Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cartago and Bowling Green, OH

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.

80

Cost of Living Index in Cartago
Learn more

Cartago Living Index
47

Cost of Living Index in Bowling Green, OH
Learn more

Bowling Green, OH Living Index

Jump to prices

Cartago

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,713

/mo nomad

Bowling Green, OH

🇺🇸 United States

$980

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

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

Cartago $1,713
Bowling Green, OH $980

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

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

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

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

Cartago costs about 75% more than Bowling Green, OH, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.64 ₡3,875

$12.19 $12.19

-29.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.53 ₡15.5K

$44.63 $44.63

-22.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.92 ₡4,449

$9.99 $9.99

-0.70%

Cappuccino

$4.54 ₡2,036

$4.51 $4.51

0.67%

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

$2.13 ₡955

$2.31 $2.31

-7.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.36 ₡610

$2.33 $2.33

-41.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.15 ₡964

$4.09 $4.09

-47.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.06 ₡1,820

$4.05 $4.05

0.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.39 ₡1,073

$0.58 $0.58

312.07%

White Bread (500g)

$2.37 ₡1,065

$2.67 $2.67

-11.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.47 ₡1,110

$2.08 $2.08

18.75%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,601

$2.89 $2.89

23.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.61 ₡3,860

$7.50 $7.50

14.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.38 ₡4,654

$6.41 $6.41

61.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.94 ₡6,252

$22.00 $22.00

-36.64%

Apples (1kg)

$5.24 ₡2,351

$5.78 $5.78

-9.34%

Banana (1kg)

$1.29 ₡579

$1.34 $1.34

-3.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.49 ₡2,014

$3.73 $3.73

20.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.91 ₡1,307

$4.24 $4.24

-31.37%

Potato (1kg)

$2.24 ₡1,004

$1.92 $1.92

16.67%

Onion (1kg)

$2.17 ₡972

$1.69 $1.69

28.40%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.09 ₡487

$2.38 $2.38

-54.20%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.18 ₡977

$1.22 $1.22

78.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.07 ₡2,722

$8.53 $8.53

-28.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.16 ₡6,797

$12.12 $12.12

25.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.89 ₡1,296

$2.01 $2.01

43.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 ₡912

$3.40 $3.40

-40.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.37 ₡613

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.2 ₡32.8K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.33 ₡598

$4.98 $4.98

-73.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 ₡702

$1.84 $1.84

-15.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.95 ₡4,015

$49.84 $49.84

-82.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 ₡677

$0.98 $0.98

54.08%

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

$21.7K ₡9.7M

$37.2K $37.2K

-41.72%

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

$35.1K ₡15.7M

$25.8K $25.8K

36.36%

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

$52.4 ₡23.5K

$129 $129

-59.40%

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

$35.12 ₡15.8K

$50.0 $50.0

-29.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$59.9 ₡26.8K

$41.48 $41.48

44.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$73.8 ₡33.1K

$35.67 $35.67

106.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$77.8 ₡34.9K

$25.50 $25.50

204.94%

Cinema Ticket

$7.27 ₡3,262

$12.43 $12.43

-41.51%

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

$549 ₡246.2K

$1,356 $1,356

-59.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,878 ₡3.5M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.1 ₡31.5K

$54.1 $54.1

29.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.5 ₡25.3K

$39.93 $39.93

41.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 ₡54.4K

$110 $110

9.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$87.7 ₡39.3K

$96.0 $96.0

-8.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$923 ₡414.2K

$747 $747

23.69%

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)

$724 ₡324.7K

$865 $865

-16.28%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,344 ₡602.9K

$4,449 $4,449

-69.79%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

6.24

38.14%

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

Last update for Cartago: October 11, 2026

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

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cartago

$704 41.1%

Bowling Green, OH

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Cartago

$348 20.3%

Bowling Green, OH

$320 32.7% 8% $28

Eating Out

Cartago

$186 10.9%

Bowling Green, OH

$229 23.4% 22.8% $43

Clothing & Footwear

Cartago

$151 8.8%

Bowling Green, OH

$135 13.8% 10.5% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cartago

$147 8.6%

Bowling Green, OH

$221 22.5% 49.7% $73

Sport & Entertainment

Cartago

$88 5.2%

Bowling Green, OH

$61 6.2% 31.5% $28

Getting Around

Cartago

$88 5.1%

Bowling Green, OH

$14 * 1.5% 83.8% $74

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $923 in Cartago versus $747 in Bowling Green, OH. 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 $35.00 in Cartago versus $45.00 in Bowling Green, OH. Groceries tell a different story – $348 in Cartago vs $320 in Bowling Green, OH – so Bowling Green, OH wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Cartago

🇺🇸 Bowling Green, OH

🕒 Local time

09:52 9:52 AM

11:52 11:52 AM

2 h ahead of Cartago

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

110,000

53,176

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to CRC – Costa Rican Colón Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

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).

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

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

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

From you

Cartago
Bowling Green, OH

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

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

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

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,570 per month in Cartago and $1,469 in Bowling Green, OH. 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 $1,713 in Cartago and $980 in Bowling Green, OH. That's a gap of about 75%.

Kindergarten costs $549 per month in Cartago and $1,356 in Bowling Green, OH. 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.