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 22.4% lower than in United States (excluding rent)
Cost of Living Including Rent in Costa Rica is 33.5% lower than in United States
Rent Prices in Costa Rica are 55.8% lower than in United States
Restaurant Prices in Costa Rica are 31.0% lower than in United States
Groceries Prices in Costa Rica are 21.4% lower than in United States
Local Purchasing Power in Costa Rica is 64.8% 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 $
(10,114.96 ₡)		 9.89 $
(5,000.00 ₡)		      -50.6 %
Meal for 2 People, Mid-range Restaurant, Three-course 75.00 $
(37,931.11 ₡)		 59.32 $
(30,000.00 ₡)		      -20.9 %
McMeal at McDonalds (or Equivalent Combo Meal) 11.39 $
(5,763.00 ₡)		 9.89 $
(5,000.00 ₡)		      -13.2 %
Domestic Beer (1 pint draught) 6.00 $
(3,034.49 ₡)		 2.97 $
(1,500.00 ₡)		      -50.6 %
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) 7.00 $
(3,540.24 ₡)		 4.75 $
(2,400.00 ₡)		      -32.2 %
Cappuccino (regular) 5.23 $
(2,645.28 ₡)		 3.93 $
(1,988.79 ₡)		      -24.8 %
Coke/Pepsi (12 oz small bottle) 2.56 $
(1,296.95 ₡)		 2.16 $
(1,091.04 ₡)		      -15.9 %
Water (12 oz small bottle) 2.09 $
(1,057.81 ₡)		 1.67 $
(842.53 ₡)		      -20.4 %
Markets
 United States Edit Costa Rica Edit
Milk (regular), (1 gallon) 4.00 $
(2,024.82 ₡)		 7.51 $
(3,797.54 ₡)		      +87.5 %
Loaf of Fresh White Bread (1 lb) 3.29 $
(1,665.45 ₡)		 2.86 $
(1,446.26 ₡)		      -13.2 %
Rice (white), (1 lb) 2.09 $
(1,058.09 ₡)		 1.07 $
(541.42 ₡)		      -48.8 %
Eggs (regular) (12) 4.24 $
(2,145.46 ₡)		 3.39 $
(1,713.10 ₡)		      -20.2 %
Local Cheese (1 lb) 5.87 $
(2,966.22 ₡)		 4.16 $
(2,104.02 ₡)		      -29.1 %
Chicken Fillets (1 lb) 5.52 $
(2,791.96 ₡)		 4.24 $
(2,146.24 ₡)		      -23.1 %
Beef Round (1 lb) (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) 7.38 $
(3,734.89 ₡)		 5.94 $
(3,005.95 ₡)		      -19.5 %
Apples (1 lb) 2.40 $
(1,212.26 ₡)		 1.98 $
(999.75 ₡)		      -17.5 %
Banana (1 lb) 0.76 $
(384.88 ₡)		 0.73 $
(369.69 ₡)		      -3.9 %
Oranges (1 lb) 2.04 $
(1,032.74 ₡)		 1.45 $
(731.46 ₡)		      -29.2 %
Tomato (1 lb) 2.23 $
(1,128.05 ₡)		 1.37 $
(691.11 ₡)		      -38.7 %
Potato (1 lb) 1.33 $
(672.82 ₡)		 1.34 $
(676.71 ₡)		      +0.6 %
Onion (1 lb) 1.40 $
(706.82 ₡)		 1.28 $
(644.87 ₡)		      -8.8 %
Lettuce (1 head) 2.20 $
(1,115.09 ₡)		 1.00 $
(506.09 ₡)		      -54.6 %
Water (1.5 liter bottle) 2.23 $
(1,126.81 ₡)		 2.46 $
(1,243.91 ₡)		      +10.4 %
Bottle of Wine (Mid-Range) 15.00 $
(7,586.22 ₡)		 15.82 $
(8,000.00 ₡)		      +5.5 %
Domestic Beer (0.5 liter bottle) 1.95 $
(986.83 ₡)		 2.32 $
(1,173.14 ₡)		      +18.9 %
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) 3.59 $
(1,817.30 ₡)		 2.72 $
(1,377.42 ₡)		      -24.2 %
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro) 10.00 $
(5,057.48 ₡)		 4.94 $
(2,500.00 ₡)		      -50.6 %
Transportation
 United States Edit Costa Rica Edit
One-way Ticket (Local Transport) 2.50 $
(1,264.37 ₡)		 0.99 $
(500.00 ₡)		      -60.5 %
Monthly Pass (Regular Price) 65.00 $
(32,873.63 ₡)		 49.43 $
(25,000.00 ₡)		      -24.0 %
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff) 3.75 $
(1,896.56 ₡)		 1.80 $
(910.00 ₡)		      -52.0 %
Taxi 1 mile (Normal Tariff) 2.80 $
(1,416.10 ₡)		 3.18 $
(1,609.34 ₡)		      +13.6 %
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff) 30.00 $
(15,172.45 ₡)		 7.60 $
(3,845.00 ₡)		      -74.7 %
Gasoline (1 gallon) 3.51 $
(1,773.09 ₡)		 5.60 $
(2,834.06 ₡)		      +59.8 %
