Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Costa Rica and Belize

Name: Belize
Address: BZ

For one person, living is cheaper in Belize: $1,559 a month against $1,830 in Costa Rica, rent and utilities included – about $3,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

87

Cost of Living Index in Costa Rica
Learn more

Costa Rica Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Belize
Learn more

Belize Living Index

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🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,830

/mo nomad

🇧🇿 Belize

$1,559

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Costa Rica and in Belize

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,830 in Costa Rica versus $1,559 in Belize.

Costa Rica $1,830
Belize $1,559

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,781 in Costa Rica versus $2,203 in Belize.

Costa Rica $2,781
Belize $2,203

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,733 in Costa Rica versus $2,847 in Belize.

Costa Rica $3,733
Belize $2,847

Internal cost variation is higher in Belize: monthly costs span $18 to $1,885, compared to $1,006–$2,121 in Costa Rica. City choice carries more weight in Belize.

Living in Costa Rica is roughly 17% more expensive than in Belize on average.

Both countries sit above the global median: Costa Rica 35% above, Belize 15% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.72 ₡5,268

$9.11 BZD 18.23

28.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$56.0 ₡25.2K

$40.47 BZD 80.9

38.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.18 ₡5,029

$10.07 BZD 20.15

11.02%

Cappuccino

$4.63 ₡2,082

$4.23 BZD 8.46

9.46%

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

$2.34 ₡1,053

$1.38 BZD 2.77

69.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 ₡832

$1.43 BZD 2.86

29.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ₡1,455

$2.59 BZD 5.18

25.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.57 ₡2,055

$4.11 BZD 8.22

11.19%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.41 ₡1,082

$4.32 BZD 8.64

-44.21%

White Bread (500g)

$3.59 ₡1,615

$2.10 BZD 4.20

70.95%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.79 ₡1,256

$3.79 BZD 7.57

-26.39%

Eggs

$3.87 ₡1,741

$2.91 BZD 5.82

32.99%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.38 ₡4,667

$11.20 BZD 22.40

-7.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.01 ₡4,500

$8.63 BZD 17.26

15.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.77 ₡6,193

$10.47 BZD 20.95

31.52%

Apples (1kg)

$4.76 ₡2,142

$6.07 BZD 12.14

-21.58%

Banana (1kg)

$1.71 ₡771

$1.52 BZD 3.03

12.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.42 ₡1,539

$2.61 BZD 5.22

31.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.23 ₡1,453

$4.85 BZD 9.70

-33.40%

Potato (1kg)

$3.29 ₡1,480

$5.04 BZD 10.08

-34.72%

Onion (1kg)

$3.13 ₡1,407

$3.70 BZD 7.39

-15.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.09 ₡492

$2.75 BZD 5.50

-60.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.75 ₡1,239

$1.40 BZD 2.81

96.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.34 ₡2,403

$4.52 BZD 9.04

18.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.23 ₡7,298

$15.20 BZD 30.41

6.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.63 ₡1,183

$2.07 BZD 4.15

27.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.25 ₡1,463

$2.47 BZD 4.94

31.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.08 ₡484

$4.07 BZD 8.14

-73.46%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.1 ₡30.2K

$22.06 BZD 44.13

204.31%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.18 ₡982

$3.40 BZD 6.79

-35.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.01 ₡903

$4.04 BZD 8.07

-50.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.08 ₡3,633

$4.95 BZD 9.90

63.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡696

$2.11 BZD 4.22

-26.54%

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

$33.9K ₡15.2M

$10.4K BZD 20.9K

225.09%

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

$37.5K ₡16.9M

$20.6K BZD 41.3K

81.58%

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

$98.2 ₡44.1K

$152 BZD 303

-35.28%

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

$30.64 ₡13.8K

$50.7 BZD 101

-39.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$59.7 ₡26.9K

$63.5 BZD 127

-5.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$65.1 ₡29.3K

$34.76 BZD 69.5

87.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.65 ₡10.2K

$6.45 BZD 12.90

251.16%

Cinema Ticket

$8.17 ₡3,672

$8.77 BZD 17.55

-6.84%

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

$733 ₡329.7K

$64.8 BZD 130

1032.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.7K ₡8.0M

$661 BZD 1,322

2583.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$74.7 ₡33.6K

$53.5 BZD 107

39.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.9 ₡25.1K

$42.24 BZD 84.5

32.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$130 ₡58.7K

$103 BZD 206

26.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 ₡48.7K

$43.92 BZD 87.8

146.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$933 ₡419.4K

$571 BZD 1,141

63.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$706 ₡317.6K

$514 BZD 1,029

37.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,763 ₡792.6K

$1,182 BZD 2,364

49.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,201 ₡540.0K

$625 BZD 1,250

92.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,692 ₡1.2M

$2,650 BZD 5,301

1.57%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,834 ₡824.8K

$1,632 BZD 3,263

12.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,076 ₡483.7K

$1,090 BZD 2,179

-1.27%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.56

11.5

-16.87%

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

Last update for Costa Rica: November 2, 2026

Last update for Belize: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Costa Rica

$706 38.6%

Belize

$514 33% 27.2% $192

Groceries & Markets

Costa Rica

$379 20.7%

Belize

$369 23.7% 2.5% $9.4

Eating Out

Costa Rica

$225 12.3%

Belize

$186 12% 17.2% $39

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Costa Rica

$189 10.3%

Belize

$266 17.1% 41% $77

Clothing & Footwear

Costa Rica

$166 9.1%

Belize

$109 7% 34.4% $57

Getting Around

Costa Rica

$84 4.6%

Belize

$62 4% 26% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Costa Rica

$81 4.5%

Belize

$52 3.4% 35.7% $29

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $849 in Costa Rica, $668 in Belize. Capital cities: $1,170 in San Jose vs $457 in Belmopan.

National salary averages: $1,092 in Costa Rica, $1,286 in Belize. 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 46% more in Costa Rica.

Public transport is 205% more expensive in Costa Rica.

Salaries are 18% higher in Belize, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Belize.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

🇧🇿 Belize

🕒 Local time

16:16 4:16 PM

Same time as Costa Rica

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,044,197

411,106

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Belize Dollar BZD $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR

1 BZD = 0.5 USD

1 BZD = 0.447 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BZD, USD, EUR to CRC – Costa Rican Colón Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 450 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 503 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

Belize Dollar exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 2 BZD (1 BZD = 0.5 USD). 1 EUR = 2.24 BZD (1 BZD = 0.447 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Costa Rica Belize 960 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Costa Rica
Belize

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

Costa Rica vs Belize: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $1,559 per month in Belize and $1,830 in Costa Rica, Belize comes out about 15% cheaper. 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 cheaper in Belize: lower grocery prices, cheaper commutes, and more affordable meals out. Over time, those daily savings make a real difference to your monthly budget and ability to put money away.

Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $849 in Costa Rica and $668 in Belize. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.

It depends on what you’re after: Belize wins on affordability, while salaries, visas, language, and lifestyle can tip the balance either way.