Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bowling Green, OH and Cartago

For one person, living is cheaper in Bowling Green, OH: $980 a month against $1,713 in Cartago, rent and utilities included – about $8,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

47

Cost of Living Index in Bowling Green, OH
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Bowling Green, OH Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Cartago
Learn more

Cartago Living Index

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Bowling Green, OH

🇺🇸 United States

$980

/mo nomad

Cartago

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,713

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bowling Green, OH and in Cartago

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

A single person spends $980 per month in Bowling Green, OH vs $1,713 in Cartago, rent included.

Bowling Green, OH $980
Cartago $1,713

A couple spends around $2,006 per month in Bowling Green, OH vs $2,362 in Cartago, rent included.

Bowling Green, OH $2,006
Cartago $2,362

A family of three spends $3,032 per month in Bowling Green, OH vs $3,011 in Cartago, rent included.

Bowling Green, OH $3,032
Cartago $3,011

Bowling Green, OH is about 43% cheaper than Cartago, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Bowling Green, OH sits 27% below the global median, while Cartago is 27% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.19 $12.19

$8.64 ₡3,875

41.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.63 $44.63

$34.53 ₡15.5K

29.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.99 $9.99

$9.92 ₡4,449

0.71%

Cappuccino

$4.51 $4.51

$4.54 ₡2,036

-0.66%

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

$2.31 $2.31

$2.13 ₡955

8.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 $2.33

$1.36 ₡610

71.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.09 $4.09

$2.15 ₡964

90.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.05 $4.05

$4.06 ₡1,820

-0.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.58 $0.58

$2.39 ₡1,073

-75.73%

White Bread (500g)

$2.67 $2.67

$2.37 ₡1,065

12.66%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.08 $2.08

$2.47 ₡1,110

-15.79%

Eggs

$2.89 $2.89

$3.57 ₡1,601

-19.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.50 $7.50

$8.61 ₡3,860

-12.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.41 $6.41

$10.38 ₡4,654

-38.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.00 $22.00

$13.94 ₡6,252

57.82%

Apples (1kg)

$5.78 $5.78

$5.24 ₡2,351

10.31%

Banana (1kg)

$1.34 $1.34

$1.29 ₡579

3.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.73 $3.73

$4.49 ₡2,014

-16.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.24 $4.24

$2.91 ₡1,307

45.70%

Potato (1kg)

$1.92 $1.92

$2.24 ₡1,004

-14.29%

Onion (1kg)

$1.69 $1.69

$2.17 ₡972

-22.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.38 $2.38

$1.09 ₡487

118.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 $1.22

$2.18 ₡977

-44.04%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.53 $8.53

$6.07 ₡2,722

40.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.12 $12.12

$15.16 ₡6,797

-20.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.01 $2.01

$2.89 ₡1,296

-30.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.40 $3.40

$2.03 ₡912

67.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.37 ₡613

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.2 ₡32.8K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.98 $4.98

$1.33 ₡598

274.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.84 $1.84

$1.56 ₡702

17.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$49.84 $49.84

$8.95 ₡4,015

456.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.98 $0.98

$1.51 ₡677

-35.10%

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

$37.2K $37.2K

$21.7K ₡9.7M

71.57%

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

$25.8K $25.8K

$35.1K ₡15.7M

-26.66%

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

$129 $129

$52.4 ₡23.5K

146.29%

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

$50.0 $50.0

$35.12 ₡15.8K

42.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$41.48 $41.48

$59.9 ₡26.8K

-30.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.67 $35.67

$73.8 ₡33.1K

-51.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.50 $25.50

$77.8 ₡34.9K

-67.21%

Cinema Ticket

$12.43 $12.43

$7.27 ₡3,262

70.98%

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

$1,356 $1,356

$549 ₡246.2K

147.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,878 ₡3.5M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.1 $54.1

$70.1 ₡31.5K

-22.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.93 $39.93

$56.5 ₡25.3K

-29.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 $110

$121 ₡54.4K

-8.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.0 $96.0

$87.7 ₡39.3K

9.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$747 $747

$923 ₡414.2K

-19.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$704 ₡315.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,869 ₡838.0K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$865 $865

$724 ₡324.7K

19.45%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,449 $4,449

$1,344 ₡602.9K

231.00%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.24

8.62

-27.61%

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

Last update for Bowling Green, OH: October 13, 2026

Last update for Cartago: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Bowling Green, OH

$320 32.7%

Cartago

$348 20.3% 8.7% $28

Eating Out

Bowling Green, OH

$229 23.4%

Cartago

$186 10.9% 18.6% $43

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bowling Green, OH

$221 22.5%

Cartago

$147 8.6% 33.2% $73

Clothing & Footwear

Bowling Green, OH

$135 13.8%

Cartago

$151 8.8% 11.7% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Bowling Green, OH

$61 6.2%

Cartago

$88 5.2% 45.9% $28

Getting Around

Bowling Green, OH

$14 * 1.5%

Cartago

$88 5.1% 518% $74

Accommodation & Living

Bowling Green, OH

- * 0%

Cartago

$704 41.1%

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $747 in Bowling Green, OH versus $923 in Cartago. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 231% higher in Bowling Green, OH, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $45.00 in Bowling Green, OH versus $35.00 in Cartago. Groceries tell a different story – $320 in Bowling Green, OH vs $348 in Cartago – so Bowling Green, OH wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Bowling Green, OH

🇨🇷 Cartago

🕒 Local time

11:22 11:22 AM

09:22 9:22 AM

2 h behind Bowling Green, OH

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

53,176

110,000

💱 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

Bowling Green, OH Cartago 3,500 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Bowling Green, OH
Cartago

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

Bowling Green, OH vs Cartago: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $980 in Bowling Green, OH, $1,713 in Cartago – roughly 75% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,469 per month in Bowling Green, OH and $2,570 in Cartago. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Bowling Green, OH, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $980 in Bowling Green, OH and $1,713 in Cartago. That's a gap of about 75%.

Kindergarten costs $1,356 per month in Bowling Green, OH and $549 in Cartago. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Bowling Green, OH, where all-in costs run around $980, than in Cartago at $1,713. In Bowling Green, OH it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cartago it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Bowling Green, OH – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Bowling Green, OH. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Cartago makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.