Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Costa Rica and Dominica

Name: Dominica
Address: DM

For one person, living is cheaper in Dominica: $1,260 a month against $1,779 in Costa Rica, rent and utilities included – about $6,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

86

Cost of Living Index in Costa Rica
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Costa Rica Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Dominica
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Dominica Living Index

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🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,779

/mo nomad

🇩🇲 Dominica

$1,260

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,779 per month in Costa Rica vs $1,260 in Dominica, rent included.

Costa Rica $1,779
Dominica $1,260

A couple spends around $2,745 per month in Costa Rica vs $2,106 in Dominica, rent included.

Costa Rica $2,745
Dominica $2,106

A family of three spends $3,711 per month in Costa Rica vs $2,952 in Dominica, rent included.

Costa Rica $3,711
Dominica $2,952

The cost of living in Costa Rica is about 41% higher than in Dominica on average.

Costa Rica sits 32% above the global median, while Dominica is 7% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.77 ₡5,278

$7.28 EC$19.66

61.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.1 ₡24.7K

$54.9 EC$148

0.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.88 ₡4,880

$7.24 EC$19.55

50.28%

Cappuccino

$4.50 ₡2,018

$3.70 EC$9.99

21.62%

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

$2.37 ₡1,063

$2.45 EC$6.61

-3.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.91 ₡858

$2.10 EC$5.67

-9.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.25 ₡1,457

$1.80 EC$4.87

80.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.40 ₡1,974

$3.31 EC$8.94

32.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.45 ₡1,098

$3.20 EC$8.65

-23.44%

White Bread (500g)

$3.57 ₡1,599

$2.25 EC$6.07

58.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.75 ₡1,235

$1.50 EC$4.04

83.33%

Eggs

$4.03 ₡1,806

$5.45 EC$14.71

-26.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.04 ₡4,504

$2.42 EC$6.55

314.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.40 ₡4,665

$10.47 EC$28.28

-0.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.69 ₡6,140

$12.99 EC$35.07

5.39%

Apples (1kg)

$5.16 ₡2,313

$7.46 EC$20.13

-30.83%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ₡760

$2.84 EC$7.67

-40.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.60 ₡1,613

$4.64 EC$12.54

-22.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.39 ₡1,519

$5.02 EC$13.56

-32.47%

Potato (1kg)

$3.36 ₡1,506

$3.29 EC$8.88

2.13%

Onion (1kg)

$3.18 ₡1,427

$3.08 EC$8.31

3.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ₡504

$1.97 EC$5.31

-43.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,195

$2.58 EC$6.96

3.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.38 ₡2,415

$7.29 EC$19.69

-26.20%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.05 ₡7,197

$11.03 EC$29.77

45.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.71 ₡1,214

$2.39 EC$6.46

13.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.30 ₡1,480

$2.84 EC$7.66

16.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.13 ₡507

$1.29 EC$3.47

-12.40%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.8 ₡29.5K

$53.1 EC$143

24.05%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.28 ₡1,021

$3.62 EC$9.77

-37.02%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.00 ₡895

$3.77 EC$10.18

-46.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.08 ₡4,074

$10.36 EC$27.98

-12.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 ₡689

$1.45 EC$3.91

6.21%

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

$32.5K ₡14.6M

$35.1K EC$94.8K

-7.56%

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

$36.6K ₡16.4M

$30.0K EC$81.0K

22.03%

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

$95.7 ₡42.9K

$139 EC$376

-31.34%

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

$30.83 ₡13.8K

$46.25 EC$125

-33.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.4 ₡26.2K

$69.9 EC$189

-16.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$65.6 ₡29.4K

$45.52 EC$123

44.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.18 ₡9,948

$22.50 EC$60.7

-1.42%

Cinema Ticket

$8.25 ₡3,701

$9.81 EC$26.48

-15.90%

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

$743 ₡333.3K

$128 EC$346

480.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.7K ₡5.7M

$4,355 EC$11.8K

190.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$75.1 ₡33.7K

$55.7 EC$150

34.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.5 ₡25.3K

$30.13 EC$81.4

87.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$131 ₡59.0K

$67.2 EC$181

95.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 ₡49.2K

$80.5 EC$217

36.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$841 ₡376.9K

$284 EC$766

196.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$655 ₡293.9K

$222 EC$598

195.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,750 ₡784.7K

$816 EC$2,202

114.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,177 ₡527.9K

$640 EC$1,727

84.01%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,434 ₡1.1M

$100 EC$270

2331.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,640 ₡735.7K

$36.73 EC$99.2

4366.24%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,071 ₡480.5K

$560 EC$1,512

91.34%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.56

7.6

25.79%

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

Last update for Costa Rica: October 12, 2026

Last update for Dominica: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Costa Rica

$655 36.9%

Dominica

$222 17.6% 66.2% $434

Groceries & Markets

Costa Rica

$383 21.5%

Dominica

$373 29.7% 2.5% $9.5

Eating Out

Costa Rica

$223 12.5%

Dominica

$158 12.6% 29% $65

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Costa Rica

$185 10.4%

Dominica

$256 20.3% 38.2% $71

Clothing & Footwear

Costa Rica

$168 9.4%

Dominica

$105 8.3% 37.4% $63

Getting Around

Costa Rica

$83 4.6%

Dominica

$81 6.4% 2.3% $1.9

Sport & Entertainment

Costa Rica

$82 4.6%

Dominica

$65 5.2% 20.6% $17

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $830 in Costa Rica vs $89.0 in Dominica. For reference, capital cities sit at $927 in San Jose and $278 in Roseau.

Average salary: $1,089 in Costa Rica vs $561 in Dominica. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 833% higher in Costa Rica.

Dining out costs 184% more in Costa Rica.

Public transport is 67% more expensive in Costa Rica.

Salaries are 94% higher in Costa Rica, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Costa Rica.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

🇩🇲 Dominica

🕒 Local time

20:51 8:51 PM

22:51 10:51 PM

2 h ahead of Costa Rica

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,044,197

74,656

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

East Caribbean Dollar XCD $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1 XCD = 0.37 USD

1 XCD = 0.329 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

East Caribbean Dollar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 2.7 XCD (1 XCD = 0.37 USD). 1 EUR = 3.04 XCD (1 XCD = 0.329 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Costa Rica Dominica 2,530 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Costa Rica
Dominica

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 Dominica: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dominica is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 41% lower on average.

Housing costs more in Costa Rica: a central one-bedroom averages $830 versus $89.0 in Dominica.

Groceries, public transport, and eating out all cost less in Dominica, adding to the overall 41% price gap.

$1,500 buys a comfortable lifestyle in Dominica, but in Costa Rica it only works with careful planning outside the capital. Same money, very different lives.

Dominica 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.