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

😐 Solo nomad: Costa Rica is 81.6% more expensive than Brazil without rent, and 97.4% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Costa Rica is 83.7% more expensive than Brazil without rent, and 92.1% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Costa Rica
Brazil
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$9.67 β‚‘4,549
$5.51 R$28.81
75.50%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$58.6 β‚‘27.6K
$28.61 R$150
104.75%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.23 β‚‘4,816
$6.36 R$33.25
60.85%
Cappuccino
$3.97 β‚‘1,870
$1.75 R$9.17
126.86%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.17 β‚‘1,021
$1.08 R$5.64
100.93%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.73 β‚‘814
$0.71 R$3.71
143.66%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.89 β‚‘1,361
$1.81 R$9.47
59.67%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.40 β‚‘2,073
$2.62 R$13.70
67.94%
πŸ›’ Groceries & Markets
Costa Rica
Brazil
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.05 β‚‘966
$1.00 R$5.25
105.00%
White Bread (500g)
$3.09 β‚‘1,453
$1.49 R$7.79
107.38%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.51 β‚‘1,181
$1.17 R$6.10
114.53%
Eggs
$3.30 β‚‘1,552
$2.02 R$10.57
63.37%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.16 β‚‘4,312
$8.60 R$45.00
6.51%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.29 β‚‘4,374
$3.69 R$19.32
151.76%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.16 β‚‘6,195
$7.26 R$37.98
81.27%
Apples (1kg)
$4.48 β‚‘2,108
$2.07 R$10.84
116.43%
Banana (1kg)
$1.62 β‚‘762
$1.32 R$6.91
22.73%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.22 β‚‘1,514
$1.17 R$6.14
175.21%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.98 β‚‘1,404
$1.43 R$7.46
108.39%
Potato (1kg)
$3.01 β‚‘1,416
$1.13 R$5.91
166.37%
Onion (1kg)
$2.85 β‚‘1,339
$1.10 R$5.76
159.09%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.01 β‚‘476
$0.76 R$3.95
32.89%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.51 β‚‘1,182
$0.70 R$3.64
258.57%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.94 β‚‘2,325
$2.18 R$11.39
126.61%
Wine (Bottle)
$15.72 β‚‘7,401
$7.57 R$39.59
107.66%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.38 β‚‘1,118
$1.22 R$6.36
95.08%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.71 β‚‘1,277
$2.18 R$11.38
24.31%
🚌 Getting Around
Costa Rica
Brazil
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.94 β‚‘443
$0.92 R$4.83
2.17%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$48.94 β‚‘23.0K
$40.58 R$212
20.60%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.79 β‚‘843
$1.05 R$5.49
70.48%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.01 β‚‘946
$0.85 R$4.44
136.47%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$7.82 β‚‘3,683
$7.10 R$37.13
10.14%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.51 β‚‘711
$1.09 R$5.72
38.53%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$36.8K β‚‘17.3M
$21.7K R$113.7K
69.39%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.7K β‚‘16.3M
$27.6K R$144.5K
25.69%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Costa Rica
Brazil
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$86.8 β‚‘40.9K
$67.8 R$355
27.98%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$25.69 β‚‘12.1K
$14.09 R$73.7
82.33%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$53.8 β‚‘25.3K
$19.35 R$101
177.83%
πŸŽ‰ Sport & Entertainment
Costa Rica
Brazil
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$55.9 β‚‘26.3K
$23.09 R$121
142.18%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$28.78 β‚‘13.5K
$22.63 R$118
27.18%
Cinema Ticket
$9.04 β‚‘4,257
$6.24 R$32.62
44.87%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Costa Rica
Brazil
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$560 β‚‘263.7K
$285 R$1,489
96.75%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$10.0K β‚‘4.7M
$7,467 R$39.1K
33.98%
πŸ‘•πŸ‘Ÿ Clothing & Footwear
Costa Rica
Brazil
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$72.4 β‚‘34.1K
$49.77 R$260
45.45%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$54.4 β‚‘25.6K
$42.22 R$221
28.75%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$117 β‚‘55.1K
$76.3 R$399
53.36%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$103 β‚‘48.4K
$61.5 R$322
67.33%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Costa Rica
Brazil
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$811 β‚‘381.9K
$334 R$1,749
142.65%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$551 β‚‘259.2K
$228 R$1,193
141.49%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,482 β‚‘697.7K
$645 R$3,371
129.94%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,036 β‚‘487.6K
$455 R$2,382
127.51%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,301 β‚‘1.1M
$1,871 R$9,786
22.99%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,575 β‚‘741.5K
$1,220 R$6,382
29.10%
πŸ’΅ Salaries & Financials
Costa Rica
Brazil
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,030 β‚‘484.9K
$516 R$2,698
99.70%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
10.53
11.16
-5.65%

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

Last update for Costa Rica: March 2, 2026

Last update for Brazil: March 2, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated January 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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