Cost of Living Comparison Between United Kingdom and Costa Rica 
| Indices Difference |  |
|---|---|
| Cost of Living in Costa Rica is 22.1% lower than in United Kingdom (excluding rent) | |
| Cost of Living Including Rent in Costa Rica is 28.0% lower than in United Kingdom | |
| Rent Prices in Costa Rica are 42.8% lower than in United Kingdom | |
| Restaurant Prices in Costa Rica are 32.7% lower than in United Kingdom | |
| Groceries Prices in Costa Rica are 5.2% lower than in United Kingdom | |
| Local Purchasing Power in Costa Rica is 57.0% lower than in United Kingdom | |
Restaurants | United Kingdom Edit |
Costa Rica Edit | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meal, Inexpensive Restaurant |
15.00 £ (10,349.78 ₡) |
7.25 £ (5,000.00 ₡) |
-51.7 % |
| Meal for 2 People, Mid-range Restaurant, Three-course |
65.00 £ (44,849.06 ₡) |
43.48 £ (30,000.00 ₡) |
-33.1 % |
| McMeal at McDonalds (or Equivalent Combo Meal) |
7.50 £ (5,174.89 ₡) |
7.25 £ (5,000.00 ₡) |
-3.4 % |
| Domestic Beer (1 pint draught) |
5.00 £ (3,449.93 ₡) |
2.17 £ (1,500.00 ₡) |
-56.5 % |
| Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) |
4.55 £ (3,139.43 ₡) |
3.26 £ (2,246.91 ₡) |
-28.4 % |
| Cappuccino (regular) |
3.41 £ (2,353.37 ₡) |
2.92 £ (2,012.16 ₡) |
-14.5 % |
| Coke/Pepsi (12 oz small bottle) |
1.78 £ (1,226.49 ₡) |
1.57 £ (1,082.24 ₡) |
-11.8 % |
| Water (12 oz small bottle) |
1.26 £ (870.51 ₡) |
1.23 £ (852.09 ₡) |
-2.1 % |
Markets | United Kingdom Edit |
Costa Rica Edit | |
| Milk (regular), (1 gallon) |
4.70 £ (3,243.06 ₡) |
5.66 £ (3,904.28 ₡) |
+20.4 % |
| Loaf of Fresh White Bread (1 lb) |
1.12 £ (773.49 ₡) |
2.10 £ (1,449.11 ₡) |
+87.3 % |
| Rice (white), (1 lb) |
0.74 £ (511.48 ₡) |
0.81 £ (557.77 ₡) |
+9.1 % |
| Eggs (regular) (12) |
2.97 £ (2,051.91 ₡) |
2.47 £ (1,702.04 ₡) |
-17.1 % |
| Local Cheese (1 lb) |
3.24 £ (2,236.29 ₡) |
3.07 £ (2,121.64 ₡) |
-5.1 % |
| Chicken Fillets (1 lb) |
2.99 £ (2,064.43 ₡) |
3.13 £ (2,159.17 ₡) |
+4.6 % |
| Beef Round (1 lb) (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) |
4.72 £ (3,255.96 ₡) |
4.45 £ (3,071.81 ₡) |
-5.7 % |
| Apples (1 lb) |
1.00 £ (688.86 ₡) |
1.50 £ (1,037.29 ₡) |
+50.6 % |
| Banana (1 lb) |
0.55 £ (380.60 ₡) |
0.52 £ (356.46 ₡) |
-6.3 % |
| Oranges (1 lb) |
0.96 £ (661.20 ₡) |
1.06 £ (730.14 ₡) |
+10.4 % |
| Tomato (1 lb) |
1.17 £ (807.48 ₡) |
1.00 £ (690.89 ₡) |
-14.4 % |
| Potato (1 lb) |
0.55 £ (379.59 ₡) |
0.99 £ (681.10 ₡) |
+79.4 % |
| Onion (1 lb) |
0.52 £ (359.24 ₡) |
0.93 £ (643.32 ₡) |
+79.1 % |
| Lettuce (1 head) |
0.84 £ (580.70 ₡) |
0.73 £ (503.59 ₡) |
-13.3 % |
| Water (1.5 liter bottle) |
1.13 £ (781.39 ₡) |
1.82 £ (1,255.45 ₡) |
+60.7 % |
| Bottle of Wine (Mid-Range) |
8.00 £ (5,519.88 ₡) |
11.59 £ (8,000.00 ₡) |
+44.9 % |
| Domestic Beer (0.5 liter bottle) |
2.10 £ (1,446.21 ₡) |
1.70 £ (1,173.29 ₡) |
-18.9 % |
| Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) |
2.47 £ (1,702.49 ₡) |
2.05 £ (1,413.43 ₡) |
-17.0 % |
| Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro) |
15.00 £ (10,349.78 ₡) |
3.62 £ (2,500.00 ₡) |
-75.8 % |
Transportation | United Kingdom Edit |
Costa Rica Edit | |
| One-way Ticket (Local Transport) |
2.40 £ (1,655.97 ₡) |
0.72 £ (500.00 ₡) |
-69.8 % |
| Monthly Pass (Regular Price) |
70.00 £ (48,298.99 ₡) |
36.23 £ (25,000.00 ₡) |
-48.2 % |
| Taxi Start (Normal Tariff) |
4.00 £ (2,759.94 ₡) |
1.34 £ (927.50 ₡) |
-66.4 % |
| Taxi 1 mile (Normal Tariff) |
2.90 £ (1,998.76 ₡) |
2.33 £ (1,609.34 ₡) |
-19.5 % |
| Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff) |
20.00 £ (13,799.71 ₡) |
5.57 £ (3,845.00 ₡) |
-72.1 % |
