Cost of Living Comparison Between United States and Costa Rica Reverse

For major cities in those countries you get more relevant data by specifying cities.
City in United States:
City in Costa Rica:
Indices DifferenceInfo
Cost of Living in Costa Rica is 22.6% lower than in United States (without rent)
Cost of Living Including Rent in Costa Rica is 33.2% lower than in United States
Rent Prices in Costa Rica are 54.6% lower than in United States
Restaurant Prices in Costa Rica are 31.0% lower than in United States
Groceries Prices in Costa Rica are 21.6% lower than in United States
Local Purchasing Power in Costa Rica is 65.7% lower than in United States
Currency: Sticky Currency      Switch to metric measurement units
Restaurants
United States Edit Costa Rica Edit Difference
Meal, Inexpensive Restaurant 20.00 $
(10,160.87 ₡)
9.84 $
(5,000.00 ₡)
     -50.8 %
Meal for 2 People, Mid-range Restaurant, Three-course 75.00 $
(38,103.24 ₡)
59.05 $
(30,000.00 ₡)
     -21.3 %
McMeal at McDonalds (or Equivalent Combo Meal) 11.00 $
(5,588.48 ₡)
9.84 $
(5,000.00 ₡)
     -10.5 %
Domestic Beer (1 pint draught) 6.00 $
(3,048.26 ₡)
2.95 $
(1,500.00 ₡)
     -50.8 %
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) 7.00 $
(3,556.30 ₡)
4.72 $
(2,400.00 ₡)
     -32.5 %
Cappuccino (regular) 5.21 $
(2,645.36 ₡)
3.88 $
(1,969.01 ₡)
     -25.6 %
Coke/Pepsi (12 oz small bottle) 2.54 $
(1,291.65 ₡)
2.18 $
(1,105.85 ₡)
     -14.4 %
Water (12 oz small bottle) 2.07 $
(1,053.34 ₡)
1.65 $
(839.23 ₡)
     -20.3 %
Markets
United States Edit Costa Rica Edit
Milk (regular), (1 gallon) 3.99 $
(2,026.14 ₡)
7.53 $
(3,824.10 ₡)
     +88.7 %
Loaf of Fresh White Bread (1 lb) 3.27 $
(1,663.51 ₡)
2.80 $
(1,422.96 ₡)
     -14.5 %
Rice (white), (1 lb) 2.08 $
(1,057.02 ₡)
1.05 $
(535.84 ₡)
     -49.3 %
Eggs (regular) (12) 3.88 $
(1,972.86 ₡)
3.40 $
(1,729.05 ₡)
     -12.4 %
Local Cheese (1 lb) 5.87 $
(2,981.88 ₡)
3.99 $
(2,029.08 ₡)
     -32.0 %
Chicken Fillets (1 lb) 5.46 $
(2,775.46 ₡)
4.29 $
(2,177.20 ₡)
     -21.6 %
Beef Round (1 lb) (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) 7.32 $
(3,716.38 ₡)
5.97 $
(3,032.46 ₡)
     -18.4 %
Apples (1 lb) 2.39 $
(1,211.78 ₡)
2.03 $
(1,033.45 ₡)
     -14.7 %
Banana (1 lb) 0.76 $
(386.00 ₡)
0.71 $
(361.85 ₡)
     -6.3 %
Oranges (1 lb) 2.03 $
(1,033.54 ₡)
1.39 $
(706.82 ₡)
     -31.6 %
Tomato (1 lb) 2.22 $
(1,129.36 ₡)
1.30 $
(661.80 ₡)
     -41.4 %
Potato (1 lb) 1.33 $
(674.92 ₡)
1.23 $
(626.15 ₡)
     -7.2 %
Onion (1 lb) 1.39 $
(708.22 ₡)
1.26 $
(637.98 ₡)
     -9.9 %
Lettuce (1 head) 2.20 $
(1,116.66 ₡)
1.00 $
(509.04 ₡)
     -54.4 %
Water (1.5 liter bottle) 2.21 $
(1,124.06 ₡)
2.42 $
(1,229.44 ₡)
     +9.4 %
Bottle of Wine (Mid-Range) 15.00 $
(7,620.65 ₡)
15.75 $
(8,000.00 ₡)
     +5.0 %
Domestic Beer (0.5 liter bottle) 1.92 $
(976.49 ₡)
2.37 $
(1,202.13 ₡)
     +23.1 %
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) 3.56 $
(1,810.65 ₡)
2.79 $
(1,419.76 ₡)
     -21.6 %
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro) 10.00 $
(5,080.43 ₡)
4.92 $
(2,500.00 ₡)
     -50.8 %
Transportation
United States Edit Costa Rica Edit
One-way Ticket (Local Transport) 2.50 $
(1,270.11 ₡)
0.98 $
(500.00 ₡)
     -60.6 %
Monthly Pass (Regular Price) 65.00 $
(33,022.81 ₡)
45.07 $
(22,900.00 ₡)
     -30.7 %
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff) 3.75 $
(1,905.16 ₡)
1.80 $
(915.00 ₡)
     -52.0 %
