Cost of Living Comparison Between United Kingdom and Costa Rica 
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| Indices Difference |  |
|---|---|
| Cost of Living in Costa Rica is 20.4% lower than in United Kingdom (excluding rent) | |
| Cost of Living Including Rent in Costa Rica is 26.9% lower than in United Kingdom | |
| Rent Prices in Costa Rica are 43.3% lower than in United Kingdom | |
| Restaurant Prices in Costa Rica are 31.0% 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 56.3% lower than in United Kingdom | |
Restaurants | United Kingdom Edit |
Costa Rica Edit | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meal, Inexpensive Restaurant |
19.97 $ (15.00 £) |
9.88 $ (5,000.00 ₡) |
-50.5 % |
| Meal for 2 People, Mid-range Restaurant, Three-course |
86.53 $ (65.00 £) |
59.27 $ (30,000.00 ₡) |
-31.5 % |
| McMeal at McDonalds (or Equivalent Combo Meal) |
9.98 $ (7.50 £) |
9.88 $ (5,000.00 ₡) |
-1.1 % |
| Domestic Beer (1 pint draught) |
6.66 $ (5.00 £) |
2.96 $ (1,500.00 ₡) |
-55.5 % |
| Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) |
5.99 $ (4.50 £) |
4.74 $ (2,400.00 ₡) |
-20.9 % |
| Cappuccino (regular) |
4.52 $ (3.39 £) |
3.93 $ (1,988.68 ₡) |
-13.1 % |
| Coke/Pepsi (12 oz small bottle) |
2.35 $ (1.77 £) |
2.16 $ (1,091.08 ₡) |
-8.4 % |
| Water (12 oz small bottle) |
1.68 $ (1.26 £) |
1.66 $ (842.47 ₡) |
-0.9 % |
Markets | United Kingdom Edit |
Costa Rica Edit | |
| Milk (regular), (1 gallon) |
6.26 $ (4.70 £) |
7.50 $ (3,797.61 ₡) |
+19.8 % |
| Loaf of Fresh White Bread (1 lb) |
1.49 $ (1.12 £) |
2.86 $ (1,446.31 ₡) |
+91.4 % |
| Rice (white), (1 lb) |
0.99 $ (0.74 £) |
1.07 $ (541.44 ₡) |
+8.6 % |
| Eggs (regular) (12) |
3.95 $ (2.97 £) |
3.38 $ (1,713.17 ₡) |
-14.3 % |
| Local Cheese (1 lb) |
4.33 $ (3.25 £) |
4.16 $ (2,104.07 ₡) |
-4.0 % |
| Chicken Fillets (1 lb) |
3.99 $ (3.00 £) |
4.24 $ (2,146.29 ₡) |
+6.2 % |
| Beef Round (1 lb) (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) |
6.31 $ (4.74 £) |
5.94 $ (3,005.95 ₡) |
-5.9 % |
| Apples (1 lb) |
1.32 $ (0.99 £) |
1.98 $ (999.75 ₡) |
+49.7 % |
| Banana (1 lb) |
0.73 $ (0.55 £) |
0.73 $ (369.71 ₡) |
+0.6 % |
| Oranges (1 lb) |
1.28 $ (0.96 £) |
1.45 $ (731.47 ₡) |
+12.5 % |
| Tomato (1 lb) |
1.58 $ (1.19 £) |
1.37 $ (691.12 ₡) |
-13.7 % |
| Potato (1 lb) |
0.73 $ (0.55 £) |
1.34 $ (676.72 ₡) |
+83.7 % |
| Onion (1 lb) |
0.68 $ (0.51 £) |
1.27 $ (644.89 ₡) |
+86.4 % |
| Lettuce (1 head) |
1.11 $ (0.83 £) |
1.00 $ (506.13 ₡) |
-9.8 % |
| Water (1.5 liter bottle) |
1.50 $ (1.12 £) |
2.46 $ (1,243.91 ₡) |
+64.2 % |
| Bottle of Wine (Mid-Range) |
10.65 $ (8.00 £) |
15.81 $ (8,000.00 ₡) |
+48.4 % |
| Domestic Beer (0.5 liter bottle) |
2.76 $ (2.07 £) |
2.32 $ (1,173.17 ₡) |
-15.9 % |
| Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) |
3.28 $ (2.46 £) |
2.72 $ (1,377.45 ₡) |
-16.9 % |
| Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro) |
19.93 $ (14.97 £) |
4.94 $ (2,500.00 ₡) |
-75.2 % |
Transportation | United Kingdom Edit |
Costa Rica Edit | |
| One-way Ticket (Local Transport) |
3.20 $ (2.40 £) |
0.99 $ (500.00 ₡) |
-69.1 % |
| Monthly Pass (Regular Price) |
93.19 $ (70.00 £) |
49.39 $ (25,000.00 ₡) |
-47.0 % |
| Taxi Start (Normal Tariff) |
5.06 $ (3.80 £) |
1.80 $ (910.00 ₡) |
-64.5 % |
| Taxi 1 mile (Normal Tariff) |
3.68 $ (2.77 £) |
3.18 $ (1,609.34 ₡) |
-13.7 % |
| Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff) |
26.63 $ (20.00 £) |
7.60 $ (3,845.00 ₡) |
-71.5 % |
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
7.27 $ (5.46 £) |
5.60 $ (2,834.15 ₡) |
-22.9 % |
| Volkswagen Golf 1.4 90 KW Trendline (Or Equivalent New Car) |
37,655.80 $ (28,285.00 £) |
36,056.63 $ (18,250,000.00 ₡) |
-4.2 % |
| Toyota Corolla Sedan 1.6l 97kW Comfort (Or Equivalent New Car) |
39,633.78 $ (29,770.76 £) |
35,234.53 $ (17,833,891.88 ₡) |
-11.1 % |
Utilities (Monthly) | United Kingdom Edit |
Costa Rica Edit | |
| Basic (Electricity, Heating, Cooling, Water, Garbage) for 915 sq ft Apartment |
318.37 $ (239.14 £) |
88.13 $ (44,605.82 ₡) |
-72.3 % |
| Mobile Phone Monthly Plan with Calls and 10GB+ Data |
17.12 $ (12.86 £) |
25.50 $ (12,907.28 ₡) |
+49.0 % |
| Internet (60 Mbps or More, Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL) |
41.45 $ (31.14 £) |
54.35 $ (27,506.85 ₡) |
+31.1 % |
Sports And Leisure | United Kingdom Edit |
Costa Rica Edit | |
| Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult |
45.28 $ (34.02 £) |
56.84 $ (28,769.37 ₡) |
+25.5 % |
| Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour on Weekend) |
15.55 $ (11.68 £) |
30.24 $ (15,308.33 ₡) |
+94.5 % |
| Cinema, International Release, 1 Seat |
13.31 $ (10.00 £) |
7.90 $ (4,000.00 ₡) |
-40.6 % |
Childcare | United Kingdom Edit |
Costa Rica Edit | |
| Preschool (or Kindergarten), Full Day, Private, Monthly for 1 Child |
1,667.90 $ (1,252.84 £) |
544.30 $ (275,494.79 ₡) |
-67.4 % |
| International Primary School, Yearly for 1 Child |
20,613.60 $ (15,483.82 £) |
9,621.53 $ (4,869,922.10 ₡) |
-53.3 % |
Clothing And Shoes | United Kingdom Edit |
Costa Rica Edit | |
| 1 Pair of Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar) |
87.80 $ (65.95 £) |
73.05 $ (36,972.30 ₡) |
-16.8 % |
| 1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, H&M, ...) |
43.79 $ (32.89 £) |
54.44 $ (27,556.18 ₡) |
+24.3 % |
| 1 Pair of Nike Running Shoes (Mid-Range) |
99.68 $ (74.88 £) |
123.85 $ (62,686.41 ₡) |
+24.2 % |
| 1 Pair of Men Leather Business Shoes |
100.99 $ (75.86 £) |
106.72 $ (54,014.98 ₡) |
+5.7 % |
Rent Per Month | United Kingdom Edit |
Costa Rica Edit | |
| Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Centre |
1,378.69 $ (1,035.60 £) |
772.58 $ (391,038.22 ₡) |
-44.0 % |
| Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Centre |
1,118.92 $ (840.47 £) |
528.28 $ (267,389.89 ₡) |
-52.8 % |
| Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Centre |
2,306.86 $ (1,732.79 £) |
1,453.69 $ (735,782.86 ₡) |
-37.0 % |
| Apartment (3 bedrooms) Outside of Centre |
1,812.57 $ (1,361.50 £) |
996.18 $ (504,214.74 ₡) |
-45.0 % |
Buy Apartment Price | United Kingdom Edit |
Costa Rica Edit | |
| Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment in City Centre |
590.40 $ (443.47 £) |
248.42 $ (125,739.41 ₡) |
-57.9 % |
| Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment Outside of Centre |
466.92 $ (350.72 £) |
138.16 $ (69,929.55 ₡) |
-70.4 % |
Salaries And Financing | United Kingdom Edit |
Costa Rica Edit | |
| Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax) |
3,172.07 $ (2,382.69 £) |
1,013.91 $ (513,191.12 ₡) |
-68.0 % |
| 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: | 2975 | 115 |
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