Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between the Cayman Islands and Costa Rica

Name: Costa Rica
Address: CR

For one person, living is cheaper in Costa Rica: $1,821 a month against $4,833 in the Cayman Islands, rent and utilities included – about $36,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

231

Cost of Living Index in the Cayman Islands
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Cayman Islands Living Index
87

Cost of Living Index in Costa Rica
Learn more

Costa Rica Living Index

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🇰🇾 Cayman Islands

$4,833

/mo nomad

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,821

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $4,833 per month in the Cayman Islands vs $1,821 in Costa Rica, rent included.

Cayman Islands $4,833
Costa Rica $1,821

A couple spends around $7,361 per month in the Cayman Islands vs $2,773 in Costa Rica, rent included.

Cayman Islands $7,361
Costa Rica $2,773

A family of three spends $9,889 per month in the Cayman Islands vs $3,725 in Costa Rica, rent included.

Cayman Islands $9,889
Costa Rica $3,725

Cost ranges are similar: the Cayman Islands spans $3,928–$4,938, Costa Rica $1,004–$2,114. City choice affects budget similarly in either country.

The cost of living in the Cayman Islands is about 165% higher than in Costa Rica on average.

Both the Cayman Islands and Costa Rica are pricier than the global median – the Cayman Islands by 255%, Costa Rica by 34%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$29.93 KYD 24.54

$11.26 ₡5,085

165.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$113 KYD 92.9

$54.5 ₡24.6K

107.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$16.97 KYD 13.92

$11.02 ₡4,975

53.99%

Cappuccino

$7.24 KYD 5.94

$4.43 ₡1,999

63.43%

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

$3.24 KYD 2.65

$2.34 ₡1,055

38.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.05 KYD 2.50

$1.84 ₡829

65.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.18 KYD 5.89

$3.26 ₡1,473

120.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.96 KYD 7.35

$4.55 ₡2,054

96.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$4.30 KYD 3.52

$2.45 ₡1,105

75.51%

White Bread (500g)

$4.64 KYD 3.81

$3.56 ₡1,608

30.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.98 KYD 4.09

$2.76 ₡1,245

80.43%

Eggs

$7.51 KYD 6.16

$3.97 ₡1,794

89.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$46.91 KYD 38.47

$10.47 ₡4,728

348.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$20.33 KYD 16.67

$9.98 ₡4,507

103.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.81 KYD 17.07

$13.91 ₡6,278

49.60%

Apples (1kg)

$7.74 KYD 6.35

$5.06 ₡2,283

52.96%

Banana (1kg)

$3.65 KYD 2.99

$1.69 ₡764

115.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.94 KYD 5.69

$3.45 ₡1,558

101.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$7.82 KYD 6.41

$3.23 ₡1,460

142.11%

Potato (1kg)

$4.70 KYD 3.86

$3.44 ₡1,555

36.63%

Onion (1kg)

$3.85 KYD 3.15

$3.25 ₡1,465

18.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.68 KYD 3.01

$1.09 ₡492

237.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.51 KYD 2.05

$2.67 ₡1,204

-5.99%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.67 KYD 12.03

$5.38 ₡2,427

172.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$23.59 KYD 19.35

$15.50 ₡6,996

52.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.30 KYD 3.53

$2.75 ₡1,241

56.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.49 KYD 4.50

$3.30 ₡1,489

66.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 KYD 1.91

$1.13 ₡509

106.19%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$119 KYD 97.7

$65.5 ₡29.6K

81.76%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$19.03 KYD 15.61

$2.17 ₡979

776.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.83 KYD 3.14

$2.02 ₡913

89.60%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$44.56 KYD 36.54

$8.94 ₡4,036

398.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.66 KYD 1.36

$1.61 ₡726

3.11%

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

$42.6K KYD 34.9K

$34.5K ₡15.6M

23.54%

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

$39.7K KYD 32.6K

$37.4K ₡16.9M

6.30%

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

$479 KYD 392

$94.9 ₡42.9K

404.03%

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

$119 KYD 97.2

$31.42 ₡14.2K

277.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$116 KYD 95.1

$58.6 ₡26.4K

98.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$202 KYD 166

$65.7 ₡29.7K

207.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$47.99 KYD 39.35

$22.20 ₡10.0K

116.17%

Cinema Ticket

$18.31 KYD 15.01

$8.10 ₡3,656

126.05%

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

$1,672 KYD 1,371

$722 ₡325.9K

131.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$26.9K KYD 22.1K

$12.9K ₡5.8M

108.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.7 KYD 71.1

$75.5 ₡34.1K

14.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$78.7 KYD 64.5

$56.4 ₡25.5K

39.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$134 KYD 110

$128 ₡57.9K

4.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$148 KYD 121

$108 ₡48.8K

36.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,027 KYD 2,482

$960 ₡433.4K

215.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,339 KYD 1,918

$708 ₡319.6K

230.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,796 KYD 4,753

$1,749 ₡789.4K

231.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$4,597 KYD 3,770

$1,215 ₡548.5K

278.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.0K KYD 10.6K

$2,656 ₡1.2M

388.43%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,650 KYD 6,273

$1,839 ₡830.1K

316.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$7,620 KYD 6,248

$1,058 ₡477.8K

619.88%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

9.56

-24.69%

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

Last update for the Cayman 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

Cayman Islands

$2.3K 48.4%

Costa Rica

$708 38.9% 69.7% $1.6K

Groceries & Markets

Cayman Islands

$718 14.9%

Costa Rica

$380 20.9% 47.1% $338

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cayman Islands

$713 14.8%

Costa Rica

$185 10.2% 74.1% $528

Eating Out

Cayman Islands

$456 9.4%

Costa Rica

$218 12% 52.1% $238

Sport & Entertainment

Cayman Islands

$239 4.9%

Costa Rica

$82 4.5% 65.7% $157

Clothing & Footwear

Cayman Islands

$201 4.2%

Costa Rica

$166 9.1% 17.7% $36

Getting Around

Cayman Islands

$167 3.5%

Costa Rica

$82 4.5% 50.6% $84

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $3,562 in the Cayman Islands vs $855 in Costa Rica. For reference, capital cities sit at $2,881 in George Town and $1,164 in San Jose.

Average salary: $7,780 in the Cayman 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 317% higher in the Cayman Islands.

Dining out costs 109% more in the Cayman Islands.

Public transport is 76% more expensive in the Cayman Islands.

Salaries are about 7.2 times higher in the Cayman Islands, and purchasing power comes out stronger in the Cayman Islands.

Good to know

🇰🇾 Cayman Islands

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

🕒 Local time

21:28 9:28 PM

20:28 8:28 PM

1 h behind the Cayman Islands

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

65,483

5,044,197

💱 Currency

Cayman Islands Dollar KYD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 KYD = 1.22 USD

1 KYD = 1.1 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to KYD – Cayman Islands Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇰🇾 Cayman Islands Dollar ($)

Cayman Islands Dollar exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 0.82 KYD (1 KYD = 1.22 USD). 1 EUR = 0.913 KYD (1 KYD = 1.1 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 503 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

USD to KYD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cayman Islands Costa Rica 1,080 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Cayman 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

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

Costa Rica is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 62% lower on average.

Housing costs more in the Cayman Islands: a central one-bedroom averages $3,562 versus $855 in Costa Rica.

Groceries, public transport, and eating out all cost less in Costa Rica – part of why living there is about 62% cheaper overall.

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.