Cost of Living Comparison Between Costa Rica and Australia Cost of Living Comparison Between Costa Rica and Australia

Name: Australia
Address: AU

🙂 Solo nomad: Costa Rica is 11.2% cheaper than Australia without rent, and 33.9% cheaper with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: Costa Rica is 12.3% cheaper than Australia without rent, and 22.9% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.19 ₡5,052

$16.57 A$24.86

-38.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.5 ₡30.0K

$77.7 A$117

-22.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.17 ₡5,041

$9.88 A$14.82

2.94%

Cappuccino

$3.90 ₡1,933

$3.48 A$5.22

12.07%

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

$2.19 ₡1,086

$2.56 A$3.84

-14.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.65 ₡819

$2.13 A$3.20

-22.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.95 ₡1,460

$6.62 A$9.93

-55.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.32 ₡2,142

$7.31 A$10.97

-40.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.03 ₡1,005

$1.51 A$2.26

34.44%

White Bread (500g)

$3.18 ₡1,576

$2.49 A$3.74

27.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 ₡1,234

$2.07 A$3.10

20.29%

Eggs

$3.41 ₡1,688

$4.27 A$6.41

-20.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.25 ₡4,584

$8.73 A$13.10

5.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.42 ₡4,670

$8.25 A$12.38

14.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.28 ₡6,583

$14.17 A$21.26

-6.28%

Apples (1kg)

$4.51 ₡2,235

$3.27 A$4.90

37.92%

Banana (1kg)

$1.54 ₡763

$2.68 A$4.02

-42.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.37 ₡1,673

$2.89 A$4.34

16.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.94 ₡1,458

$4.28 A$6.42

-31.31%

Potato (1kg)

$2.97 ₡1,475

$2.47 A$3.70

20.24%

Onion (1kg)

$2.83 ₡1,403

$2.11 A$3.16

34.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.01 ₡502

$2.30 A$3.44

-56.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.54 ₡1,257

$1.50 A$2.24

69.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.03 ₡2,494

$31.81 A$47.72

-84.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.31 ₡7,589

$13.45 A$20.17

13.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.31 ₡1,145

$4.48 A$6.72

-48.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.72 ₡1,347

$5.01 A$7.51

-45.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.96 ₡475

$2.91 A$4.37

-67.01%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$48.97 ₡24.3K

$97.0 A$146

-49.52%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.80 ₡893

$3.67 A$5.51

-50.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.01 ₡995

$1.81 A$2.71

11.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.51 ₡3,723

$38.37 A$57.6

-80.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡752

$1.20 A$1.79

26.67%

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

$36.6K ₡18.2M

$29.1K A$43.6K

26.05%

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

$36.0K ₡17.9M

$22.7K A$34.1K

58.40%

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

$85.9 ₡42.6K

$175 A$262

-50.92%

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

$25.46 ₡12.6K

$26.26 A$39.39

-3.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.9 ₡26.7K

$53.0 A$79.5

1.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.3 ₡28.4K

$47.12 A$70.7

21.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.36 ₡14.6K

$16.51 A$24.77

77.83%

Cinema Ticket

$9.01 ₡4,466

$13.57 A$20.35

-33.60%

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

$540 ₡267.8K

$1,588 A$2,382

-65.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.1K ₡5.0M

$12.5K A$18.8K

-19.75%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.5 ₡35.5K

$69.7 A$105

2.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.9 ₡27.2K

$50.7 A$76.0

8.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 ₡58.2K

$102 A$153

14.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 ₡50.8K

$109 A$163

-5.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$810 ₡401.7K

$1,370 A$2,055

-40.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$551 ₡272.9K

$1,076 A$1,613

-48.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,488 ₡737.8K

$2,270 A$3,404

-34.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,043 ₡516.9K

$1,772 A$2,658

-41.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,335 ₡1.2M

$7,081 A$10.6K

-67.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,607 ₡796.5K

$5,392 A$8,088

-70.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$981 ₡486.2K

$3,742 A$5,614

-73.80%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.53

6.35

65.83%

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

Last update for Costa Rica: January 12, 2026

Last update for Australia: January 10, 2026

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Cost of Living Comparison Between Costa Rica and Australia Cost of Living Comparison Between Costa Rica and Australia

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