Volkswagen Golf 1.4 90 KW Trendline (Or Equivalent New Car) 30,000.00 $
(15,172,445.76 ₡)		 36,085.15 $
(18,250,000.00 ₡)		      +20.3 %
Toyota Corolla Sedan 1.6l 97kW Comfort (Or Equivalent New Car) 25,965.51 $
(13,132,011.39 ₡)		 35,256.24 $
(17,830,779.67 ₡)		      +35.8 %
Utilities (Monthly)
 United States Edit Costa Rica Edit
Basic (Electricity, Heating, Cooling, Water, Garbage) for 915 sq ft Apartment 208.49 $
(105,444.09 ₡)		 88.19 $
(44,603.35 ₡)		      -57.7 %
Mobile Phone Monthly Plan with Calls and 10GB+ Data 57.22 $
(28,941.38 ₡)		 25.52 $
(12,906.65 ₡)		      -55.4 %
Internet (60 Mbps or More, Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL) 71.51 $
(36,165.17 ₡)		 54.38 $
(27,505.06 ₡)		      -23.9 %
Sports And Leisure
 United States Edit Costa Rica Edit
Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult 46.59 $
(23,560.37 ₡)		 56.88 $
(28,766.56 ₡)		      +22.1 %
Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour on Weekend) 22.02 $
(11,135.28 ₡)		 30.27 $
(15,308.33 ₡)		      +37.5 %
Cinema, International Release, 1 Seat 14.44 $
(7,303.00 ₡)		 7.91 $
(4,000.00 ₡)		      -45.2 %
Childcare
 United States Edit Costa Rica Edit
Preschool (or Kindergarten), Full Day, Private, Monthly for 1 Child 1,378.08 $
(696,962.95 ₡)		 544.71 $
(275,484.27 ₡)		      -60.5 %
International Primary School, Yearly for 1 Child 22,637.27 $
(11,448,757.40 ₡)		 9,626.68 $
(4,868,673.82 ₡)		      -57.5 %
Clothing And Shoes
 United States Edit Costa Rica Edit
1 Pair of Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar) 52.16 $
(26,377.79 ₡)		 73.10 $
(36,971.50 ₡)		      +40.2 %
1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, H&M, ...) 42.62 $
(21,557.29 ₡)		 54.48 $
(27,554.03 ₡)		      +27.8 %
1 Pair of Nike Running Shoes (Mid-Range) 89.67 $
(45,349.61 ₡)		 123.94 $
(62,682.14 ₡)		      +38.2 %
1 Pair of Men Leather Business Shoes 113.23 $
(57,267.39 ₡)		 106.79 $
(54,009.76 ₡)		      -5.7 %
Rent Per Month
 United States Edit Costa Rica Edit
Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Centre 1,742.42 $
(881,224.64 ₡)		 773.03 $
(390,959.96 ₡)		      -55.6 %
Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Centre 1,437.63 $
(727,076.48 ₡)		 528.63 $
(267,353.12 ₡)		      -63.2 %
Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Centre 2,905.16 $
(1,469,279.86 ₡)		 1,454.37 $
(735,543.59 ₡)		      -49.9 %
Apartment (3 bedrooms) Outside of Centre 2,406.26 $
(1,216,961.10 ₡)		 996.66 $
(504,057.30 ₡)		      -58.6 %
Buy Apartment Price
 United States Edit Costa Rica Edit
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment in City Centre 301.75 $
(152,609.29 ₡)		 248.52 $
(125,691.01 ₡)		      -17.6 %
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment Outside of Centre 251.65 $
(127,273.97 ₡)		 138.23 $
(69,911.58 ₡)		      -45.1 %
Salaries And Financing
 United States Edit Costa Rica Edit
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax) 4,339.90 $
(2,194,897.00 ₡)		 1,014.82 $
(513,241.72 ₡)		      -76.6 %
Mortgage Interest Rate in Percentages (%), Yearly, for 20 Years Fixed-Rate 6.51 10.29      +58.1 %
Last update: May 2025April 2025
Contributors in the past 12 months:10856116
Moving to United States? Explore:
Moving to Costa Rica? Explore:

Other comparisons United States vs Costa Rica:

  
About Numbeo in the News Newsletter API

Copyright © 2009-2025 Numbeo. Your use of this service is subject to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy