Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between the British Virgin Islands and Costa Rica

Name: Costa Rica
Address: CR

For one person, living is cheaper in Costa Rica: $1,821 a month against $2,897 in the British Virgin Islands, rent and utilities included – about $12,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

139

Cost of Living Index in the British Virgin Islands
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British Virgin Islands Living Index
87

Cost of Living Index in Costa Rica
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Costa Rica Living Index

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🇻🇬 British Virgin Islands

$2,897

/mo nomad

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,821

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,897 per month in the British Virgin Islands vs $1,821 in Costa Rica, rent included.

British Virgin Islands $2,897
Costa Rica $1,821

A couple spends around $4,880 per month in the British Virgin Islands vs $2,773 in Costa Rica, rent included.

British Virgin Islands $4,880
Costa Rica $2,773

A family of three spends $6,863 per month in the British Virgin Islands vs $3,725 in Costa Rica, rent included.

British Virgin Islands $6,863
Costa Rica $3,725

The regional cost range is wider in Costa Rica ($1,004–$2,114) than in the British Virgin Islands ($2,425–$2,572), so city choice matters more there.

The cost of living in the British Virgin Islands is about 59% higher than in Costa Rica on average.

Both the British Virgin Islands and Costa Rica are pricier than the global median – the British Virgin Islands by 113%, Costa Rica by 34%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.66 $19.66

$11.26 ₡5,082

74.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$80.8 $80.8

$54.5 ₡24.6K

48.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.65 $11.65

$11.02 ₡4,973

5.72%

Cappuccino

$6.74 $6.74

$4.43 ₡1,998

52.14%

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

$1.80 $1.80

$2.34 ₡1,055

-23.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.96 $0.96

$1.84 ₡828

-47.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.05 $4.05

$3.26 ₡1,472

24.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.96 $4.96

$4.55 ₡2,053

9.01%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.22 $2.22

$2.45 ₡1,104

-9.39%

White Bread (500g)

$4.46 $4.46

$3.56 ₡1,608

25.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.36 $4.36

$2.76 ₡1,245

57.97%

Eggs

$6.18 $6.18

$3.97 ₡1,793

55.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.01 $13.01

$10.47 ₡4,726

24.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.91 $12.91

$9.98 ₡4,505

29.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.03 $20.03

$13.91 ₡6,275

44.00%

Apples (1kg)

$3.09 $3.09

$5.06 ₡2,282

-38.93%

Banana (1kg)

$3.44 $3.44

$1.69 ₡763

103.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.96 $1.96

$3.45 ₡1,557

-43.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$7.03 $7.03

$3.23 ₡1,459

117.65%

Potato (1kg)

$6.00 $6.00

$3.44 ₡1,554

74.42%

Onion (1kg)

$4.58 $4.58

$3.25 ₡1,465

40.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$8.90 $8.90

$1.09 ₡492

716.51%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.91 $1.91

$2.67 ₡1,203

-28.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.12 $5.12

$5.38 ₡2,426

-4.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.04 $11.04

$15.50 ₡6,993

-28.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.91 $3.91

$2.75 ₡1,241

42.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.30 ₡1,488

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.55 $4.55

$1.13 ₡509

302.65%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.5 ₡29.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.17 ₡979

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.02 ₡912

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.94 ₡4,034

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.23 $1.23

$1.61 ₡726

-23.60%

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

$34.5K ₡15.6M

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

$37.4K ₡16.9M

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

$161 $161

$94.9 ₡42.8K

69.41%

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

$93.3 $93.3

$31.42 ₡14.2K

196.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$115 $115

$58.6 ₡26.4K

96.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$120 $120

$65.7 ₡29.6K

83.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.92 $19.92

$22.20 ₡10.0K

-10.27%

Cinema Ticket

$9.81 $9.81

$8.10 ₡3,654

21.11%

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

$369 $369

$722 ₡325.8K

-48.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.4K $15.4K

$12.9K ₡5.8M

19.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$47.53 $47.53

$75.5 ₡34.1K

-37.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.9 $55.9

$56.4 ₡25.5K

-1.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$131 $131

$128 ₡57.9K

2.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$138 $138

$108 ₡48.8K

27.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,364 $1,364

$960 ₡433.2K

42.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,409 $1,409

$708 ₡319.5K

99.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,787 $3,787

$1,749 ₡789.0K

116.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,538 $3,538

$1,215 ₡548.3K

191.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,656 ₡1.2M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$10.8K $10.8K

$1,839 ₡829.7K

484.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,639 $1,639

$1,058 ₡477.6K

54.87%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.56

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

Last update for the British Virgin Islands: October 25, 2026

Last update for Costa Rica: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

British Virgin Islands

$1.4K 48.7%

Costa Rica

$708 38.9% 49.8% $701

Groceries & Markets

British Virgin Islands

$479 * 16.5%

Costa Rica

$380 20.9% 20.6% $99

Monthly Utilities & Internet

British Virgin Islands

$369 12.7%

Costa Rica

$185 10.2% 49.9% $184

Eating Out

British Virgin Islands

$314 10.9%

Costa Rica

$218 12% 30.5% $96

Clothing & Footwear

British Virgin Islands

$168 5.8%

Costa Rica

$166 9.1% 1.1% $1.8

Sport & Entertainment

British Virgin Islands

$140 4.8%

Costa Rica

$82 4.5% 41.5% $58

Getting Around

British Virgin Islands

$18 * 0.6%

Costa Rica

$82 4.5% 352% $64

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

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $1,345 in the British Virgin Islands vs $855 in Costa Rica. For reference, capital cities sit at $1,640 in Road Town and $1,164 in San Jose.

Average salary: $1,625 in the British Virgin Islands vs $1,087 in Costa Rica. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 57% higher in the British Virgin Islands.

Dining out costs 52% more in the British Virgin Islands.

Salaries are 49% higher in the British Virgin Islands.

Good to know

🇻🇬 British Virgin Islands

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

🕒 Local time

19:15 7:15 PM

17:15 5:15 PM

2 h behind the British Virgin Islands

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

39,369

5,044,197

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.898 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 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 28, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.898 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 502 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

CRC to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

British Virgin Islands Costa Rica 2,300 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

British Virgin Islands
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

British Virgin Islands vs Costa Rica: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Costa Rica is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 37% lower on average.

Housing costs more in the British Virgin Islands: a central one-bedroom averages $1,345 versus $855 in Costa Rica.

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