Cost of Living Comparison Between Uruguay and Costa Rica 
| Indices Difference |  |
|---|---|
| Cost of Living in Costa Rica is 0.2% lower than in Uruguay (excluding rent) | |
| Cost of Living Including Rent in Costa Rica is 5.4% higher than in Uruguay | |
| Rent Prices in Costa Rica are 31.1% higher than in Uruguay | |
| Restaurant Prices in Costa Rica are 13.4% lower than in Uruguay | |
| Groceries Prices in Costa Rica are 12.2% higher than in Uruguay | |
| Local Purchasing Power in Costa Rica is 1.8% higher than in Uruguay | |
Restaurants | Uruguay Edit |
Costa Rica Edit | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meal, Inexpensive Restaurant |
700.00 $U (8,557.78 ₡) |
408.98 $U (5,000.00 ₡) |
-41.6 % |
| Meal for 2 People, Mid-range Restaurant, Three-course |
2,200.00 $U (26,895.87 ₡) |
2,453.91 $U (30,000.00 ₡) |
+11.5 % |
| McMeal at McDonalds (or Equivalent Combo Meal) |
470.00 $U (5,745.94 ₡) |
408.98 $U (5,000.00 ₡) |
-13.0 % |
| Domestic Beer (1 pint draught) |
152.00 $U (1,858.26 ₡) |
122.70 $U (1,500.00 ₡) |
-19.3 % |
| Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) |
150.00 $U (1,833.81 ₡) |
187.29 $U (2,289.73 ₡) |
+24.9 % |
| Cappuccino (regular) |
168.44 $U (2,059.27 ₡) |
164.12 $U (2,006.41 ₡) |
-2.6 % |
| Coke/Pepsi (12 oz small bottle) |
95.91 $U (1,172.57 ₡) |
89.16 $U (1,090.08 ₡) |
-7.0 % |
| Water (12 oz small bottle) |
73.98 $U (904.43 ₡) |
69.42 $U (848.73 ₡) |
-6.2 % |
Markets | Uruguay Edit |
Costa Rica Edit | |
| Milk (regular), (1 gallon) |
181.70 $U (2,221.35 ₡) |
316.02 $U (3,863.46 ₡) |
+73.9 % |
| Loaf of Fresh White Bread (1 lb) |
98.75 $U (1,207.23 ₡) |
118.59 $U (1,449.85 ₡) |
+20.1 % |
| Rice (white), (1 lb) |
29.92 $U (365.84 ₡) |
46.34 $U (566.54 ₡) |
+54.9 % |
| Eggs (regular) (12) |
174.83 $U (2,137.31 ₡) |
140.12 $U (1,713.06 ₡) |
-19.8 % |
| Local Cheese (1 lb) |
252.26 $U (3,083.96 ₡) |
168.44 $U (2,059.25 ₡) |
-33.2 % |
| Chicken Fillets (1 lb) |
197.73 $U (2,417.31 ₡) |
173.51 $U (2,121.18 ₡) |
-12.3 % |
| Beef Round (1 lb) (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) |
203.58 $U (2,488.89 ₡) |
248.93 $U (3,043.27 ₡) |
+22.3 % |
| Apples (1 lb) |
52.28 $U (639.17 ₡) |
84.26 $U (1,030.14 ₡) |
+61.2 % |
| Banana (1 lb) |
45.08 $U (551.10 ₡) |
30.12 $U (368.20 ₡) |
-33.2 % |
| Oranges (1 lb) |
27.61 $U (337.50 ₡) |
57.80 $U (706.62 ₡) |
+109.4 % |
| Tomato (1 lb) |
61.66 $U (753.87 ₡) |
55.77 $U (681.78 ₡) |
-9.6 % |
| Potato (1 lb) |
36.76 $U (449.41 ₡) |
54.91 $U (671.27 ₡) |
+49.4 % |
| Onion (1 lb) |
36.98 $U (452.10 ₡) |
51.35 $U (627.74 ₡) |
+38.9 % |
| Lettuce (1 head) |
52.01 $U (635.83 ₡) |
41.66 $U (509.37 ₡) |
-19.9 % |
| Water (1.5 liter bottle) |
70.53 $U (862.21 ₡) |
103.09 $U (1,260.31 ₡) |
+46.2 % |
| Bottle of Wine (Mid-Range) |
320.00 $U (3,912.13 ₡) |
654.38 $U (8,000.00 ₡) |
+104.5 % |
| Domestic Beer (0.5 liter bottle) |
91.86 $U (1,123.04 ₡) |
95.16 $U (1,163.40 ₡) |
+3.6 % |
| Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) |
118.00 $U (1,442.60 ₡) |
113.65 $U (1,389.37 ₡) |
-3.7 % |
| Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro) |
210.00 $U (2,567.33 ₡) |
204.49 $U (2,500.00 ₡) |
-2.6 % |
Transportation | Uruguay Edit |
Costa Rica Edit | |
| One-way Ticket (Local Transport) |
50.00 $U (611.27 ₡) |
40.90 $U (500.00 ₡) |
-18.2 % |
| Monthly Pass (Regular Price) |
1,800.00 $U (22,005.71 ₡) |
2,044.92 $U (25,000.00 ₡) |
+13.6 % |
| Taxi Start (Normal Tariff) |
60.00 $U (733.52 ₡) |
75.25 $U (920.00 ₡) |
+25.4 % |
| Taxi 1 mile (Normal Tariff) |
104.61 $U (1,278.87 ₡) |
128.35 $U (1,569.11 ₡) |
+22.7 % |
| Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff) |
