costa Rica Edit | |
| Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax) |
1,715.65 € (988,249.04 ₡) |
890.93 € (513,191.12 ₡) |
-48.1 % |
| Mortgage Interest Rate in Percentages (%), Yearly, for 20 Years Fixed-Rate | 3.52 | 10.29 | +192.6 % |
| Last update: | April 2025 | April 2025 | |
| Contributors in the past 12 months: | 1668 | 115 |
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