Cost of Living Comparison Between United Kingdom and Costa Rica 
| Indices Difference |  |
|---|---|
| Cost of Living in Costa Rica is 20.3% lower than in United Kingdom (excluding rent) | |
| Cost of Living Including Rent in Costa Rica is 26.8% lower than in United Kingdom | |
| Rent Prices in Costa Rica are 43.0% lower than in United Kingdom | |
| Restaurant Prices in Costa Rica are 30.8% lower than in United Kingdom | |
| Groceries Prices in Costa Rica are 3.8% lower than in United Kingdom | |
| Local Purchasing Power in Costa Rica is 56.4% lower than in United Kingdom | |
Restaurants | United Kingdom Edit |
Costa Rica Edit | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meal, Inexpensive Restaurant |
15.00 £ (10,086.79 ₡) |
7.44 £ (5,000.00 ₡) |
-50.4 % |
| Meal for 2 People, Mid-range Restaurant, Three-course |
65.00 £ (43,709.42 ₡) |
44.61 £ (30,000.00 ₡) |
-31.4 % |
| McMeal at McDonalds (or Equivalent Combo Meal) |
7.50 £ (5,043.39 ₡) |
7.44 £ (5,000.00 ₡) |
-0.9 % |
| Domestic Beer (1 pint draught) |
5.00 £ (3,362.26 ₡) |
2.23 £ (1,500.00 ₡) |
-55.4 % |
| Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) |
4.50 £ (3,026.04 ₡) |
3.57 £ (2,400.00 ₡) |
-20.7 % |
| Cappuccino (regular) |
3.40 £ (2,287.08 ₡) |
2.96 £ (1,989.31 ₡) |
-13.0 % |
| Coke/Pepsi (12 oz small bottle) |
1.77 £ (1,190.58 ₡) |
1.63 £ (1,094.42 ₡) |
-8.1 % |
| Water (12 oz small bottle) |
1.26 £ (849.28 ₡) |
1.26 £ (849.51 ₡) |
+0.0 % |
Markets | United Kingdom Edit |
Costa Rica Edit | |
| Milk (regular), (1 gallon) |
4.70 £ (3,160.86 ₡) |
5.71 £ (3,839.50 ₡) |
+21.5 % |
| Loaf of Fresh White Bread (1 lb) |
1.12 £ (750.24 ₡) |
2.16 £ (1,449.55 ₡) |
+93.2 % |
| Rice (white), (1 lb) |
0.74 £ (495.23 ₡) |
0.83 £ (557.06 ₡) |
+12.5 % |
| Eggs (regular) (12) |
2.97 £ (1,995.78 ₡) |
2.54 £ (1,709.91 ₡) |
-14.3 % |
| Local Cheese (1 lb) |
3.24 £ (2,182.09 ₡) |
3.02 £ (2,032.86 ₡) |
-6.8 % |
| Chicken Fillets (1 lb) |
3.00 £ (2,016.42 ₡) |
3.11 £ (2,091.87 ₡) |
+3.7 % |
| Beef Round (1 lb) (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) |
4.74 £ (3,187.41 ₡) |
4.47 £ (3,005.95 ₡) |
-5.7 % |
| Apples (1 lb) |
0.99 £ (667.57 ₡) |
1.53 £ (1,026.14 ₡) |
+53.7 % |
| Banana (1 lb) |
0.55 £ (368.20 ₡) |
0.55 £ (371.71 ₡) |
+1.0 % |
| Oranges (1 lb) |
0.96 £ (647.01 ₡) |
1.06 £ (715.29 ₡) |
+10.6 % |
| Tomato (1 lb) |
1.19 £ (798.00 ₡) |
1.03 £ (693.52 ₡) |
-13.1 % |
| Potato (1 lb) |
0.55 £ (369.93 ₡) |
1.01 £ (676.73 ₡) |
+82.9 % |
| Onion (1 lb) |
0.52 £ (348.30 ₡) |
0.94 £ (633.22 ₡) |
+81.8 % |
| Lettuce (1 head) |
0.84 £ (562.67 ₡) |
0.76 £ (509.20 ₡) |
-9.5 % |
| Water (1.5 liter bottle) |
1.13 £ (758.86 ₡) |
1.89 £ (1,268.71 ₡) |
+67.2 % |
| Bottle of Wine (Mid-Range) |
8.00 £ (5,379.62 ₡) |
11.90 £ (8,000.00 ₡) |
+48.7 % |
| Domestic Beer (0.5 liter bottle) |
2.07 £ (1,394.07 ₡) |
1.74 £ (1,169.32 ₡) |
-16.1 % |
| Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) |
2.46 £ (1,653.44 ₡) |
2.09 £ (1,408.67 ₡) |
-14.8 % |
| Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro) |
14.99 £ (10,080.07 ₡) |
3.72 £ (2,500.00 ₡) |
-75.2 % |
Transportation | United Kingdom Edit |
Costa Rica Edit | |
| One-way Ticket (Local Transport) |
2.40 £ (1,613.89 ₡) |
0.74 £ (500.00 ₡) |
-69.0 % |
| Monthly Pass (Regular Price) |
70.00 £ (47,071.69 ₡) |
37.18 £ (25,000.00 ₡) |
-46.9 % |
| Taxi Start (Normal Tariff) |
4.00 £ (2,689.81 ₡) |
1.36 £ (915.00 ₡) |
-66.0 % |
| Taxi 1 mile (Normal Tariff) |
2.87 £ (1,931.74 ₡) |
2.27 £ (1,528.88 ₡) |
-20.9 % |
| Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff) |
20.00 £ (13,449.05 ₡) |
5.72 £ (3,845.00 ₡) |
