Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Costa Rica and Curacao

Name: Curacao
Address: CW

For one person, living is cheaper in Costa Rica: $1,779 a month against $1,964 in Curacao, rent and utilities included – about $2,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

86

Cost of Living Index in Costa Rica
Learn more

Costa Rica Living Index
95

Cost of Living Index in Curacao
Learn more

Curacao Living Index

Jump to prices

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,779

/mo nomad

🇨🇼 Curacao

$1,964

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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 Curacao actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,779 per month in Costa Rica vs $1,964 in Curacao, rent included.

Costa Rica $1,779
Curacao $1,964

A couple spends around $2,745 per month in Costa Rica vs $3,058 in Curacao, rent included.

Costa Rica $2,745
Curacao $3,058

A family of three spends $3,711 per month in Costa Rica vs $4,152 in Curacao, rent included.

Costa Rica $3,711
Curacao $4,152

The cost of living in Costa Rica is roughly 9% lower than in Curacao on average.

Both Costa Rica and Curacao are pricier than the global median – Costa Rica by 32%, Curacao by 46%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.77 ₡5,278

$17.55 ANG 31.42

-32.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.1 ₡24.7K

$77.1 ANG 138

-28.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.88 ₡4,880

$10.95 ANG 19.60

-0.64%

Cappuccino

$4.50 ₡2,018

$3.65 ANG 6.53

23.29%

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

$2.37 ₡1,063

$3.18 ANG 5.69

-25.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.91 ₡858

$2.03 ANG 3.63

-5.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.25 ₡1,457

$5.43 ANG 9.73

-40.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.40 ₡1,974

$4.92 ANG 8.81

-10.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.45 ₡1,098

$1.99 ANG 3.56

23.12%

White Bread (500g)

$3.57 ₡1,599

$2.71 ANG 4.85

31.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.75 ₡1,235

$3.62 ANG 6.48

-24.03%

Eggs

$4.03 ₡1,806

$4.30 ANG 7.70

-6.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.04 ₡4,504

$16.74 ANG 29.97

-40.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.40 ₡4,665

$7.13 ANG 12.76

45.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.69 ₡6,140

$11.76 ANG 21.04

16.41%

Apples (1kg)

$5.16 ₡2,313

$5.15 ANG 9.22

0.19%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ₡760

$3.10 ANG 5.55

-45.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.60 ₡1,613

$3.27 ANG 5.84

10.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.39 ₡1,519

$4.02 ANG 7.19

-15.67%

Potato (1kg)

$3.36 ₡1,506

$2.48 ANG 4.45

35.48%

Onion (1kg)

$3.18 ₡1,427

$1.97 ANG 3.52

61.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ₡504

$2.40 ANG 4.29

-53.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,195

$2.79 ANG 4.99

-4.66%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.38 ₡2,415

$9.82 ANG 17.57

-45.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.05 ₡7,197

$12.32 ANG 22.04

30.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.71 ₡1,214

$2.40 ANG 4.30

12.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.30 ₡1,480

$2.41 ANG 4.31

36.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.13 ₡507

$1.92 ANG 3.43

-41.15%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.8 ₡29.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.28 ₡1,021

$22.31 ANG 39.94

-89.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.00 ₡895

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.08 ₡4,074

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 ₡689

$1.40 ANG 2.50

10.00%

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

$32.5K ₡14.6M

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

$36.6K ₡16.4M

$20.3K ANG 36.3K

80.28%

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

$95.7 ₡42.9K

$262 ANG 468

-63.39%

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

$30.83 ₡13.8K

$74.6 ANG 134

-58.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.4 ₡26.2K

$68.2 ANG 122

-14.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$65.6 ₡29.4K

$47.49 ANG 85.0

38.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.18 ₡9,948

$45.23 ANG 81.0

-50.96%

Cinema Ticket

$8.25 ₡3,701

$12.13 ANG 21.71

-31.99%

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

$743 ₡333.3K

$325 ANG 582

128.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.7K ₡5.7M

$12.1K ANG 21.6K

4.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$75.1 ₡33.7K

$101 ANG 180

-25.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.5 ₡25.3K

$73.4 ANG 131

-23.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$131 ₡59.0K

$164 ANG 293

-19.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 ₡49.2K

$93.3 ANG 167

17.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$841 ₡376.9K

$798 ANG 1,428

5.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$655 ₡293.9K

$616 ANG 1,103

6.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,750 ₡784.7K

$1,734 ANG 3,104

0.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,177 ₡527.9K

$1,200 ANG 2,148

-1.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,434 ₡1.1M

$832 ANG 1,489

192.57%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,640 ₡735.7K

$165 ANG 295

895.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,071 ₡480.5K

$1,236 ANG 2,212

-13.31%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.56

4.97

92.35%

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

Last update for Costa Rica: October 12, 2026

Last update for Curacao: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Costa Rica

$655 36.9%

Curacao

$616 31.4% 6% $39

Groceries & Markets

Costa Rica

$383 21.5%

Curacao

$373 19% 2.5% $9.7

Eating Out

Costa Rica

$223 12.5%

Curacao

$275 14% 23.3% $52

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Costa Rica

$185 10.4%

Curacao

$404 20.6% 119% $219

Clothing & Footwear

Costa Rica

$168 9.4%

Curacao

$194 9.9% 15.7% $26

Getting Around

Costa Rica

$83 4.6%

Curacao

$30 * 1.5% 63.7% $53

Sport & Entertainment

Costa Rica

$82 4.6%

Curacao

$72 3.7% 12.6% $10

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $830 in Costa Rica vs $198 in Curacao. For reference, capital cities sit at $927 in San Jose and $792 in Willemstad.

Average salary: $1,089 in Costa Rica vs $1,247 in Curacao. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 319% higher in Costa Rica.

Dining out costs 46% more in Costa Rica.

Salaries are 15% higher in Curacao.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

🇨🇼 Curacao

🕒 Local time

22:20 10:20 PM

00:20 12:20 AM

2 h ahead of Costa Rica

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,044,197

152,849

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Netherlands Antillean Guilder ANG ƒ

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1 ANG = 0.559 USD

1 ANG = 0.497 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Netherlands Antillean Guilder exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1.79 ANG (1 ANG = 0.559 USD). 1 EUR = 2.01 ANG (1 ANG = 0.497 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Costa Rica Curacao 1,670 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Costa Rica
Curacao

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 Curacao: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Costa Rica is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 10% lower on average.

Not necessarily. Overall, Curacao costs about 10% more, but the gap varies by category, and some expenses can be lower in Curacao. Compare the categories that matter most for your budget.

$2,000 buys a comfortable lifestyle in Costa Rica, but in Curacao it only works with careful planning outside the capital. Same money, very different lives.

Costa Rica is the budget-friendly choice for expats – lower housing and daily costs. But cost isn't everything: visa policies, language, healthcare quality, and job markets all weigh in too.