Cost of Living in Costa Rica

Select city in Costa Rica:

Summary of cost of living in Costa Rica:

The estimated monthly costs for a family of four are 3,382.1$ (1,651,051.6₡), excluding rent.
The estimated monthly costs for a single person are 911.9$ (445,159.4₡), excluding rent.
Cost of living in Costa Rica is, on average, 22.5% lower than in United States.
Rent in Costa Rica is, on average, 46.4% lower than in United States.

Restaurants	Edit	Range
Meal at an Inexpensive Restaurant	5,000.00 ₡	3,500.00-10,000.00
Meal for Two at a Mid-Range Restaurant (Three Courses, Without Drinks)	25,000.00 ₡	18,000.00-50,000.00
Combo Meal at McDonald's (or Equivalent Fast-Food Meal)	5,000.00 ₡	4,500.00-5,500.00
Domestic Draft Beer (1 Pint)	1,500.00 ₡	976.35-2,500.00
Imported Beer (12 oz Small Bottle)	2,098.39 ₡	1,500.00-3,000.00
Cappuccino (Regular Size)	2,006.39 ₡	1,200.00-3,417.22
Soft Drink (Coca-Cola or Pepsi, 12 oz Small Bottle)	1,085.07 ₡	800.00-1,600.00
Bottled Water (12 oz)	867.40 ₡	600.00-1,464.52

Markets	Edit
Milk (Regular, 1 Liter)	1,070.23 ₡	718.55-1,500.00
Fresh White Bread (1 lb Loaf)	1,405.46 ₡	544.31-2,540.12
White Rice (1 lb)	562.67 ₡	408.23-885.73
Eggs (12, Large Size)	1,693.27 ₡	974.40-2,800.00
Local Cheese (1 lb)	2,062.89 ₡	907.19-4,535.93
Chicken Fillets (1 lb)	2,166.38 ₡	907.19-2,948.35
Beef Round or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat (1 lb)	2,999.35 ₡	2,041.17-4,428.65
Apples (1 lb)	1,076.04 ₡	453.59-1,814.37
Bananas (1 lb)	352.41 ₡	221.43-680.39
Oranges (1 lb)	751.93 ₡	272.16-1,360.78
Tomatoes (1 lb)	691.52 ₡	317.52-997.90
Potatoes (1 lb)	677.94 ₡	317.52-1,133.98
Onions (1 lb)	634.32 ₡	317.52-1,038.73
Lettuce (1 Head)	515.57 ₡	350.00-1,000.00
Bottled Water (50 oz)	1,284.98 ₡	848.00-2,000.00
Bottle of Wine (Mid-Range)	7,500.00 ₡	4,500.00-13,000.00
Domestic Beer (16.9 oz Bottle)	1,200.89 ₡	800.00-1,625.00
Imported Beer (12 oz Small Bottle)	1,492.71 ₡	900.00-2,500.00
Cigarettes (Pack of 20, Marlboro)	2,500.00 ₡	2,300.00-3,000.00

Transportation	Edit
One-Way Ticket (Local Transport)	500.00 ₡	450.00-700.00
Monthly Public Transport Pass (Regular Price)	30,000.00 ₡	20,000.00-50,000.00
Taxi Start (Standard Tariff)	1,000.00 ₡	800.00-1,500.00
Taxi 1 mile (Standard Tariff)	1,464.50 ₡	1,166.77-2,000.00
Taxi 1 Hour Waiting (Standard Tariff)	3,725.00 ₡	3,000.00-5,000.00
Gasoline (1 Liter)	728.52 ₡	650.00-900.00
Volkswagen Golf 1.5 (or Equivalent New Compact Car)	15,400,000.00 ₡	13,000,000.00-18,500,000.00
Toyota Corolla Sedan 1.6 (or Equivalent New Mid-Size Car)	17,402,767.09 ₡	16,060,946.58-20,000,000.00

Utilities (Monthly)	Edit
Basic Utilities for 915 Square Feet Apartment (Electricity, Heating, Cooling, Water, Garbage)	44,218.08 ₡	26,000.00-100,000.00
Mobile Phone Plan (Monthly, with Calls and 10GB+ Data)	13,683.38 ₡	10,000.00-25,000.00
Broadband Internet (Unlimited Data, 60 Mbps or Higher)	27,147.18 ₡	20,000.00-40,000.00

Sports And Leisure	Edit
Monthly Fitness Club Membership	28,978.69 ₡	18,500.00-50,000.00
Tennis Court Rental (1 Hour, Weekend)	13,764.29 ₡	7,500.00-20,000.00
Cinema Ticket (International Release)	4,000.00 ₡	3,300.00-6,000.00

Childcare	Edit
Private Full-Day Preschool or Kindergarten, Monthly Fee per Child	334,597.55 ₡	200,000.00-500,000.00
International Primary School, Annual Tuition per Child	6,040,470.14 ₡	3,240,000.00-9,828,336.00

Clothing And Shoes	Edit
Jeans (Levi's 501 or Similar)	36,608.91 ₡	20,000.00-50,000.00
Summer Dress in a Chain Store (e.g. Zara or H&M)	26,706.02 ₡	10,000.00-45,000.00
Nike Running Shoes (Mid-Range)	59,013.34 ₡	40,000.00-90,000.00
Men's Leather Business Shoes	51,549.05 ₡	25,000.00-100,000.00

Rent Per Month	Edit
1 Bedroom Apartment in City Centre	435,735.16 ₡	215,000.00-878,714.40
1 Bedroom Apartment Outside of City Centre	303,242.53 ₡	180,000.00-500,000.00
3 Bedroom Apartment in City Centre	814,299.45 ₡	450,000.00-1,269,254.14
3 Bedroom Apartment Outside of City Centre	542,445.53 ₡	300,000.00-976,349.34

Buy Apartment Price	Edit
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment in City Centre	103,000.20 ₡	90,705.07-185,804.53
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment Outside of Centre	71,920.16 ₡	51,096.25-93,879.74

Salaries And Financing	Edit
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)	497,007.88 ₡
Annual Mortgage Interest Rate (20-Year Fixed, in %)	9.71	8.00-15.00

Prices in Costa Rica

This country had 948 entries in the past 12 months by 73 different contributors.
Last update: 11 February 2026
Our data for each country are based on all entries from all cities in that country.

Sources and References