Cost of Living Comparison Between Thailand and Costa Rica 
| Indices Difference |  |
|---|---|
| Cost of Living in Costa Rica is 41.6% higher than in Thailand (excluding rent) | |
| Cost of Living Including Rent in Costa Rica is 41.6% higher than in Thailand | |
| Rent Prices in Costa Rica are 41.7% higher than in Thailand | |
| Restaurant Prices in Costa Rica are 103.6% higher than in Thailand | |
| Groceries Prices in Costa Rica are 33.3% higher than in Thailand | |
| Local Purchasing Power in Costa Rica is 5.9% higher than in Thailand | |
Restaurants | Thailand Edit |
Costa Rica Edit | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meal, Inexpensive Restaurant |
100.00 ฿ (1,558.53 ₡) |
320.81 ฿ (5,000.00 ₡) |
+220.8 % |
| Meal for 2 People, Mid-range Restaurant, Three-course |
900.00 ฿ (14,026.78 ₡) |
1,924.89 ฿ (30,000.00 ₡) |
+113.9 % |
| McMeal at McDonalds (or Equivalent Combo Meal) |
220.00 ฿ (3,428.77 ₡) |
320.81 ฿ (5,000.00 ₡) |
+45.8 % |
| Domestic Beer (1 pint draught) |
70.00 ฿ (1,090.97 ₡) |
96.24 ฿ (1,500.00 ₡) |
+37.5 % |
| Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) |
120.00 ฿ (1,870.24 ₡) |
146.92 ฿ (2,289.73 ₡) |
+22.4 % |
| Cappuccino (regular) |
70.02 ฿ (1,091.23 ₡) |
128.74 ฿ (2,006.41 ₡) |
+83.9 % |
| Coke/Pepsi (12 oz small bottle) |
22.73 ฿ (354.32 ₡) |
69.94 ฿ (1,090.08 ₡) |
+207.6 % |
| Water (12 oz small bottle) |
10.90 ฿ (169.85 ₡) |
54.46 ฿ (848.73 ₡) |
+399.7 % |
Markets | Thailand Edit |
Costa Rica Edit | |
| Milk (regular), (1 gallon) |
230.34 ฿ (3,589.92 ₡) |
247.89 ฿ (3,863.46 ₡) |
+7.6 % |
| Loaf of Fresh White Bread (1 lb) |
41.02 ฿ (639.35 ₡) |
93.03 ฿ (1,449.85 ₡) |
+126.8 % |
| Rice (white), (1 lb) |
19.24 ฿ (299.89 ₡) |
36.35 ฿ (566.54 ₡) |
+88.9 % |
| Eggs (regular) (12) |
69.52 ฿ (1,083.43 ₡) |
109.91 ฿ (1,713.06 ₡) |
+58.1 % |
| Local Cheese (1 lb) |
255.66 ฿ (3,984.55 ₡) |
132.13 ฿ (2,059.25 ₡) |
-48.3 % |
| Chicken Fillets (1 lb) |
43.33 ฿ (675.29 ₡) |
136.10 ฿ (2,121.18 ₡) |
+214.1 % |
| Beef Round (1 lb) (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) |
155.28 ฿ (2,420.06 ₡) |
195.27 ฿ (3,043.27 ₡) |
+25.8 % |
| Apples (1 lb) |
44.52 ฿ (693.89 ₡) |
66.10 ฿ (1,030.14 ₡) |
+48.5 % |
| Banana (1 lb) |
20.04 ฿ (312.33 ₡) |
23.62 ฿ (368.20 ₡) |
+17.9 % |
| Oranges (1 lb) |
30.39 ฿ (473.71 ₡) |
45.34 ฿ (706.62 ₡) |
+49.2 % |
| Tomato (1 lb) |
24.23 ฿ (377.66 ₡) |
43.74 ฿ (681.78 ₡) |
+80.5 % |
| Potato (1 lb) |
22.53 ฿ (351.07 ₡) |
43.07 ฿ (671.27 ₡) |
+91.2 % |
| Onion (1 lb) |
19.15 ฿ (298.46 ₡) |
40.28 ฿ (627.74 ₡) |
+110.3 % |
| Lettuce (1 head) |
37.49 ฿ (584.32 ₡) |
32.68 ฿ (509.37 ₡) |
-12.8 % |
| Water (1.5 liter bottle) |
16.68 ฿ (260.02 ₡) |
80.87 ฿ (1,260.31 ₡) |
+384.7 % |
| Bottle of Wine (Mid-Range) |
600.00 ฿ (9,351.18 ₡) |
513.30 ฿ (8,000.00 ₡) |
-14.4 % |
| Domestic Beer (0.5 liter bottle) |
58.26 ฿ (908.02 ₡) |
74.65 ฿ (1,163.40 ₡) |
+28.1 % |
| Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) |
98.74 ฿ (1,538.97 ₡) |
89.15 ฿ (1,389.37 ₡) |
-9.7 % |
| Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro) |
145.00 ฿ (2,259.87 ₡) |
160.41 ฿ (2,500.00 ₡) |
+10.6 % |
Transportation | Thailand Edit |
Costa Rica Edit | |
| One-way Ticket (Local Transport) |
25.00 ฿ (389.63 ₡) |
32.08 ฿ (500.00 ₡) |
+28.3 % |
| Monthly Pass (Regular Price) |
1,150.00 ฿ (17,923.10 ₡) |
1,604.07 ฿ (25,000.00 ₡) |
+39.5 % |
| Taxi Start (Normal Tariff) |
37.50 ฿ (584.45 ₡) |
59.03 ฿ (920.00 ₡) |
+57.4 % |
| Taxi 1 mile (Normal Tariff) |
64.37 ฿ (1,003.29 ₡) |
100.68 ฿ (1,569.11 ₡) |
+56.4 % |
| Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff) |
