Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Australia and Costa Rica

Name: Costa Rica
Address: CR

For one person, living is cheaper in Costa Rica: $1,779 a month against $2,542 in Australia, rent and utilities included – about $9,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

124

Cost of Living Index in Australia
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Australia Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Costa Rica
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Costa Rica Living Index

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🇦🇺 Australia

$2,542

/mo nomad

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,779

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Australia and in Costa Rica

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Australia and in Costa Rica actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,542 per month in Australia vs $1,779 in Costa Rica, rent included.

Australia $2,542
Costa Rica $1,779

A couple spends around $3,717 per month in Australia vs $2,745 in Costa Rica, rent included.

Australia $3,717
Costa Rica $2,745

A family of three spends $4,893 per month in Australia vs $3,711 in Costa Rica, rent included.

Australia $4,893
Costa Rica $3,711

The regional cost range is wider in Australia ($1,646–$3,152) than in Costa Rica ($1,004–$2,127), so city choice matters more there.

The cost of living in Australia is about 43% higher than in Costa Rica on average.

Both Australia and Costa Rica are pricier than the global median – Australia by 88%, Costa Rica by 32%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.16 A$24.69

$11.77 ₡5,278

45.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$83.9 A$121

$55.1 ₡24.7K

52.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.20 A$16.12

$10.88 ₡4,880

2.94%

Cappuccino

$3.92 A$5.64

$4.50 ₡2,018

-12.89%

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

$2.83 A$4.07

$2.37 ₡1,063

19.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 A$3.31

$1.91 ₡858

20.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.68 A$11.06

$3.25 ₡1,457

136.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.25 A$11.87

$4.40 ₡1,974

87.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.76 A$2.53

$2.45 ₡1,098

-28.16%

White Bread (500g)

$2.77 A$3.99

$3.57 ₡1,599

-22.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 A$3.16

$2.75 ₡1,235

-20.36%

Eggs

$4.99 A$7.18

$4.03 ₡1,806

23.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.94 A$14.31

$10.04 ₡4,504

-1.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.03 A$12.99

$10.40 ₡4,665

-13.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.25 A$21.94

$13.69 ₡6,140

11.40%

Apples (1kg)

$3.67 A$5.28

$5.16 ₡2,313

-28.88%

Banana (1kg)

$3.05 A$4.39

$1.69 ₡760

80.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.12 A$4.50

$3.60 ₡1,613

-13.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.56 A$6.56

$3.39 ₡1,519

34.51%

Potato (1kg)

$2.81 A$4.04

$3.36 ₡1,506

-16.37%

Onion (1kg)

$2.39 A$3.44

$3.18 ₡1,427

-24.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.35 A$3.39

$1.12 ₡504

109.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.64 A$2.36

$2.66 ₡1,195

-38.35%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$38.42 A$55.3

$5.38 ₡2,415

614.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.77 A$19.82

$16.05 ₡7,197

-14.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.69 A$6.75

$2.71 ₡1,214

73.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.08 A$7.31

$3.30 ₡1,480

53.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.72 A$3.91

$1.13 ₡507

140.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$95.8 A$138

$65.8 ₡29.5K

45.60%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.54 A$5.10

$2.28 ₡1,021

55.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 A$2.23

$2.00 ₡895

-22.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.00 A$57.6

$9.08 ₡4,074

340.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 A$1.87

$1.54 ₡689

-15.58%

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

$28.2K A$40.5K

$32.5K ₡14.6M

-13.24%

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

$28.5K A$40.9K

$36.6K ₡16.4M

-22.24%

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

$198 A$285

$95.7 ₡42.9K

107.09%

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

$28.75 A$41.37

$30.83 ₡13.8K

-6.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.6 A$84.4

$58.4 ₡26.2K

0.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.7 A$81.6

$65.6 ₡29.4K

-13.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.08 A$27.46

$22.18 ₡9,948

-13.98%

Cinema Ticket

$15.02 A$21.62

$8.25 ₡3,701

82.06%

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

$2,154 A$3,099

$743 ₡333.3K

189.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.9K A$25.8K

$12.7K ₡5.7M

41.59%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.0 A$112

$75.1 ₡33.7K

3.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.8 A$78.8

$56.5 ₡25.3K

-2.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 A$161

$131 ₡59.0K

-14.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 A$179

$110 ₡49.2K

13.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,540 A$2,215

$841 ₡376.9K

83.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,222 A$1,758

$655 ₡293.9K

86.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,478 A$3,566

$1,750 ₡784.7K

41.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,930 A$2,778

$1,177 ₡527.9K

63.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,153 A$11.7K

$2,434 ₡1.1M

234.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,053 A$8,711

$1,640 ₡735.7K

269.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,944 A$5,676

$1,071 ₡480.5K

268.15%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.93

9.56

-37.97%

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

Last update for Australia: October 13, 2026

Last update for Costa Rica: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Australia

$1.2K 48.1%

Costa Rica

$655 36.9% 46.4% $566

Groceries & Markets

Australia

$370 14.6%

Costa Rica

$383 21.5% 3.4% $13

Eating Out

Australia

$293 11.5%

Costa Rica

$223 12.5% 24% $70

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Australia

$286 11.2%

Costa Rica

$185 10.4% 35.3% $101

Clothing & Footwear

Australia

$166 6.5%

Costa Rica

$168 9.4% 1% $1.6

Getting Around

Australia

$118 4.6%

Costa Rica

$83 4.6% 30% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Australia

$87 3.4%

Costa Rica

$82 4.6% 5.4% $4.7

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $1,366 in Australia vs $830 in Costa Rica. For reference, capital cities sit at $1,716 in Canberra and $927 in San Jose.

Average salary: $3,849 in Australia vs $1,089 in Costa Rica. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 65% higher in Australia.

Dining out costs 52% more in Australia.

Public transport is 400% more expensive in Australia.

Salaries are 253% higher in Australia, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Australia.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Australia

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

🕒 Local time

18:22 6:22 PM

01:22 1:22 AM

17 h behind Australia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

26,473,055

5,044,197

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.695 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 AUD (1 AUD = 0.618 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Australia Costa Rica 13,960 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Australia
Costa Rica

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

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

Australia vs Costa Rica: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Costa Rica is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 43% lower on average.

Housing costs more in Australia: a central one-bedroom averages $1,366 versus $830 in Costa Rica.

$2,000 buys a comfortable lifestyle in Costa Rica, but in Australia it only works with careful planning outside the capital. Same money, very different lives.

Costa Rica is the budget-friendly choice for expats – lower housing and daily costs. But cost isn't everything: visa policies, language, healthcare quality, and job markets all weigh in too.