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

😐 Solo nomad: Costa Rica is 80% more expensive than Brazil without rent, and 89.4% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Costa Rica is 87.6% more expensive than Brazil without rent, and 89.5% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Costa Rica
Brazil
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$9.74 ₡4,452
$5.29 R$26.36
84.12%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$60.5 ₡27.6K
$29.02 R$145
108.44%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.92 ₡4,530
$6.19 R$30.82
60.26%
Cappuccino
$4.04 ₡1,848
$1.71 R$8.54
136.26%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.12 ₡969
$1.07 R$5.33
98.13%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.64 ₡749
$0.66 R$3.30
148.48%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.92 ₡1,332
$1.78 R$8.88
64.04%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.46 ₡2,036
$2.62 R$13.06
70.23%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Costa Rica
Brazil
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.09 ₡953
$0.95 R$4.72
120.00%
White Bread (500g)
$3.18 ₡1,453
$1.53 R$7.61
107.84%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.41 ₡1,099
$1.23 R$6.10
95.93%
Eggs
$3.43 ₡1,567
$2.12 R$10.54
61.79%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.52 ₡4,349
$8.71 R$43.40
9.30%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.22 ₡4,213
$3.67 R$18.27
151.23%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.22 ₡6,041
$7.44 R$37.06
77.69%
Apples (1kg)
$4.70 ₡2,149
$2.12 R$10.54
121.70%
Banana (1kg)
$1.56 ₡712
$1.33 R$6.61
17.29%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.35 ₡1,528
$1.14 R$5.66
193.86%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.00 ₡1,371
$1.50 R$7.48
100.00%
Potato (1kg)
$2.93 ₡1,337
$1.18 R$5.89
148.31%
Onion (1kg)
$2.71 ₡1,240
$1.11 R$5.53
144.14%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.02 ₡464
$0.75 R$3.74
36.00%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.42 ₡1,106
$0.70 R$3.47
245.71%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$5.01 ₡2,288
$2.13 R$10.61
135.21%
Wine (Bottle)
$16.31 ₡7,448
$7.78 R$38.76
109.64%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.31 ₡1,053
$1.17 R$5.81
97.44%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.85 ₡1,300
$2.16 R$10.77
31.94%
🚌 Getting Around
Costa Rica
Brazil
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.94 ₡431
$0.94 R$4.70
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$49.31 ₡22.5K
$40.50 R$202
21.75%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.81 ₡825
$1.05 R$5.25
72.38%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.00 ₡913
$0.87 R$4.34
129.89%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$7.43 ₡3,396
$7.34 R$36.58
1.23%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.45 ₡662
$1.09 R$5.42
33.03%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$36.3K ₡16.6M
$21.5K R$107.1K
68.82%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.8K ₡15.9M
$28.1K R$139.9K
23.80%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Costa Rica
Brazil
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$88.1 ₡40.2K
$67.9 R$338
29.75%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$25.36 ₡11.6K
$13.96 R$69.5
81.66%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$54.1 ₡24.7K
$19.11 R$95.2
182.89%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Costa Rica
Brazil
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$57.7 ₡26.4K
$23.13 R$115
149.42%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$29.04 ₡13.3K
$22.65 R$113
28.21%
Cinema Ticket
$9.05 ₡4,134
$6.17 R$30.71
46.68%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Costa Rica
Brazil
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$550 ₡251.1K
$289 R$1,441
90.01%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$10.2K ₡4.7M
$7,313 R$36.4K
39.42%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Costa Rica
Brazil
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$71.5 ₡32.7K
$49.43 R$246
44.61%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$53.9 ₡24.6K
$42.74 R$213
26.11%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$121 ₡55.1K
$76.9 R$383
56.85%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$101 ₡46.2K
$62.4 R$311
62.10%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Costa Rica
Brazil
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$812 ₡371.2K
$336 R$1,674
141.72%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$553 ₡252.8K
$230 R$1,145
140.65%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,493 ₡681.8K
$647 R$3,221
130.77%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,057 ₡483.1K
$447 R$2,225
136.69%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,263 ₡1.0M
$1,885 R$9,385
20.08%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,634 ₡746.5K
$1,276 R$6,357
28.03%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Costa Rica
Brazil
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,067 ₡487.3K
$535 R$2,664
99.40%
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: April 13, 2026

Last update for Brazil: April 12, 2026

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 other spots: cost of living compared

Similar countries