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 $1,535 in Costa Rica.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,004 in Antigua And Barbuda versus $2,322 in Costa Rica.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,149 in Antigua And Barbuda versus $3,108 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

$10.00 EC$27.01

$10.10 ₡4,505

-0.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$93.5 EC$252

$60.1 ₡26.8K

55.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.80 EC$26.45

$10.12 ₡4,516

-3.16%

Cappuccino

$4.70 EC$12.70

$3.90 ₡1,738

20.51%

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

$2.25 EC$6.09

$2.20 ₡982

2.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.10 EC$2.98

$1.67 ₡743

-34.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.68 EC$9.94

$3.06 ₡1,367

20.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.32 EC$11.66

$4.41 ₡1,969

-2.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.27 EC$6.14

$2.10 ₡937

8.10%

White Bread (500g)

$2.72 EC$7.34

$3.22 ₡1,437

-15.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.88 EC$10.48

$2.50 ₡1,115

55.20%

Eggs

$6.27 EC$16.93

$3.37 ₡1,505

86.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.75 EC$18.21

$9.57 ₡4,268

-29.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.51 EC$20.27

$9.44 ₡4,212

-20.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.93 EC$45.72

$13.43 ₡5,992

26.06%

Apples (1kg)

$6.01 EC$16.24

$4.67 ₡2,084

28.69%

Banana (1kg)

$2.76 EC$7.45

$1.57 ₡700

75.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.86 EC$13.13

$3.20 ₡1,428

51.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.23 EC$14.11

$2.98 ₡1,330

75.50%

Potato (1kg)

$5.50 EC$14.85

$2.98 ₡1,329

84.56%

Onion (1kg)

$2.58 EC$6.97

$2.83 ₡1,264

-8.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.64 EC$9.82

$1.01 ₡452

260.40%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.73 EC$7.36

$2.50 ₡1,117

9.20%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.09 ₡2,270

Wine (Bottle)

$11.15 EC$30.10

$16.14 ₡7,200

-30.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.74 EC$10.10

$2.35 ₡1,047

59.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.91 EC$10.55

$2.81 ₡1,255

39.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.29 EC$3.47

$1.01 ₡452

27.72%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$49.99 ₡22.3K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.44 EC$14.70

$1.87 ₡833

190.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$5.64 EC$15.22

$1.97 ₡877

186.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.59 EC$52.9

$7.61 ₡3,397

157.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.37 EC$3.70

$1.44 ₡645

-4.86%

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

$23.3K EC$63.0K

$36.5K ₡16.3M

-36.01%

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

$21.1K EC$57.1K

$35.4K ₡15.8M

-40.32%

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

$292 EC$787

$87.3 ₡38.9K

233.97%

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

$39.42 EC$106

$25.16 ₡11.2K

56.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$71.9 EC$194

$53.0 ₡23.7K

35.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.9 EC$186

$57.4 ₡25.6K

20.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$46.35 EC$125

$28.74 ₡12.8K

61.27%

Cinema Ticket

$11.19 EC$30.21

$9.04 ₡4,035

23.78%

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

$184 EC$497

$553 ₡246.7K

-66.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,860 EC$5,022

$9,994 ₡4.5M

-81.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.6 ₡32.0K

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.2 ₡23.7K

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.9 EC$197

$119 ₡53.0K

-38.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 ₡45.6K

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,763 EC$4,761

$809 ₡360.7K

118.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,488 EC$4,017

$544 ₡242.5K

173.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,540 EC$6,858

$1,466 ₡654.2K

73.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,497 EC$4,043

$1,018 ₡454.0K

47.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$11.5K EC$31.0K

$2,398 ₡1.1M

378.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,638 ₡730.9K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,656 EC$4,472

$1,067 ₡476.1K

55.21%

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: July 13, 2026

Last update for Costa Rica: July 12, 2026

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $589 in Antigua And Barbuda, $750 in Costa Rica. Capital cities: $1,091 in Saint John's vs $860 in San Jose.

National salary averages: $1,394 in Antigua And Barbuda, $1,096 in Costa Rica. Higher pay doesn't always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 27% higher in Costa Rica.

Dining out costs 34% more in Costa Rica.

Salaries are 27% 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 $1,342 per month in Antigua And Barbuda and $1,603 in Costa Rica, there's a 19% 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.