-71.4 % |
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
5.45 £ (3,666.99 ₡) |
4.21 £ (2,831.16 ₡) |
-22.8 % |
| Volkswagen Golf 1.4 90 KW Trendline (Or Equivalent New Car) |
28,285.00 £ (19,020,323.60 ₡) |
27,436.88 £ (18,450,000.00 ₡) |
-3.0 % |
| Toyota Corolla Sedan 1.6l 97kW Comfort (Or Equivalent New Car) |
29,824.12 £ (20,055,310.51 ₡) |
26,237.59 £ (17,643,537.40 ₡) |
-12.0 % |
Utilities (Monthly) | United Kingdom Edit |
Costa Rica Edit | |
| Basic (Electricity, Heating, Cooling, Water, Garbage) for 915 sq ft Apartment |
237.40 £ (159,639.09 ₡) |
66.69 £ (44,846.91 ₡) |
-71.9 % |
| Mobile Phone Monthly Plan with Calls and 10GB+ Data |
12.86 £ (8,650.83 ₡) |
19.27 £ (12,955.59 ₡) |
+49.8 % |
| Internet (60 Mbps or More, Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL) |
31.22 £ (20,993.94 ₡) |
40.68 £ (27,355.77 ₡) |
+30.3 % |
Sports And Leisure | United Kingdom Edit |
Costa Rica Edit | |
| Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult |
34.05 £ (22,894.14 ₡) |
42.79 £ (28,772.77 ₡) |
+25.7 % |
| Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour on Weekend) |
11.66 £ (7,841.02 ₡) |
22.76 £ (15,308.33 ₡) |
+95.2 % |
| Cinema, International Release, 1 Seat |
10.00 £ (6,724.53 ₡) |
6.32 £ (4,250.00 ₡) |
-36.8 % |
Childcare | United Kingdom Edit |
Costa Rica Edit | |
| Preschool (or Kindergarten), Full Day, Private, Monthly for 1 Child |
1,252.12 £ (841,989.97 ₡) |
409.71 £ (275,507.52 ₡) |
-67.3 % |
| International Primary School, Yearly for 1 Child |
15,172.23 £ (10,202,609.60 ₡) |
7,404.50 £ (4,979,175.03 ₡) |
-51.2 % |
Clothing And Shoes | United Kingdom Edit |
Costa Rica Edit | |
| 1 Pair of Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar) |
66.36 £ (44,623.07 ₡) |
53.79 £ (36,173.26 ₡) |
-18.9 % |
| 1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, H&M, ...) |
32.89 £ (22,119.84 ₡) |
40.54 £ (27,261.14 ₡) |
+23.2 % |
| 1 Pair of Nike Running Shoes (Mid-Range) |
74.71 £ (50,240.74 ₡) |
91.13 £ (61,277.79 ₡) |
+22.0 % |
| 1 Pair of Men Leather Business Shoes |
76.05 £ (51,139.56 ₡) |
77.75 £ (52,282.16 ₡) |
+2.2 % |
Rent Per Month | United Kingdom Edit |
Costa Rica Edit | |
| Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Centre |
1,036.71 £ (697,137.46 ₡) |
584.97 £ (393,363.70 ₡) |
-43.6 % |
| Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Centre |
841.59 £ (565,931.20 ₡) |
394.36 £ (265,189.38 ₡) |
-53.1 % |
| Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Centre |
1,713.49 £ (1,152,243.44 ₡) |
1,096.56 £ (737,387.97 ₡) |
-36.0 % |
| Apartment (3 bedrooms) Outside of Centre |
1,356.11 £ (911,919.45 ₡) |
742.50 £ (499,294.99 ₡) |
-45.2 % |
Buy Apartment Price | United Kingdom Edit |
Costa Rica Edit | |
| Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment in City Centre |
433.61 £ (291,582.69 ₡) |
186.98 £ (125,738.22 ₡) |
-56.9 % |
| Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment Outside of Centre |
345.89 £ (232,591.57 ₡) |
104.02 £ (69,951.26 ₡) |
-69.9 % |
Salaries And Financing | United Kingdom Edit |
Costa Rica Edit | |
| Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax) |
2,378.86 £ (1,599,672.31 ₡) |
759.80 £ (510,931.71 ₡) |
-68.1 % |
| Mortgage Interest Rate in Percentages (%), Yearly, for 20 Years Fixed-Rate | 5.76 | 10.31 | +79.2 % |
| Last update: | May 2025 | May 2025 | |
| Contributors in the past 12 months: | 2984 | 117 |
Other comparisons United Kingdom vs Costa Rica:
- Quality of Life Comparison United Kingdom vs Costa Rica
- Crime Comparison United Kingdom vs Costa Rica
- 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