Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Brazil and Costa Rica

Name: Costa Rica
Address: CR

For one person, living is cheaper in Brazil: $915 a month against $1,779 in Costa Rica, rent and utilities included – about $10,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Brazil
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Brazil Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Costa Rica
Learn more

Costa Rica Living Index

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🇧🇷 Brazil

$915

/mo nomad

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,779

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $915 per month in Brazil vs $1,779 in Costa Rica, rent included.

Brazil $915
Costa Rica $1,779

A couple spends around $1,462 per month in Brazil vs $2,745 in Costa Rica, rent included.

Brazil $1,462
Costa Rica $2,745

A family of three spends $2,009 per month in Brazil vs $3,711 in Costa Rica, rent included.

Brazil $2,009
Costa Rica $3,711

The regional cost range is wider in Costa Rica ($1,004–$2,127) than in Brazil ($611–$1,451), so city choice matters more there.

The cost of living in Brazil is roughly 49% lower than in Costa Rica on average.

Brazil sits 32% below the global median, while Costa Rica is 32% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.73 R$34.09

$11.77 ₡5,278

-42.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.26 R$174

$55.1 ₡24.7K

-37.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.98 R$40.47

$10.88 ₡4,880

-26.65%

Cappuccino

$2.16 R$10.97

$4.50 ₡2,018

-52.00%

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

$1.30 R$6.61

$2.37 ₡1,063

-45.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.75 R$3.80

$1.91 ₡858

-60.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.96 R$9.95

$3.25 ₡1,457

-39.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.06 R$15.52

$4.40 ₡1,974

-30.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.09 R$5.54

$2.45 ₡1,098

-55.51%

White Bread (500g)

$1.69 R$8.54

$3.57 ₡1,599

-52.66%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 R$6.50

$2.75 ₡1,235

-53.45%

Eggs

$2.28 R$11.54

$4.03 ₡1,806

-43.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.90 R$50.2

$10.04 ₡4,504

-1.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.38 R$22.21

$10.40 ₡4,665

-57.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.64 R$43.78

$13.69 ₡6,140

-36.89%

Apples (1kg)

$2.38 R$12.04

$5.16 ₡2,313

-53.88%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 R$6.95

$1.69 ₡760

-18.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.29 R$6.54

$3.60 ₡1,613

-64.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.65 R$8.37

$3.39 ₡1,519

-51.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.19 R$6.04

$3.36 ₡1,506

-64.58%

Onion (1kg)

$1.14 R$5.78

$3.18 ₡1,427

-64.15%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.82 R$4.15

$1.12 ₡504

-26.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 R$3.91

$2.66 ₡1,195

-71.05%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.43 R$12.31

$5.38 ₡2,415

-54.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.06 R$40.84

$16.05 ₡7,197

-49.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 R$7.00

$2.71 ₡1,214

-49.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 R$11.80

$3.30 ₡1,480

-29.39%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.99 R$5.03

$1.13 ₡507

-12.39%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$47.39 R$240

$65.8 ₡29.5K

-27.99%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.34 R$6.78

$2.28 ₡1,021

-41.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.99 R$5.00

$2.00 ₡895

-50.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.82 R$39.66

$9.08 ₡4,074

-13.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 R$6.60

$1.54 ₡689

-15.58%

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

$23.6K R$119.6K

$32.5K ₡14.6M

-27.37%

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

$33.5K R$169.9K

$36.6K ₡16.4M

-8.44%

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

$84.8 R$430

$95.7 ₡42.9K

-11.44%

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

$12.97 R$65.8

$30.83 ₡13.8K

-57.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.05 R$107

$58.4 ₡26.2K

-63.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$26.33 R$133

$65.6 ₡29.4K

-59.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.36 R$139

$22.18 ₡9,948

23.35%

Cinema Ticket

$7.27 R$36.87

$8.25 ₡3,701

-11.88%

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

$342 R$1,732

$743 ₡333.3K

-54.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,086 R$46.1K

$12.7K ₡5.7M

-28.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.5 R$276

$75.1 ₡33.7K

-27.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.1 R$254

$56.5 ₡25.3K

-11.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.0 R$456

$131 ₡59.0K

-31.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.2 R$366

$110 ₡49.2K

-34.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$383 R$1,939

$841 ₡376.9K

-54.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$250 R$1,269

$655 ₡293.9K

-61.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$742 R$3,761

$1,750 ₡784.7K

-57.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$501 R$2,540

$1,177 ₡527.9K

-57.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,935 R$9,811

$2,434 ₡1.1M

-20.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,294 R$6,558

$1,640 ₡735.7K

-21.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$537 R$2,722

$1,071 ₡480.5K

-49.89%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.17

9.56

16.84%

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

Last update for Brazil: October 11, 2026

Last update for Costa Rica: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Brazil

$250 27.4%

Costa Rica

$655 36.9% 162% $405

Groceries & Markets

Brazil

$199 21.8%

Costa Rica

$383 21.5% 92.3% $184

Eating Out

Brazil

$128 14%

Costa Rica

$223 12.5% 74.4% $95

Clothing & Footwear

Brazil

$120 13.1%

Costa Rica

$168 9.4% 39.7% $48

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Brazil

$119 13%

Costa Rica

$185 10.4% 55.7% $66

Getting Around

Brazil

$58 6.3%

Costa Rica

$83 4.6% 43.3% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Brazil

$41 4.5%

Costa Rica

$82 4.6% 101% $41

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $353 in Brazil vs $830 in Costa Rica. For reference, capital cities sit at $507 in Brasilia and $927 in San Jose.

Average salary: $503 in Brazil 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 135% higher in Costa Rica.

Dining out costs 74% more in Costa Rica.

Public transport is 173% more expensive in Brazil.

Salaries are 117% higher in Costa Rica.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Brazil

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

🕒 Local time

04:22 4:22 AM

01:22 1:22 AM

3 h behind Brazil

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

203,062,512

5,044,197

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to BRL – Brazilian Real Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇷 Brazilian Real (R$)

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 5.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.197 USD). 1 EUR = 5.7 BRL (1 BRL = 0.175 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 BRL in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Brazil Costa Rica 4,910 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Brazil
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

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

Brazil is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 94% lower on average.

Housing costs more in Costa Rica: a central one-bedroom averages $830 versus $353 in Brazil.

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

Brazil 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.