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
5.45 £ (3,757.94 ₡) |
4.08 £ (2,817.07 ₡) |
-25.0 % |
| Volkswagen Golf 1.4 90 KW Trendline (Or Equivalent New Car) |
28,285.00 £ (19,516,240.79 ₡) |
26,739.69 £ (18,450,000.00 ₡) |
-5.5 % |
| Toyota Corolla Sedan 1.6l 97kW Comfort (Or Equivalent New Car) |
30,009.31 £ (20,705,988.79 ₡) |
25,826.65 £ (17,820,016.83 ₡) |
-13.9 % |
Utilities (Monthly) | United Kingdom Edit |
Costa Rica Edit | |
| Basic (Electricity, Heating, Cooling, Water, Garbage) for 915 sq ft Apartment |
237.42 £ (163,815.02 ₡) |
63.82 £ (44,032.34 ₡) |
-73.1 % |
| Mobile Phone Monthly Plan with Calls and 10GB+ Data |
12.87 £ (8,882.77 ₡) |
18.82 £ (12,988.34 ₡) |
+46.2 % |
| Internet (60 Mbps or More, Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL) |
31.30 £ (21,593.74 ₡) |
39.57 £ (27,299.77 ₡) |
+26.4 % |
Sports And Leisure | United Kingdom Edit |
Costa Rica Edit | |
| Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult |
34.11 £ (23,535.33 ₡) |
42.26 £ (29,157.88 ₡) |
+23.9 % |
| Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour on Weekend) |
11.67 £ (8,049.23 ₡) |
21.05 £ (14,522.88 ₡) |
+80.4 % |
| Cinema, International Release, 1 Seat |
10.00 £ (6,899.86 ₡) |
6.52 £ (4,500.00 ₡) |
-34.8 % |
Childcare | United Kingdom Edit |
Costa Rica Edit | |
| Preschool (or Kindergarten), Full Day, Private, Monthly for 1 Child |
1,265.38 £ (873,091.54 ₡) |
401.65 £ (277,135.79 ₡) |
-68.3 % |
| International Primary School, Yearly for 1 Child |
15,526.41 £ (10,712,999.02 ₡) |
7,326.47 £ (5,055,158.29 ₡) |
-52.8 % |
Clothing And Shoes | United Kingdom Edit |
Costa Rica Edit | |
| 1 Pair of Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar) |
67.15 £ (46,329.43 ₡) |
53.08 £ (36,625.00 ₡) |
-20.9 % |
| 1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, H&M, ...) |
32.85 £ (22,664.02 ₡) |
39.53 £ (27,278.54 ₡) |
+20.4 % |
| 1 Pair of Nike Running Shoes (Mid-Range) |
75.00 £ (51,751.36 ₡) |
86.80 £ (59,891.00 ₡) |
+15.7 % |
| 1 Pair of Men Leather Business Shoes |
76.28 £ (52,632.52 ₡) |
74.47 £ (51,386.36 ₡) |
-2.4 % |
Rent Per Month | United Kingdom Edit |
Costa Rica Edit | |
| Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Centre |
1,031.99 £ (712,055.41 ₡) |
584.84 £ (403,528.73 ₡) |
-43.3 % |
| Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Centre |
839.05 £ (578,934.22 ₡) |
393.40 £ (271,441.42 ₡) |
-53.1 % |
| Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Centre |
1,712.55 £ (1,181,632.46 ₡) |
1,086.70 £ (749,805.76 ₡) |
-36.5 % |
| Apartment (3 bedrooms) Outside of Centre |
1,355.09 £ (934,992.61 ₡) |
759.64 £ (524,142.56 ₡) |
-43.9 % |
Buy Apartment Price | United Kingdom Edit |
Costa Rica Edit | |
| Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment in City Centre |
431.59 £ (297,791.36 ₡) |
175.09 £ (120,810.15 ₡) |
-59.4 % |
| Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment Outside of Centre |
345.51 £ (238,398.18 ₡) |
95.58 £ (65,949.52 ₡) |
-72.3 % |
Salaries And Financing | United Kingdom Edit |
Costa Rica Edit | |
| Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax) |
2,370.96 £ (1,635,925.48 ₡) |
734.62 £ (506,879.48 ₡) |
-69.0 % |
| Mortgage Interest Rate in Percentages (%), Yearly, for 20 Years Fixed-Rate | 5.75 | 10.53 | +83.0 % |
| Last update: | 9 June 2025 | 6 June 2025 | |
| Contributors in the past 12 months: | 3095 | 126 |
Other comparisons United Kingdom vs Costa Rica:
- Quality of Life Comparison United Kingdom vs Costa Rica
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- Property Prices Comparison United Kingdom vs Costa Rica
- Traffic Comparison United Kingdom vs Costa Rica