450.00 $U (5,501.43 ₡) |
314.51 $U (3,845.00 ₡) |
-30.1 % |
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
295.21 $U (3,609.09 ₡) |
231.15 $U (2,825.94 ₡) |
-21.7 % |
| Volkswagen Golf 1.4 90 KW Trendline (Or Equivalent New Car) |
1,600,000.00 $U (19,560,632.08 ₡) |
1,509,153.69 $U (18,450,000.00 ₡) |
-5.7 % |
| Toyota Corolla Sedan 1.6l 97kW Comfort (Or Equivalent New Car) |
1,569,713.63 $U (19,190,369.23 ₡) |
1,444,586.14 $U (17,660,636.28 ₡) |
-8.0 % |
Utilities (Monthly) | Uruguay Edit |
Costa Rica Edit | |
| Basic (Electricity, Heating, Cooling, Water, Garbage) for 915 sq ft Apartment |
5,903.41 $U (72,171.53 ₡) |
3,578.27 $U (43,745.81 ₡) |
-39.4 % |
| Mobile Phone Monthly Plan with Calls and 10GB+ Data |
721.62 $U (8,822.11 ₡) |
1,060.47 $U (12,964.61 ₡) |
+47.0 % |
| Internet (60 Mbps or More, Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL) |
1,739.77 $U (21,269.38 ₡) |
2,235.80 $U (27,333.59 ₡) |
+28.5 % |
Sports And Leisure | Uruguay Edit |
Costa Rica Edit | |
| Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult |
2,249.50 $U (27,500.97 ₡) |
2,395.14 $U (29,281.51 ₡) |
+6.5 % |
| Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour on Weekend) |
772.22 $U (9,440.72 ₡) |
1,187.87 $U (14,522.18 ₡) |
+53.8 % |
| Cinema, International Release, 1 Seat |
410.00 $U (5,012.41 ₡) |
368.09 $U (4,500.00 ₡) |
-10.2 % |
Childcare | Uruguay Edit |
Costa Rica Edit | |
| Preschool (or Kindergarten), Full Day, Private, Monthly for 1 Child |
18,540.19 $U (226,661.12 ₡) |
22,665.14 $U (277,090.27 ₡) |
+22.2 % |
| International Primary School, Yearly for 1 Child |
345,362.26 $U (4,222,190.04 ₡) |
413,241.12 $U (5,052,035.91 ₡) |
+19.7 % |
Clothing And Shoes | Uruguay Edit |
Costa Rica Edit | |
| 1 Pair of Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar) |
3,661.79 $U (44,766.84 ₡) |
3,002.71 $U (36,709.29 ₡) |
-18.0 % |
| 1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, H&M, ...) |
1,940.85 $U (23,727.60 ₡) |
2,270.92 $U (27,762.93 ₡) |
+17.0 % |
| 1 Pair of Nike Running Shoes (Mid-Range) |
4,640.29 $U (56,729.43 ₡) |
4,985.55 $U (60,950.37 ₡) |
+7.4 % |
| 1 Pair of Men Leather Business Shoes |
4,791.20 $U (58,574.34 ₡) |
4,373.24 $U (53,464.54 ₡) |
-8.7 % |
Rent Per Month | Uruguay Edit |
Costa Rica Edit | |
| Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Centre |
24,665.65 $U (301,547.37 ₡) |
32,240.75 $U (394,155.88 ₡) |
+30.7 % |
| Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Centre |
19,119.17 $U (233,739.40 ₡) |
21,737.45 $U (265,748.91 ₡) |
+13.7 % |
| Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Centre |
42,396.85 $U (518,318.22 ₡) |
60,315.88 $U (737,385.51 ₡) |
+42.3 % |
| Apartment (3 bedrooms) Outside of Centre |
32,704.67 $U (399,827.53 ₡) |
41,538.23 $U (507,821.23 ₡) |
+27.0 % |
Buy Apartment Price | Uruguay Edit |
Costa Rica Edit | |
| Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment in City Centre |
11,671.66 $U (142,690.65 ₡) |
9,871.85 $U (120,687.25 ₡) |
-15.4 % |
| Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment Outside of Centre |
9,948.68 $U (121,626.58 ₡) |
5,388.98 $U (65,882.45 ₡) |
-45.8 % |
Salaries And Financing | Uruguay Edit |
Costa Rica Edit | |
| Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax) |
38,659.42 $U (472,626.74 ₡) |
41,451.81 $U (506,764.76 ₡) |
+7.2 % |
| Mortgage Interest Rate in Percentages (%), Yearly, for 20 Years Fixed-Rate | 6.45 | 10.53 | +63.2 % |
| Last update: | 22 May 2025 | 22 May 2025 | |
| Contributors in the past 12 months: | 130 | 122 |
Moving to Uruguay? Explore:
Other comparisons Uruguay vs Costa Rica: