Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Costa Rica and Haiti

Name: Haiti
Address: HT

For one person, living is cheaper in Costa Rica: $1,821 a month against $2,473 in Haiti, rent and utilities included – about $7,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

87

Cost of Living Index in Costa Rica
Learn more

Costa Rica Living Index
120

Cost of Living Index in Haiti
Learn more

Haiti Living Index

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🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,821

/mo nomad

🇭🇹 Haiti

$2,473

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,821 per month in Costa Rica vs $2,473 in Haiti, rent included.

Costa Rica $1,821
Haiti $2,473

A couple spends around $2,773 per month in Costa Rica vs $3,524 in Haiti, rent included.

Costa Rica $2,773
Haiti $3,524

A family of three spends $3,725 per month in Costa Rica vs $4,575 in Haiti, rent included.

Costa Rica $3,725
Haiti $4,575

The regional cost range is wider in Costa Rica ($1,004–$2,114) than in Haiti ($1,315–$2,168), so city choice matters more there.

The cost of living in Costa Rica is roughly 26% lower than in Haiti on average.

Both Costa Rica and Haiti are pricier than the global median – Costa Rica by 34%, Haiti by 82%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.26 ₡5,082

$14.34 HTG 1,871

-21.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.5 ₡24.6K

$90.8 HTG 11.9K

-39.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.02 ₡4,973

$14.99 HTG 1,956

-26.48%

Cappuccino

$4.43 ₡1,998

$2.75 HTG 358

61.09%

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

$2.34 ₡1,055

$1.86 HTG 243

25.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.84 ₡828

$1.53 HTG 200

20.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.26 ₡1,472

$6.35 HTG 828

-48.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.55 ₡2,053

$8.02 HTG 1,047

-43.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.45 ₡1,104

$2.26 HTG 295

8.41%

White Bread (500g)

$3.56 ₡1,608

$2.47 HTG 322

44.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.76 ₡1,245

$2.78 HTG 363

-0.72%

Eggs

$3.97 ₡1,793

$4.06 HTG 529

-2.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.47 ₡4,726

$8.06 HTG 1,052

29.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.98 ₡4,505

$6.09 HTG 795

63.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.91 ₡6,275

$11.03 HTG 1,439

26.11%

Apples (1kg)

$5.06 ₡2,282

$4.15 HTG 542

21.93%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ₡763

$1.84 HTG 240

-8.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.45 ₡1,557

$1.16 HTG 152

197.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.23 ₡1,459

$2.73 HTG 356

18.32%

Potato (1kg)

$3.44 ₡1,554

$6.14 HTG 801

-43.97%

Onion (1kg)

$3.25 ₡1,465

$2.25 HTG 293

44.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.09 ₡492

$1.37 HTG 178

-20.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.67 ₡1,203

$1.04 HTG 135

156.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.38 ₡2,426

$4.08 HTG 532

31.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.50 ₡6,993

$11.32 HTG 1,477

36.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.75 ₡1,241

$1.69 HTG 221

62.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.30 ₡1,488

$2.14 HTG 279

54.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.13 ₡509

$0.36 HTG 47.46

213.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.5 ₡29.6K

$20.39 HTG 2,660

221.38%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.17 ₡979

$0.39 HTG 51.5

456.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.02 ₡912

$0.53 HTG 69.8

281.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.94 ₡4,034

$20.22 HTG 2,638

-55.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.61 ₡726

$1.17 HTG 152

37.61%

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

$34.5K ₡15.6M

$37.8K HTG 4.9M

-8.70%

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

$37.4K ₡16.9M

$34.6K HTG 4.5M

8.03%

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

$94.9 ₡42.8K

$134 HTG 17.5K

-29.22%

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

$31.42 ₡14.2K

$47.67 HTG 6,220

-34.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.6 ₡26.4K

$200 HTG 26.2K

-70.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$65.7 ₡29.6K

$44.89 HTG 5,857

46.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.20 ₡10.0K

$17.69 HTG 2,308

25.49%

Cinema Ticket

$8.10 ₡3,654

$9.98 HTG 1,302

-18.84%

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

$722 ₡325.8K

$98.2 HTG 12.8K

635.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.9K ₡5.8M

$6,927 HTG 903.8K

86.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$75.5 ₡34.1K

$87.2 HTG 11.4K

-13.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.4 ₡25.5K

$74.4 HTG 9,712

-24.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$128 ₡57.9K

$136 HTG 17.7K

-5.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 ₡48.8K

$169 HTG 22.0K

-35.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$960 ₡433.2K

$1,547 HTG 201.8K

-37.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$708 ₡319.5K

$1,248 HTG 162.9K

-43.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,749 ₡789.0K

$2,297 HTG 299.8K

-23.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,215 ₡548.3K

$1,857 HTG 242.3K

-34.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,656 ₡1.2M

$1,665 HTG 217.2K

59.54%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,839 ₡829.7K

$1,325 HTG 172.9K

38.74%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,058 ₡477.6K

$1,500 HTG 195.8K

-29.45%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.56

16.5

-42.06%

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

Last update for Costa Rica: October 26, 2026

Last update for Haiti: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Costa Rica

$708 38.9%

Haiti

$1.2K 50.5% 76.3% $540

Groceries & Markets

Costa Rica

$380 20.9%

Haiti

$289 11.7% 24% $91

Eating Out

Costa Rica

$218 12%

Haiti

$254 10.3% 16.3% $36

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Costa Rica

$185 10.2%

Haiti

$382 15.5% 107% $197

Clothing & Footwear

Costa Rica

$166 9.1%

Haiti

$210 8.5% 26.6% $44

Getting Around

Costa Rica

$82 4.5%

Haiti

$25 1% 69.7% $57

Sport & Entertainment

Costa Rica

$82 4.5%

Haiti

$65 2.6% 20.8% $17

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $855 in Costa Rica vs $976 in Haiti. For reference, capital cities sit at $1,164 in San Jose and $904 in Port-au-Prince.

Average salary: $1,087 in Costa Rica vs $1,072 in Haiti. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 14% higher in Haiti.

Dining out costs 67% more in Haiti.

Public transport is 158% more expensive in Costa Rica.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

🇭🇹 Haiti

🕒 Local time

15:10 3:10 PM

17:10 5:10 PM

2 h ahead of Costa Rica

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,044,197

10,981,229

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Haitian Gourde HTG G

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR

1,000 HTG = 7.66 USD

1,000 HTG = 6.88 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 502 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

Haitian Gourde exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 130 HTG (1,000 HTG = 7.66 USD). 1 EUR = 145 HTG (1,000 HTG = 6.88 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Costa Rica Haiti 1,590 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Costa Rica
Haiti

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 Haiti: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Costa Rica is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 26% lower on average.

Housing costs more in Haiti: a central one-bedroom averages $976 versus $855 in Costa Rica.

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