Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bonaire and Costa Rica

Name: Costa Rica
Address: CR

For one person, living is cheaper in Costa Rica: $1,779 a month against $2,448 in Bonaire, rent and utilities included – about $8,000 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Bonaire outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

122

Cost of Living Index in Bonaire
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Bonaire Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Costa Rica
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Costa Rica Living Index

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🇧🇶 Bonaire

$2,448

/mo nomad

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,779

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bonaire 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 Bonaire and in Costa Rica actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,448 per month in Bonaire vs $1,779 in Costa Rica, rent included.

Bonaire $2,448
Costa Rica $1,779

A couple spends around $3,656 per month in Bonaire vs $2,745 in Costa Rica, rent included.

Bonaire $3,656
Costa Rica $2,745

A family of three spends $4,864 per month in Bonaire vs $3,711 in Costa Rica, rent included.

Bonaire $4,864
Costa Rica $3,711

The regional cost range is wider in Bonaire ($2,441–$2,441) than in Costa Rica ($1,004–$2,127), so city choice matters more there.

The cost of living in Bonaire is about 38% higher than in Costa Rica on average.

Both Bonaire and Costa Rica are pricier than the global median – Bonaire by 81%, Costa Rica by 32%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.89 $22.89

$11.77 ₡5,278

94.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$99.0 $99.0

$55.1 ₡24.7K

79.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$18.17 $18.17

$10.88 ₡4,880

67.00%

Cappuccino

$2.93 $2.93

$4.50 ₡2,018

-34.89%

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

$3.61 $3.61

$2.37 ₡1,063

52.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.05 $2.05

$1.91 ₡858

7.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.59 $7.59

$3.25 ₡1,457

133.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.01 $7.01

$4.40 ₡1,974

59.32%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.93 $1.93

$2.45 ₡1,098

-21.22%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 $2.29

$3.57 ₡1,599

-35.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.75 ₡1,235

Eggs

$6.32 $6.32

$4.03 ₡1,806

56.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.04 ₡4,504

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.77 $8.77

$10.40 ₡4,665

-15.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.10 $22.10

$13.69 ₡6,140

61.43%

Apples (1kg)

$3.47 $3.47

$5.16 ₡2,313

-32.75%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ₡760

Oranges (1kg)

$3.57 $3.57

$3.60 ₡1,613

-0.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$9.95 $9.95

$3.39 ₡1,519

193.51%

Potato (1kg)

$3.36 ₡1,506

Onion (1kg)

$3.18 ₡1,427

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.91 $3.91

$1.12 ₡504

249.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,195

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.38 ₡2,415

Wine (Bottle)

$15.12 $15.12

$16.05 ₡7,197

-5.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.71 ₡1,214

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.30 ₡1,480

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.13 ₡507

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.8 ₡29.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$10.16 $10.16

$2.28 ₡1,021

345.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.00 ₡895

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.08 ₡4,074

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.63 $1.63

$1.54 ₡689

5.84%

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

$32.5K ₡14.6M

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

$36.6K ₡16.4M

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

$565 $565

$95.7 ₡42.9K

490.62%

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

$44.96 $44.96

$30.83 ₡13.8K

45.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$121 $121

$58.4 ₡26.2K

107.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$99.4 $99.4

$65.6 ₡29.4K

51.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$30.03 $30.03

$22.18 ₡9,948

35.39%

Cinema Ticket

$13.87 $13.87

$8.25 ₡3,701

68.12%

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

$743 ₡333.3K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.7K ₡5.7M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$75.1 ₡33.7K

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$74.4 $74.4

$56.5 ₡25.3K

31.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$131 ₡59.0K

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 ₡49.2K

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,076 $1,076

$841 ₡376.9K

28.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$894 $894

$655 ₡293.9K

36.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,969 $1,969

$1,750 ₡784.7K

12.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,788 $1,788

$1,177 ₡527.9K

51.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,434 ₡1.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,640 ₡735.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,696 $1,696

$1,071 ₡480.5K

58.33%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.56

-16.32%

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

Last update for Bonaire: October 12, 2026

Last update for Costa Rica: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bonaire

$894 36.5%

Costa Rica

$655 36.9% 26.7% $238

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bonaire

$731 29.9%

Costa Rica

$185 10.4% 74.7% $546

Eating Out

Bonaire

$347 14.2%

Costa Rica

$223 12.5% 35.8% $124

Groceries & Markets

Bonaire

$305 * 12.5%

Costa Rica

$383 21.5% 25.6% $78

Sport & Entertainment

Bonaire

$127 5.2%

Costa Rica

$82 4.6% 35.5% $45

Clothing & Footwear

Bonaire

$33 * 1.4%

Costa Rica

$168 9.4% 401% $134

Getting Around

Bonaire

$10 * 0.4%

Costa Rica

$83 4.6% 713% $72

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $1,048 in Bonaire vs $830 in Costa Rica. For reference, capital cities sit at $1,048 in Kralendijk and $927 in San Jose.

Average salary: $1,660 in Bonaire 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 26% higher in Bonaire.

Dining out costs 83% more in Bonaire.

Salaries are 52% higher in Bonaire.

Good to know

🇧🇶 Bonaire

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

🕒 Local time

21:46 9:46 PM

19:46 7:46 PM

2 h behind Bonaire

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

29,418

5,044,197

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 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).

CRC to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Bonaire Costa Rica 1,740 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Bonaire
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

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

Costa Rica is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 38% lower on average.

Housing costs more in Bonaire: a central one-bedroom averages $1,048 versus $830 in Costa Rica.

$2,000 buys a comfortable lifestyle in Costa Rica, but in Bonaire 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.