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

😐 Solo nomad: Costa Rica is 84% more expensive than China without rent, and 93.7% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Costa Rica is 92.6% more expensive than China without rent, and 88.8% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Costa Rica
China
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$9.74 ₡4,452
$2.86 ¥19.51
240.56%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$60.5 ₡27.6K
$23.89 ¥163
153.20%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.92 ₡4,530
$4.77 ¥32.61
107.97%
Cappuccino
$4.04 ₡1,848
$3.08 ¥21.02
31.17%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.12 ₡969
$0.44 ¥2.99
381.82%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.64 ₡749
$0.27 ¥1.84
507.41%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.92 ₡1,332
$0.93 ¥6.36
213.98%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.46 ₡2,036
$2.04 ¥13.96
118.63%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Costa Rica
China
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.09 ₡953
$1.78 ¥12.16
17.42%
White Bread (500g)
$3.18 ₡1,453
$1.60 ¥10.94
98.75%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.41 ₡1,099
$0.98 ¥6.70
145.92%
Eggs
$3.43 ₡1,567
$1.55 ¥10.60
121.29%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.52 ₡4,349
$13.22 ¥90.3
-27.99%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.22 ₡4,213
$3.39 ¥23.13
171.98%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.22 ₡6,041
$10.52 ¥71.9
25.67%
Apples (1kg)
$4.70 ₡2,149
$1.84 ¥12.59
155.43%
Banana (1kg)
$1.56 ₡712
$1.30 ¥8.89
20.00%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.35 ₡1,528
$1.47 ¥10.03
127.89%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.00 ₡1,371
$1.15 ¥7.83
160.87%
Potato (1kg)
$2.93 ₡1,337
$0.72 ¥4.94
306.94%
Onion (1kg)
$2.71 ₡1,240
$0.94 ¥6.40
188.30%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.02 ₡464
$0.61 ¥4.16
67.21%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.42 ₡1,106
$0.53 ¥3.61
356.60%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$5.01 ₡2,288
$3.54 ¥24.15
41.53%
Wine (Bottle)
$16.31 ₡7,448
$11.89 ¥81.2
37.17%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.31 ₡1,053
$0.79 ¥5.39
192.41%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.85 ₡1,300
$1.69 ¥11.51
68.64%
🚌 Getting Around
Costa Rica
China
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.94 ₡431
$0.44 ¥2.98
113.64%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$49.31 ₡22.5K
$20.98 ¥143
135.03%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.81 ₡825
$1.38 ¥9.39
31.16%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.00 ₡913
$0.35 ¥2.40
471.43%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$7.43 ₡3,396
$6.75 ¥46.13
10.07%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.45 ₡662
$1.16 ¥7.93
25.00%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$36.3K ₡16.6M
$19.7K ¥134.8K
83.85%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.8K ₡15.9M
$16.9K ¥115.8K
105.25%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Costa Rica
China
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$88.1 ₡40.2K
$50.3 ¥344
75.05%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$25.36 ₡11.6K
$10.04 ¥68.5
152.59%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$54.1 ₡24.7K
$11.39 ¥77.8
374.63%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Costa Rica
China
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$57.7 ₡26.4K
$40.16 ¥274
43.65%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$29.04 ₡13.3K
$14.68 ¥100
97.82%
Cinema Ticket
$9.05 ₡4,134
$6.21 ¥42.39
45.73%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Costa Rica
China
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$550 ₡251.1K
$402 ¥2,746
36.69%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$10.2K ₡4.7M
$17.4K ¥119.1K
-41.52%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Costa Rica
China
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$71.5 ₡32.7K
$46.39 ¥317
54.08%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$53.9 ₡24.6K
$32.60 ¥223
65.34%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$121 ₡55.1K
$71.3 ¥487
69.22%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$101 ₡46.2K
$74.8 ¥511
35.26%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Costa Rica
China
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$812 ₡371.2K
$429 ¥2,931
89.34%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$553 ₡252.8K
$261 ¥1,783
112.05%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,493 ₡681.8K
$915 ¥6,253
63.03%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,057 ₡483.1K
$545 ¥3,725
93.91%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,263 ₡1.0M
$5,127 ¥35.0K
-55.86%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,634 ₡746.5K
$2,614 ¥17.9K
-37.49%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Costa Rica
China
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,067 ₡487.3K
$1,061 ¥7,244
0.58%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
10.53
4.06
159.36%

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

Last update for Costa Rica: April 13, 2026

Last update for China: 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.
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