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

😐 Solo nomad: Australia is 12.9% more expensive than Costa Rica without rent, and 50.1% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Australia is 12.7% more expensive than Costa Rica without rent, and 30.9% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Australia
Costa Rica
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$16.40 A$23.45
$9.67 ₡4,570
69.60%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$78.2 A$112
$58.6 ₡27.7K
33.42%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.52 A$13.62
$10.23 ₡4,837
-6.94%
Cappuccino
$3.57 A$5.11
$3.97 ₡1,878
-10.08%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.55 A$3.64
$2.17 ₡1,026
17.51%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.21 A$3.16
$1.73 ₡817
27.75%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$6.41 A$9.16
$2.89 ₡1,367
121.80%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.22 A$10.32
$4.40 ₡2,083
64.09%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Australia
Costa Rica
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.56 A$2.23
$2.05 ₡970
-23.90%
White Bread (500g)
$2.48 A$3.55
$3.09 ₡1,459
-19.74%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.00 A$2.86
$2.51 ₡1,186
-20.32%
Eggs
$4.28 A$6.12
$3.30 ₡1,559
29.70%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.60 A$12.30
$9.16 ₡4,331
-6.11%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.56 A$12.24
$9.29 ₡4,393
-7.86%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.71 A$19.60
$13.16 ₡6,223
4.18%
Apples (1kg)
$3.22 A$4.61
$4.48 ₡2,117
-28.13%
Banana (1kg)
$2.72 A$3.89
$1.62 ₡766
67.90%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.94 A$4.20
$3.22 ₡1,520
-8.70%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.28 A$6.12
$2.98 ₡1,410
43.62%
Potato (1kg)
$2.51 A$3.58
$3.01 ₡1,422
-16.61%
Onion (1kg)
$2.11 A$3.02
$2.85 ₡1,345
-25.96%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.21 A$3.17
$1.01 ₡478
118.81%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.53 A$2.19
$2.51 ₡1,187
-39.04%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$31.35 A$44.83
$4.94 ₡2,335
534.62%
Wine (Bottle)
$14.09 A$20.15
$15.72 ₡7,434
-10.37%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$4.43 A$6.33
$2.38 ₡1,123
86.13%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.07 A$7.25
$2.71 ₡1,282
87.08%
🚌 Getting Around
Australia
Costa Rica
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.90 A$4.15
$0.94 ₡445
208.51%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$97.6 A$140
$48.94 ₡23.1K
99.49%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.55 A$5.08
$1.79 ₡847
98.32%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.84 A$2.64
$2.01 ₡950
-8.46%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$37.44 A$53.5
$7.82 ₡3,699
378.77%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.15 A$1.64
$1.51 ₡715
-23.84%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$29.2K A$41.8K
$36.8K ₡17.4M
-20.65%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.0K A$32.8K
$34.7K ₡16.4M
-33.92%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Australia
Costa Rica
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$180 A$257
$86.8 ₡41.0K
107.11%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$25.91 A$37.05
$25.69 ₡12.1K
0.86%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$52.5 A$75.0
$53.8 ₡25.4K
-2.42%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Australia
Costa Rica
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$48.04 A$68.7
$55.9 ₡26.4K
-14.09%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$16.66 A$23.82
$28.78 ₡13.6K
-42.11%
Cinema Ticket
$13.87 A$19.84
$9.04 ₡4,276
53.43%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Australia
Costa Rica
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,559 A$2,230
$560 ₡264.9K
178.29%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$12.5K A$17.9K
$10.0K ₡4.7M
25.10%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Australia
Costa Rica
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$70.2 A$100
$72.4 ₡34.2K
-3.04%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$51.4 A$73.5
$54.4 ₡25.7K
-5.43%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$101 A$144
$117 ₡55.3K
-13.89%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$112 A$160
$103 ₡48.6K
8.63%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Australia
Costa Rica
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,361 A$1,946
$811 ₡383.6K
67.69%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,083 A$1,549
$551 ₡260.4K
96.69%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,332 A$3,334
$1,482 ₡700.8K
57.30%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,718 A$2,456
$1,036 ₡489.8K
65.81%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$7,612 A$10.9K
$2,301 ₡1.1M
230.74%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$5,588 A$7,990
$1,575 ₡744.8K
254.69%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Australia
Costa Rica
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,928 A$5,617
$1,030 ₡487.0K
281.35%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.35
10.53
-39.70%

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

Last update for Australia: March 3, 2026

Last update for Costa Rica: March 2, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated January 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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