Taxi 1 mile (Normal Tariff) 2.80 $
(1,422.52 ₡)
3.17 $
(1,609.34 ₡)
     +13.1 %
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff) 30.00 $
(15,241.30 ₡)
7.57 $
(3,845.00 ₡)
     -74.8 %
Gasoline (1 gallon) 3.52 $
(1,790.00 ₡)
5.58 $
(2,833.36 ₡)
     +58.3 %
Volkswagen Golf 1.4 90 KW Trendline (Or Equivalent New Car) 30,000.00 $
(15,241,297.86 ₡)
35,922.14 $
(18,250,000.00 ₡)
     +19.7 %
Toyota Corolla Sedan 1.6l 97kW Comfort (Or Equivalent New Car) 25,878.40 $
(13,147,347.41 ₡)
34,581.13 $
(17,568,712.20 ₡)
     +33.6 %
Utilities (Monthly)
United States Edit Costa Rica Edit
Basic (Electricity, Heating, Cooling, Water, Garbage) for 915 sq ft Apartment 206.73 $
(105,029.57 ₡)
83.46 $
(42,400.49 ₡)
     -59.6 %
Mobile Phone Monthly Plan with Calls and 10GB+ Data 56.81 $
(28,864.23 ₡)
25.69 $
(13,051.00 ₡)
     -54.8 %
Internet (60 Mbps or More, Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL) 71.03 $
(36,088.03 ₡)
53.84 $
(27,351.82 ₡)
     -24.2 %
Sports And Leisure
United States Edit Costa Rica Edit
Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult 46.66 $
(23,705.22 ₡)
59.18 $
(30,063.74 ₡)
     +26.8 %
Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour on Weekend) 21.73 $
(11,038.39 ₡)
30.13 $
(15,308.33 ₡)
     +38.7 %
Cinema, International Release, 1 Seat 14.00 $
(7,112.61 ₡)
7.94 $
(4,032.17 ₡)
     -43.3 %
Childcare
United States Edit Costa Rica Edit
Preschool (or Kindergarten), Full Day, Private, Monthly for 1 Child 1,369.81 $
(695,922.93 ₡)
554.28 $
(281,597.30 ₡)
     -59.5 %
International Primary School, Yearly for 1 Child 22,999.56 $
(11,684,773.04 ₡)
9,507.66 $
(4,830,305.03 ₡)
     -58.7 %
Clothing And Shoes
United States Edit Costa Rica Edit
1 Pair of Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar) 51.79 $
(26,309.39 ₡)
73.44 $
(37,308.42 ₡)
     +41.8 %
1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, H&M, ...) 42.54 $
(21,612.62 ₡)
55.06 $
(27,971.83 ₡)
     +29.4 %
1 Pair of Nike Running Shoes (Mid-Range) 89.01 $
(45,222.98 ₡)
119.92 $
(60,926.77 ₡)
     +34.7 %
1 Pair of Men Leather Business Shoes 112.64 $
(57,224.35 ₡)
108.08 $
(54,909.26 ₡)
     -4.0 %
Rent Per Month
United States Edit Costa Rica Edit
Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Centre 1,741.96 $
(884,991.22 ₡)
788.15 $
(400,413.37 ₡)
     -54.8 %
Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Centre 1,437.15 $
(730,134.45 ₡)
543.38 $
(276,061.24 ₡)
     -62.2 %
Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Centre 2,900.10 $
(1,473,378.41 ₡)
1,482.41 $
(753,129.21 ₡)
     -48.9 %
Apartment (3 bedrooms) Outside of Centre 2,392.04 $
(1,215,259.38 ₡)
1,031.82 $
(524,209.95 ₡)
     -56.9 %
Buy Apartment Price
United States Edit Costa Rica Edit
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment in City Centre 298.00 $
(151,397.46 ₡)
246.39 $
(125,176.27 ₡)
     -17.3 %
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment Outside of Centre 250.24 $
(127,134.14 ₡)
136.78 $
(69,491.26 ₡)
     -45.3 %
Salaries And Financing
United States Edit Costa Rica Edit
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax) 4,368.19 $
(2,219,229.41 ₡)
1,001.19 $
(508,650.02 ₡)
     -77.1 %
Mortgage Interest Rate in Percentages (%), Yearly, for 20 Years Fixed-Rate 6.57 10.38      +57.9 %
Last update: February 2025February 2025
Contributors in the past 12 months:9292104