Cost of Living Comparison Between Antigua And Barbuda and Costa Rica Cost of Living Comparison Between Antigua And Barbuda and Costa Rica

Name: Costa Rica
Address: CR

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $858 in Antigua And Barbuda versus $1,543 in Costa Rica.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,004 in Antigua And Barbuda versus $2,324 in Costa Rica.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,149 in Antigua And Barbuda versus $3,105 in Costa Rica.

Living in Antigua And Barbuda costs about 44% less than in Costa Rica on average.

Antigua And Barbuda (36% below) and Costa Rica (15% above) straddle the global median.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.10 EC$27.27

$9.97 ₡4,535

1.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$92.6 EC$250

$59.4 ₡27.0K

55.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.96 EC$26.89

$9.74 ₡4,432

2.26%

Cappuccino

$4.67 EC$12.60

$3.94 ₡1,791

18.53%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.21 EC$5.98

$2.11 ₡959

4.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.07 EC$2.88

$1.65 ₡752

-35.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.62 EC$9.78

$2.92 ₡1,327

23.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.54 EC$12.26

$4.39 ₡1,996

3.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.25 EC$6.08

$2.07 ₡940

8.70%

White Bread (500g)

$2.83 EC$7.64

$3.17 ₡1,441

-10.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.75 EC$10.11

$2.41 ₡1,098

55.60%

Eggs

$6.37 EC$17.19

$3.34 ₡1,518

90.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.76 EC$18.25

$9.24 ₡4,202

-26.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.47 EC$20.16

$9.40 ₡4,276

-20.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.36 EC$44.18

$13.56 ₡6,169

20.65%

Apples (1kg)

$5.96 EC$16.08

$4.48 ₡2,037

33.04%

Banana (1kg)

$2.72 EC$7.34

$1.56 ₡708

74.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.90 EC$13.23

$3.36 ₡1,527

45.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.09 EC$13.73

$3.08 ₡1,401

65.26%

Potato (1kg)

$5.40 EC$14.57

$2.89 ₡1,316

86.85%

Onion (1kg)

$2.69 EC$7.26

$2.86 ₡1,301

-5.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.68 EC$9.95

$1.03 ₡467

257.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.75 EC$7.42

$2.52 ₡1,145

9.13%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.90 ₡2,227

Wine (Bottle)

$11.17 EC$30.16

$16.18 ₡7,359

-30.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.76 EC$10.15

$2.39 ₡1,086

57.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.02 EC$10.86

$2.78 ₡1,264

44.60%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.26 EC$3.41

$0.94 ₡428

34.04%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$49.22 ₡22.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.40 EC$14.58

$1.87 ₡848

188.77%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$5.49 EC$14.82

$2.01 ₡916

173.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.64 EC$53.0

$7.61 ₡3,461

158.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.37 EC$3.71

$1.51 ₡686

-9.27%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$23.7K EC$63.9K

$36.3K ₡16.5M

-34.81%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$21.0K EC$56.7K

$35.7K ₡16.2M

-41.14%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$284 EC$768

$88.7 ₡40.4K

220.54%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$39.46 EC$107

$25.67 ₡11.7K

53.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$71.8 EC$194

$53.8 ₡24.5K

33.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$69.0 EC$186

$57.7 ₡26.2K

19.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$46.45 EC$125

$29.09 ₡13.2K

59.68%

Cinema Ticket

$11.41 EC$30.81

$9.00 ₡4,095

26.78%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$183 EC$495

$544 ₡247.4K

-66.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,868 EC$5,043

$10.0K ₡4.6M

-81.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$74.3 ₡33.8K

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.2 ₡24.2K

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.2 EC$198

$120 ₡54.5K

-38.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 ₡45.8K

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,706 EC$4,606

$798 ₡363.1K

113.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,532 EC$4,136

$534 ₡243.0K

186.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,457 EC$6,635

$1,509 ₡686.5K

62.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,487 EC$4,015

$1,041 ₡473.5K

42.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$11.8K EC$31.8K

$2,382 ₡1.1M

394.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,603 ₡728.9K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,682 EC$4,541

$1,062 ₡482.9K

58.41%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.75

10.53

-45.39%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Antigua And Barbuda: June 1, 2026

Last update for Costa Rica: June 1, 2026

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $582 in Antigua And Barbuda, $776 in Costa Rica. Capital cities: $1,104 in Saint John's vs $879 in San Jose.

National salary averages: $1,379 in Antigua And Barbuda, $1,098 in Costa Rica. Higher pay doesn't always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 33% higher in Costa Rica.

Dining out costs 34% more in Costa Rica.

Salaries are 26% higher in Antigua And Barbuda, giving Antigua And Barbuda stronger purchasing power.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Antigua And Barbuda vs Costa Rica: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $1,327 per month in Antigua And Barbuda and $1,609 in Costa Rica, there's a 21% gap. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Antigua And Barbuda is simply cheaper day-to-day: lower food prices, cheaper commutes, smaller household bills. Over time, those daily savings make a real difference to your monthly budget and ability to put money away.

Rent in Costa Rica beats Antigua And Barbuda across the board, especially in major cities. Housing is usually the single biggest driver of the overall cost difference between the two countries.

In Antigua And Barbuda, $2,500 covers most cities easily. In Costa Rica, it works in regional areas but falls short in the capital – you'll need to make trade-offs on housing or lifestyle.

It depends on what you're after. Antigua And Barbuda wins on affordability; Costa Rica may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.