Cost of Living Comparison Between United Kingdom and Costa Rica 
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| Indices Difference |  |
|---|---|
| Cost of Living in Costa Rica is 20.2% lower than in United Kingdom (excluding rent) | |
| Cost of Living Including Rent in Costa Rica is 26.7% lower than in United Kingdom | |
| Rent Prices in Costa Rica are 43.2% lower than in United Kingdom | |
| Restaurant Prices in Costa Rica are 30.8% lower than in United Kingdom | |
| Groceries Prices in Costa Rica are 3.5% lower than in United Kingdom | |
| Local Purchasing Power in Costa Rica is 56.2% lower than in United Kingdom | |
Restaurants | United Kingdom Edit |
Costa Rica Edit | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meal, Inexpensive Restaurant |
15.00 £ (10,075.17 ₡) |
7.44 £ (5,000.00 ₡) |
-50.4 % |
| Meal for 2 People, Mid-range Restaurant, Three-course |
65.00 £ (43,659.09 ₡) |
44.66 £ (30,000.00 ₡) |
-31.3 % |
| McMeal at McDonalds (or Equivalent Combo Meal) |
7.50 £ (5,037.59 ₡) |
7.44 £ (5,000.00 ₡) |
-0.7 % |
| Domestic Beer (1 pint draught) |
5.00 £ (3,358.39 ₡) |
2.23 £ (1,500.00 ₡) |
-55.3 % |
| Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) |
4.50 £ (3,022.55 ₡) |
3.57 £ (2,400.00 ₡) |
-20.6 % |
| Cappuccino (regular) |
3.39 £ (2,279.70 ₡) |
2.96 £ (1,988.42 ₡) |
-12.8 % |
| Coke/Pepsi (12 oz small bottle) |
1.77 £ (1,187.41 ₡) |
1.62 £ (1,091.01 ₡) |
-8.1 % |
| Water (12 oz small bottle) |
1.26 £ (846.43 ₡) |
1.25 £ (842.40 ₡) |
-0.5 % |
Markets | United Kingdom Edit |
Costa Rica Edit | |
| Milk (regular), (1 gallon) |
4.70 £ (3,158.12 ₡) |
5.65 £ (3,797.50 ₡) |
+20.2 % |
| Loaf of Fresh White Bread (1 lb) |
1.12 £ (752.88 ₡) |
2.15 £ (1,446.23 ₡) |
+92.1 % |
| Rice (white), (1 lb) |
0.74 £ (497.13 ₡) |
0.81 £ (541.40 ₡) |
+8.9 % |
| Eggs (regular) (12) |
2.96 £ (1,990.65 ₡) |
2.55 £ (1,713.07 ₡) |
-13.9 % |
| Local Cheese (1 lb) |
3.25 £ (2,185.65 ₡) |
3.13 £ (2,103.99 ₡) |
-3.7 % |
| Chicken Fillets (1 lb) |
3.00 £ (2,012.63 ₡) |
3.20 £ (2,146.21 ₡) |
+6.6 % |
| Beef Round (1 lb) (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) |
4.73 £ (3,179.32 ₡) |
4.48 £ (3,005.95 ₡) |
-5.5 % |
| Apples (1 lb) |
0.99 £ (665.69 ₡) |
1.49 £ (999.75 ₡) |
+50.2 % |
| Banana (1 lb) |
0.55 £ (366.55 ₡) |
0.55 £ (369.68 ₡) |
+0.9 % |
| Oranges (1 lb) |
0.96 £ (647.96 ₡) |
1.09 £ (731.45 ₡) |
+12.9 % |
| Tomato (1 lb) |
1.19 £ (799.41 ₡) |
1.03 £ (691.10 ₡) |
-13.5 % |
| Potato (1 lb) |
0.55 £ (367.88 ₡) |
1.01 £ (676.70 ₡) |
+83.9 % |
| Onion (1 lb) |
0.51 £ (345.03 ₡) |
0.96 £ (644.85 ₡) |
+86.9 % |
| Lettuce (1 head) |
0.83 £ (559.76 ₡) |
0.75 £ (506.07 ₡) |
-9.6 % |
| Water (1.5 liter bottle) |
1.13 £ (755.64 ₡) |
1.85 £ (1,243.91 ₡) |
+64.6 % |
| Bottle of Wine (Mid-Range) |
8.00 £ (5,373.43 ₡) |
11.91 £ (8,000.00 ₡) |
+48.9 % |
| Domestic Beer (0.5 liter bottle) |
2.07 £ (1,390.36 ₡) |
1.75 £ (1,173.12 ₡) |
-15.6 % |
| Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) |
2.46 £ (1,650.52 ₡) |
2.05 £ (1,377.40 ₡) |
-16.5 % |
| Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro) |
14.97 £ (10,055.02 ₡) |
3.72 £ (2,500.00 ₡) |
-75.1 % |
Transportation | United Kingdom Edit |
Costa Rica Edit | |
| One-way Ticket (Local Transport) |
2.40 £ (1,612.03 ₡) |
0.74 £ (500.00 ₡) |
-69.0 % |
| Monthly Pass (Regular Price) |
70.00 £ (47,017.48 ₡) |
37.22 £ (25,000.00 ₡) |
-46.8 % |
| Taxi Start (Normal Tariff) |
3.80 £ (2,552.38 ₡) |
1.35 £ (910.00 ₡) |
-64.3 % |
| Taxi 1 mile (Normal Tariff) |
2.77 £ (1,859.17 ₡) |
2.40 £ (1,609.34 ₡) |
-13.4 % |
| Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff) |
20.00 £ (13,433.57 ₡) |
5.72 £ (3,845.00 ₡) |
-71.4 % |
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
