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: $877 in Antigua And Barbuda versus $1,660 in Costa Rica.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $985 in Antigua And Barbuda versus $2,621 in Costa Rica.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,092 in Antigua And Barbuda versus $3,581 in Costa Rica.

Living in Antigua And Barbuda costs about 47% less than in Costa Rica on average.

Antigua And Barbuda (36% below) and Costa Rica (20% above) straddle the global median.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.98 EC$29.65

$10.89 ₡4,874

0.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.9 EC$202

$55.8 ₡25.0K

34.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.99 EC$26.98

$10.81 ₡4,839

-7.59%

Cappuccino

$4.24 EC$11.44

$4.52 ₡2,021

-6.19%

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

$2.13 EC$5.74

$2.45 ₡1,095

-13.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.08 EC$2.91

$1.89 ₡844

-42.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 EC$10.03

$3.30 ₡1,476

12.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 EC$12.22

$4.61 ₡2,064

-1.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.55 EC$6.88

$2.42 ₡1,085

5.37%

White Bread (500g)

$2.86 EC$7.73

$3.60 ₡1,613

-20.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.87 EC$10.45

$2.70 ₡1,207

43.33%

Eggs

$7.42 EC$20.04

$4.01 ₡1,796

85.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.13 EC$24.65

$10.21 ₡4,568

-10.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.76 EC$23.65

$10.38 ₡4,647

-15.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$28.54 EC$77.1

$13.83 ₡6,190

106.36%

Apples (1kg)

$6.57 EC$17.75

$5.08 ₡2,272

29.33%

Banana (1kg)

$4.07 EC$11.00

$1.75 ₡782

132.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$11.32 EC$30.57

$3.52 ₡1,575

221.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.35 EC$17.14

$3.23 ₡1,446

96.59%

Potato (1kg)

$3.70 EC$9.99

$3.34 ₡1,496

10.78%

Onion (1kg)

$2.44 EC$6.58

$3.18 ₡1,422

-23.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.79 EC$10.23

$1.08 ₡483

250.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 EC$4.39

$2.68 ₡1,200

-39.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.60 EC$20.53

$5.57 ₡2,495

36.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.20 EC$24.84

$15.23 ₡6,817

-39.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.37 EC$6.39

$2.67 ₡1,196

-11.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.90 EC$7.83

$3.33 ₡1,490

-12.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.08 EC$2.91

$1.09 ₡486

-0.92%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.4 ₡29.3K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.37 EC$19.90

$2.20 ₡983

235.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$5.70 EC$15.40

$1.94 ₡870

193.81%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.13 EC$54.4

$8.87 ₡3,969

126.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 EC$3.93

$1.60 ₡718

-8.75%

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

$28.4K EC$76.7K

$32.7K ₡14.6M

-13.05%

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

$35.2K EC$95.1K

$36.3K ₡16.3M

-3.05%

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

$303 EC$819

$95.2 ₡42.6K

218.49%

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

$39.80 EC$107

$31.50 ₡14.1K

26.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$85.6 EC$231

$59.7 ₡26.7K

43.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$66.7 EC$180

$66.3 ₡29.7K

0.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$56.2 EC$152

$23.60 ₡10.6K

138.05%

Cinema Ticket

$7.02 EC$18.96

$8.21 ₡3,676

-14.49%

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

$187 EC$505

$726 ₡324.9K

-74.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,426 EC$6,549

$12.8K ₡5.7M

-81.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$39.17 EC$106

$74.6 ₡33.4K

-47.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$65.9 EC$178

$125 ₡56.0K

-47.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$146 EC$394

$107 ₡47.7K

36.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,773 EC$4,788

$884 ₡395.5K

100.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 EC$3,440

$641 ₡286.7K

98.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,509 EC$6,775

$1,743 ₡779.9K

43.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,485 EC$4,010

$1,168 ₡522.7K

27.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$11.6K EC$31.3K

$2,400 ₡1.1M

383.68%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,671 ₡748.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,713 EC$4,625

$1,083 ₡484.5K

58.22%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.75

9.56

-39.85%

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

Last update for Antigua And Barbuda: September 8, 2026

Last update for Costa Rica: September 7, 2026

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $588 in Antigua And Barbuda, $816 in Costa Rica. Capital cities: $1,055 in Saint John's vs $960 in San Jose.

National salary averages: $1,388 in Antigua And Barbuda, $1,106 in Costa Rica. Higher pay doesn't always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 39% higher in Costa Rica.

Dining out costs 152% more in Costa Rica.

Salaries are 25% higher in Antigua And Barbuda, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Antigua And Barbuda.

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 $1,173 per month in Antigua And Barbuda and $1,575 in Costa Rica, there's a 34% gap. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Day-to-day life is simply cheaper in Antigua And Barbuda: 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 is consistently higher than in 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 stretches only to regional areas and 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.