Cost of Living Comparison Between Costa Rica and Antigua And Barbuda Cost of Living Comparison Between Costa Rica and Antigua And Barbuda

Name: Antigua And Barbuda
Address: AG

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,660 in Costa Rica versus $877 in Antigua And Barbuda.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,621 in Costa Rica versus $985 in Antigua And Barbuda.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,581 in Costa Rica versus $1,092 in Antigua And Barbuda.

Living in Costa Rica is roughly 89% more expensive than in Antigua And Barbuda on average.

Costa Rica (20% above) and Antigua And Barbuda (36% below) straddle the global median.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.89 ₡4,874

$10.98 EC$29.65

-0.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.8 ₡25.0K

$74.9 EC$202

-25.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.81 ₡4,839

$9.99 EC$26.98

8.21%

Cappuccino

$4.52 ₡2,021

$4.24 EC$11.44

6.60%

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

$2.45 ₡1,095

$2.13 EC$5.74

15.02%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 ₡844

$1.08 EC$2.91

75.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.30 ₡1,476

$3.71 EC$10.03

-11.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 ₡2,064

$4.53 EC$12.22

1.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.42 ₡1,085

$2.55 EC$6.88

-5.10%

White Bread (500g)

$3.60 ₡1,613

$2.86 EC$7.73

25.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.70 ₡1,207

$3.87 EC$10.45

-30.23%

Eggs

$4.01 ₡1,796

$7.42 EC$20.04

-45.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.21 ₡4,568

$9.13 EC$24.65

11.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.38 ₡4,647

$8.76 EC$23.65

18.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.83 ₡6,190

$28.54 EC$77.1

-51.54%

Apples (1kg)

$5.08 ₡2,272

$6.57 EC$17.75

-22.68%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 ₡782

$4.07 EC$11.00

-57.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.52 ₡1,575

$11.32 EC$30.57

-68.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.23 ₡1,446

$6.35 EC$17.14

-49.13%

Potato (1kg)

$3.34 ₡1,496

$3.70 EC$9.99

-9.73%

Onion (1kg)

$3.18 ₡1,422

$2.44 EC$6.58

30.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ₡483

$3.79 EC$10.23

-71.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.68 ₡1,200

$1.63 EC$4.39

64.42%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.57 ₡2,495

$7.60 EC$20.53

-26.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.23 ₡6,817

$9.20 EC$24.84

65.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.67 ₡1,196

$2.37 EC$6.39

12.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.33 ₡1,490

$2.90 EC$7.83

14.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.09 ₡486

$1.08 EC$2.91

0.93%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.4 ₡29.3K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.20 ₡983

$7.37 EC$19.90

-70.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.94 ₡870

$5.70 EC$15.40

-65.96%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.87 ₡3,969

$20.13 EC$54.4

-55.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.60 ₡718

$1.46 EC$3.93

9.59%

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

$32.7K ₡14.6M

$28.4K EC$76.7K

15.00%

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

$36.3K ₡16.3M

$35.2K EC$95.1K

3.15%

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

$95.2 ₡42.6K

$303 EC$819

-68.60%

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

$31.50 ₡14.1K

$39.80 EC$107

-20.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$59.7 ₡26.7K

$85.6 EC$231

-30.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$66.3 ₡29.7K

$66.7 EC$180

-0.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.60 ₡10.6K

$56.2 EC$152

-57.99%

Cinema Ticket

$8.21 ₡3,676

$7.02 EC$18.96

16.95%

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

$726 ₡324.9K

$187 EC$505

287.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K ₡5.7M

$2,426 EC$6,549

426.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$74.6 ₡33.4K

$39.17 EC$106

90.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$125 ₡56.0K

$65.9 EC$178

89.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 ₡47.7K

$146 EC$394

-26.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$884 ₡395.5K

$1,773 EC$4,788

-50.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$641 ₡286.7K

$1,274 EC$3,440

-49.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,743 ₡779.9K

$2,509 EC$6,775

-30.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,168 ₡522.7K

$1,485 EC$4,010

-21.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,400 ₡1.1M

$11.6K EC$31.3K

-79.33%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,671 ₡748.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,083 ₡484.5K

$1,713 EC$4,625

-36.80%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.56

5.75

66.26%

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

Last update for Costa Rica: September 7, 2026

Last update for Antigua And Barbuda: September 8, 2026

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $816 in Costa Rica, $588 in Antigua And Barbuda. Capital cities: $960 in San Jose vs $1,055 in Saint John's.

National salary averages: $1,106 in Costa Rica, $1,388 in Antigua And Barbuda. Higher pay doesn't always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 39% higher in Costa Rica.

Dining out costs 152% more in Costa Rica.

Salaries are 25% higher in Antigua And Barbuda, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Antigua And Barbuda.

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

Costa Rica vs Antigua And Barbuda: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $1,173 per month in Antigua And Barbuda and $1,575 in Costa Rica, there's a 34% gap. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Day-to-day life is simply cheaper in Antigua And Barbuda: lower food prices, cheaper commutes, smaller household bills. Over time, those daily savings make a real difference to your monthly budget and ability to put money away.

Rent in Costa Rica is consistently higher than in Antigua And Barbuda across the board, especially in major cities. Housing is usually the single biggest driver of the overall cost difference between the two countries.

In Antigua And Barbuda, $2,500 covers most cities easily; in Costa Rica it stretches only to regional areas and falls short in the capital – you'll need to make trade-offs on housing or lifestyle.

It depends on what you're after: Antigua And Barbuda wins on affordability; Costa Rica may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.