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: $1,535 in Costa Rica versus $858 in Antigua And Barbuda.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,322 in Costa Rica versus $1,004 in Antigua And Barbuda.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,108 in Costa Rica versus $1,149 in Antigua And Barbuda.

Living in Costa Rica is roughly 79% more expensive than in Antigua And Barbuda on average.

Costa Rica (15% above) and Antigua And Barbuda (36% below) straddle the global median.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.10 ₡4,505

$10.00 EC$27.01

1.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.1 ₡26.8K

$93.5 EC$252

-35.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.12 ₡4,516

$9.80 EC$26.45

3.27%

Cappuccino

$3.90 ₡1,738

$4.70 EC$12.70

-17.02%

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

$2.20 ₡982

$2.25 EC$6.09

-2.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.67 ₡743

$1.10 EC$2.98

51.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.06 ₡1,367

$3.68 EC$9.94

-16.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.41 ₡1,969

$4.32 EC$11.66

2.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.10 ₡937

$2.27 EC$6.14

-7.49%

White Bread (500g)

$3.22 ₡1,437

$2.72 EC$7.34

18.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.50 ₡1,115

$3.88 EC$10.48

-35.57%

Eggs

$3.37 ₡1,505

$6.27 EC$16.93

-46.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.57 ₡4,268

$6.75 EC$18.21

41.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.44 ₡4,212

$7.51 EC$20.27

25.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.43 ₡5,992

$16.93 EC$45.72

-20.67%

Apples (1kg)

$4.67 ₡2,084

$6.01 EC$16.24

-22.30%

Banana (1kg)

$1.57 ₡700

$2.76 EC$7.45

-43.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.20 ₡1,428

$4.86 EC$13.13

-34.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.98 ₡1,330

$5.23 EC$14.11

-43.02%

Potato (1kg)

$2.98 ₡1,329

$5.50 EC$14.85

-45.82%

Onion (1kg)

$2.83 ₡1,264

$2.58 EC$6.97

9.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.01 ₡452

$3.64 EC$9.82

-72.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.50 ₡1,117

$2.73 EC$7.36

-8.42%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.09 ₡2,270

Wine (Bottle)

$16.14 ₡7,200

$11.15 EC$30.10

44.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.35 ₡1,047

$3.74 EC$10.10

-37.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.81 ₡1,255

$3.91 EC$10.55

-28.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.01 ₡452

$1.29 EC$3.47

-21.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$49.99 ₡22.3K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.87 ₡833

$5.44 EC$14.70

-65.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.97 ₡877

$5.64 EC$15.22

-65.07%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.61 ₡3,397

$19.59 EC$52.9

-61.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 ₡645

$1.37 EC$3.70

5.11%

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

$36.5K ₡16.3M

$23.3K EC$63.0K

56.28%

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

$35.4K ₡15.8M

$21.1K EC$57.1K

67.56%

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

$87.3 ₡38.9K

$292 EC$787

-70.06%

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

$25.16 ₡11.2K

$39.42 EC$106

-36.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.0 ₡23.7K

$71.9 EC$194

-26.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.4 ₡25.6K

$68.9 EC$186

-16.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.74 ₡12.8K

$46.35 EC$125

-37.99%

Cinema Ticket

$9.04 ₡4,035

$11.19 EC$30.21

-19.21%

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

$553 ₡246.7K

$184 EC$497

200.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,994 ₡4.5M

$1,860 EC$5,022

437.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.6 ₡32.0K

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.2 ₡23.7K

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$119 ₡53.0K

$72.9 EC$197

63.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 ₡45.6K

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$809 ₡360.7K

$1,763 EC$4,761

-54.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$544 ₡242.5K

$1,488 EC$4,017

-63.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,466 ₡654.2K

$2,540 EC$6,858

-42.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,018 ₡454.0K

$1,497 EC$4,043

-32.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,398 ₡1.1M

$11.5K EC$31.0K

-79.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,638 ₡730.9K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,067 ₡476.1K

$1,656 EC$4,472

-35.57%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.53

5.75

83.13%

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

Last update for Costa Rica: July 12, 2026

Last update for Antigua And Barbuda: July 13, 2026

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $750 in Costa Rica, $589 in Antigua And Barbuda. Capital cities: $860 in San Jose vs $1,091 in Saint John's.

National salary averages: $1,096 in Costa Rica, $1,394 in Antigua And Barbuda. Higher pay doesn't always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 27% higher in Costa Rica.

Dining out costs 34% more in Costa Rica.

Salaries are 27% 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 $1,342 per month in Antigua And Barbuda and $1,603 in Costa Rica, there's a 19% 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.