Cost of Living Comparison Between Australia and Costa Rica Cost of Living Comparison Between Australia and Costa Rica

๐Ÿ˜ Solo nomad: Australia is 9.7% more expensive than Costa Rica without rent, and 52.1% more expensive with rent.
๐Ÿ˜ Family of 3: Australia is 12.6% more expensive than Costa Rica without rent, and 31.6% more expensive with rent.
Currency
๐Ÿฝ Eating Out
Australia
Costa Rica
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$15.97 A$24.47
$9.65 โ‚ก4,833
65.49%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$77.2 A$118
$58.6 โ‚ก29.3K
31.68%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.66 A$14.8
$9.9 โ‚ก4,957
-2.42%
Cappuccino
$3.57 A$5.48
$3.9 โ‚ก1,954
-8.46%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.64 A$4.04
$2.2 โ‚ก1,100
20.00%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.22 A$3.41
$1.65 โ‚ก827
34.55%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$6.57 A$10.06
$3.03 โ‚ก1,517
116.83%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.98 A$10.7
$4.55 โ‚ก2,278
53.41%
๐Ÿ›’ Groceries & Markets
Australia
Costa Rica
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.5 A$2.3
$2.06 โ‚ก1,033
-27.18%
White Bread (500g)
$2.42 A$3.7
$3.06 โ‚ก1,530
-20.92%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.02 A$3.1
$2.52 โ‚ก1,261
-19.84%
Eggs
$4.38 A$6.71
$3.29 โ‚ก1,646
33.13%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.86 A$13.58
$9.29 โ‚ก4,650
-4.63%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.26 A$12.66
$9.54 โ‚ก4,775
-13.42%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$14.14 A$21.66
$13.6 โ‚ก6,808
3.97%
Apples (1kg)
$3.24 A$4.96
$4.67 โ‚ก2,337
-30.62%
Banana (1kg)
$2.68 A$4.11
$1.56 โ‚ก782
71.79%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.86 A$4.39
$3.34 โ‚ก1,672
-14.37%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.25 A$6.5
$3.01 โ‚ก1,507
41.20%
Potato (1kg)
$2.55 A$3.91
$3.04 โ‚ก1,524
-16.12%
Onion (1kg)
$2.19 A$3.35
$2.85 โ‚ก1,426
-23.16%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.24 A$3.43
$1.01 โ‚ก506
121.78%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.57 A$2.41
$2.54 โ‚ก1,273
-38.19%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$31.36 A$48.04
$4.86 โ‚ก2,434
545.27%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.32 A$20.41
$14.87 โ‚ก7,442
-10.42%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$4.61 A$7.06
$2.27 โ‚ก1,137
103.08%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.97 A$7.61
$2.73 โ‚ก1,366
82.05%
๐ŸšŒ Getting Around
Australia
Costa Rica
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.97 A$4.54
$0.95 โ‚ก476
212.63%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$98 A$150
$49.46 โ‚ก24.8K
98.22%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.62 A$5.55
$1.81 โ‚ก904
100.00%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.82 A$2.79
$1.93 โ‚ก969
-5.70%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$37.78 A$57.9
$7.69 โ‚ก3,850
391.29%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.2 A$1.84
$1.47 โ‚ก735
-18.37%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$29.1K A$44.6K
$37.4K โ‚ก18.7M
-22.17%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$22.5K A$34.5K
$34.8K โ‚ก17.4M
-35.27%
๐Ÿงพ Monthly Utilities & Internet
Australia
Costa Rica
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$180 A$276
$86.9 โ‚ก43.5K
107.36%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$26.23 A$40.19
$25.46 โ‚ก12.7K
3.02%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$52.8 A$80.9
$54.7 โ‚ก27.4K
-3.49%
๐ŸŽ‰ Sport & Entertainment
Australia
Costa Rica
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$46.77 A$71.7
$57.8 โ‚ก28.9K
-19.03%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$16.37 A$25.08
$28.42 โ‚ก14.2K
-42.40%
Cinema Ticket
$13.82 A$21.18
$9.08 โ‚ก4,546
52.20%
๐Ÿงธ Childcare & Education
Australia
Costa Rica
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,599 A$2,450
$551 โ‚ก275.9K
190.09%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$12.3K A$18.8K
$9,816 โ‚ก4.9M
25.11%
๐Ÿ‘•๐Ÿ‘Ÿ Clothing & Footwear
Australia
Costa Rica
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$71.7 A$110
$72.3 โ‚ก36.2K
-0.91%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$51.5 A$78.8
$55.2 โ‚ก27.6K
-6.81%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$101 A$155
$118 โ‚ก59.3K
-14.65%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$110 A$168
$104 โ‚ก52.1K
5.54%
๐Ÿ  Accommodation & Living
Australia
Costa Rica
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,395 A$2,137
$817 โ‚ก408.8K
70.80%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,106 A$1,694
$539 โ‚ก269.6K
105.24%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,271 A$3,480
$1,495 โ‚ก748.3K
51.97%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,775 A$2,719
$1,019 โ‚ก510.2K
74.13%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$6,985 A$10.7K
$2,511 โ‚ก1.3M
178.14%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$5,106 A$7,823
$1,384 โ‚ก693K
268.88%
๐Ÿ’ต Salaries & Financials
Australia
Costa Rica
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,626 A$5,555
$996 โ‚ก498.8K
263.89%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.35
10.53
-39.70%

Citycost data is based on AI and user input โ€“ minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Australia: October 29, 2025

Last update for Costa Rica: October 28, 2025

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