5.46 £ (3,665.65 ₡) |
4.22 £ (2,834.01 ₡) |
-22.7 % |
| Volkswagen Golf 1.4 90 KW Trendline (Or Equivalent New Car) |
28,285.00 £ (18,998,419.74 ₡) |
27,170.75 £ (18,250,000.00 ₡) |
-3.9 % |
| Toyota Corolla Sedan 1.6l 97kW Comfort (Or Equivalent New Car) |
29,770.76 £ (19,996,370.76 ₡) |
26,543.88 £ (17,828,945.55 ₡) |
-10.8 % |
Utilities (Monthly) | United Kingdom Edit |
Costa Rica Edit | |
| Basic (Electricity, Heating, Cooling, Water, Garbage) for 915 sq ft Apartment |
239.12 £ (160,614.05 ₡) |
66.40 £ (44,601.89 ₡) |
-72.2 % |
| Mobile Phone Monthly Plan with Calls and 10GB+ Data |
12.84 £ (8,627.68 ₡) |
19.21 £ (12,906.28 ₡) |
+49.6 % |
| Internet (60 Mbps or More, Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL) |
31.12 £ (20,905.29 ₡) |
40.95 £ (27,504.00 ₡) |
+31.6 % |
Sports And Leisure | United Kingdom Edit |
Costa Rica Edit | |
| Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult |
34.04 £ (22,861.30 ₡) |
42.83 £ (28,764.91 ₡) |
+25.8 % |
| Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour on Weekend) |
11.68 £ (7,843.79 ₡) |
22.79 £ (15,308.33 ₡) |
+95.2 % |
| Cinema, International Release, 1 Seat |
10.00 £ (6,716.78 ₡) |
5.96 £ (4,000.00 ₡) |
-40.4 % |
Childcare | United Kingdom Edit |
Costa Rica Edit | |
| Preschool (or Kindergarten), Full Day, Private, Monthly for 1 Child |
1,252.84 £ (841,502.44 ₡) |
410.13 £ (275,478.06 ₡) |
-67.3 % |
| International Primary School, Yearly for 1 Child |
15,464.01 £ (10,386,839.73 ₡) |
7,247.43 £ (4,867,938.16 ₡) |
-53.1 % |
Clothing And Shoes | United Kingdom Edit |
Costa Rica Edit | |
| 1 Pair of Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar) |
65.88 £ (44,246.97 ₡) |
55.04 £ (36,971.02 ₡) |
-16.4 % |
| 1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, H&M, ...) |
32.85 £ (22,062.88 ₡) |
41.02 £ (27,552.76 ₡) |
+24.9 % |
| 1 Pair of Nike Running Shoes (Mid-Range) |
74.92 £ (50,324.03 ₡) |
93.32 £ (62,679.62 ₡) |
+24.6 % |
| 1 Pair of Men Leather Business Shoes |
75.87 £ (50,963.17 ₡) |
80.41 £ (54,006.68 ₡) |
+6.0 % |
Rent Per Month | United Kingdom Edit |
Costa Rica Edit | |
| Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Centre |
1,035.60 £ (695,591.71 ₡) |
581.89 £ (390,843.63 ₡) |
-43.8 % |
| Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Centre |
839.83 £ (564,098.70 ₡) |
397.86 £ (267,230.93 ₡) |
-52.6 % |
| Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Centre |
1,732.81 £ (1,163,887.95 ₡) |
1,094.87 £ (735,402.58 ₡) |
-36.8 % |
| Apartment (3 bedrooms) Outside of Centre |
1,361.51 £ (914,495.75 ₡) |
750.31 £ (503,964.52 ₡) |
-44.9 % |
Buy Apartment Price | United Kingdom Edit |
Costa Rica Edit | |
| Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment in City Centre |
443.49 £ (297,884.63 ₡) |
187.07 £ (125,648.00 ₡) |
-57.8 % |
| Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment Outside of Centre |
350.72 £ (235,574.26 ₡) |
104.07 £ (69,901.00 ₡) |
-70.3 % |
Salaries And Financing | United Kingdom Edit |
Costa Rica Edit | |
| Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax) |
2,381.40 £ (1,599,532.29 ₡) |
763.86 £ (513,065.27 ₡) |
-67.9 % |
| Mortgage Interest Rate in Percentages (%), Yearly, for 20 Years Fixed-Rate | 5.76 | 10.29 | +78.7 % |
| Last update: | April 2025 | April 2025 | |
| Contributors in the past 12 months: | 2969 | 115 |
Other comparisons United Kingdom vs Costa Rica:
- Quality of Life Comparison United Kingdom vs Costa Rica
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- Health Care Comparison United Kingdom vs Costa Rica
- Pollution Comparison United Kingdom vs Costa Rica
- Property Prices Comparison United Kingdom vs Costa Rica
- Traffic Comparison United Kingdom vs Costa Rica