200.00 ฿ (3,117.06 ₡) |
246.71 ฿ (3,845.00 ₡) |
+23.4 % |
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
157.44 ฿ (2,453.83 ₡) |
181.32 ฿ (2,825.94 ₡) |
+15.2 % |
| Volkswagen Golf 1.4 90 KW Trendline (Or Equivalent New Car) |
952,500.00 ฿ (14,845,005.51 ₡) |
1,183,807.24 ฿ (18,450,000.00 ₡) |
+24.3 % |
| Toyota Corolla Sedan 1.6l 97kW Comfort (Or Equivalent New Car) |
919,589.07 ฿ (14,332,078.59 ₡) |
1,133,159.30 ฿ (17,660,636.28 ₡) |
+23.2 % |
Utilities (Monthly) | Thailand Edit |
Costa Rica Edit | |
| Basic (Electricity, Heating, Cooling, Water, Garbage) for 915 sq ft Apartment |
2,643.78 ฿ (41,204.18 ₡) |
2,806.86 ฿ (43,745.81 ₡) |
+6.2 % |
| Mobile Phone Monthly Plan with Calls and 10GB+ Data |
449.52 ฿ (7,005.91 ₡) |
831.85 ฿ (12,964.61 ₡) |
+85.1 % |
| Internet (60 Mbps or More, Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL) |
580.17 ฿ (9,042.13 ₡) |
1,753.81 ฿ (27,333.59 ₡) |
+202.3 % |
Sports And Leisure | Thailand Edit |
Costa Rica Edit | |
| Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult |
1,645.53 ฿ (25,646.07 ₡) |
1,878.79 ฿ (29,281.51 ₡) |
+14.2 % |
| Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour on Weekend) |
330.28 ฿ (5,147.50 ₡) |
931.79 ฿ (14,522.18 ₡) |
+182.1 % |
| Cinema, International Release, 1 Seat |
240.00 ฿ (3,740.47 ₡) |
288.73 ฿ (4,500.00 ₡) |
+20.3 % |
Childcare | Thailand Edit |
Costa Rica Edit | |
| Preschool (or Kindergarten), Full Day, Private, Monthly for 1 Child |
13,138.23 ฿ (204,763.31 ₡) |
17,778.94 ฿ (277,090.27 ₡) |
+35.3 % |
| International Primary School, Yearly for 1 Child |
407,603.32 ฿ (6,352,623.09 ₡) |
324,153.75 ฿ (5,052,035.91 ₡) |
-20.5 % |
Clothing And Shoes | Thailand Edit |
Costa Rica Edit | |
| 1 Pair of Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar) |
1,573.57 ฿ (24,524.53 ₡) |
2,355.38 ฿ (36,709.29 ₡) |
+49.7 % |
| 1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, H&M, ...) |
1,095.30 ฿ (17,070.58 ₡) |
1,781.35 ฿ (27,762.93 ₡) |
+62.6 % |
| 1 Pair of Nike Running Shoes (Mid-Range) |
3,066.13 ฿ (47,786.62 ₡) |
3,910.76 ฿ (60,950.37 ₡) |
+27.5 % |
| 1 Pair of Men Leather Business Shoes |
2,495.42 ฿ (38,891.93 ₡) |
3,430.44 ฿ (53,464.54 ₡) |
+37.5 % |
Rent Per Month | Thailand Edit |
Costa Rica Edit | |
| Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Centre |
15,926.01 ฿ (248,211.70 ₡) |
25,290.22 ฿ (394,155.88 ₡) |
+58.8 % |
| Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Centre |
8,955.59 ฿ (139,575.60 ₡) |
17,051.25 ฿ (265,748.91 ₡) |
+90.4 % |
| Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Centre |
39,621.63 ฿ (617,515.33 ₡) |
47,312.86 ฿ (737,385.51 ₡) |
+19.4 % |
| Apartment (3 bedrooms) Outside of Centre |
21,752.15 ฿ (339,013.93 ₡) |
32,583.33 ฿ (507,821.23 ₡) |
+49.8 % |
Buy Apartment Price | Thailand Edit |
Costa Rica Edit | |
| Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment in City Centre |
12,458.45 ฿ (194,168.82 ₡) |
7,743.66 ฿ (120,687.25 ₡) |
-37.8 % |
| Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment Outside of Centre |
6,638.10 ฿ (103,456.89 ₡) |
4,227.22 ฿ (65,882.45 ₡) |
-36.3 % |
Salaries And Financing | Thailand Edit |
Costa Rica Edit | |
| Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax) |
21,692.99 ฿ (338,091.98 ₡) |
32,515.54 ฿ (506,764.76 ₡) |
+49.9 % |
| Mortgage Interest Rate in Percentages (%), Yearly, for 20 Years Fixed-Rate | 5.73 | 10.53 | +83.9 % |
| Last update: | 24 May 2025 | 22 May 2025 | |
| Contributors in the past 12 months: | 606 | 122 |
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