Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Costa Rica and Honduras

Name: Honduras
Address: HN

For one person, living is cheaper in Honduras: $1,178 a month against $1,821 in Costa Rica, rent and utilities included – about $7,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

87

Cost of Living Index in Costa Rica
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Costa Rica Living Index
57

Cost of Living Index in Honduras
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Honduras Living Index

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🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,821

/mo nomad

🇭🇳 Honduras

$1,178

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,821 per month in Costa Rica vs $1,178 in Honduras, rent included.

Costa Rica $1,821
Honduras $1,178

A couple spends around $2,773 per month in Costa Rica vs $1,785 in Honduras, rent included.

Costa Rica $2,773
Honduras $1,785

A family of three spends $3,725 per month in Costa Rica vs $2,392 in Honduras, rent included.

Costa Rica $3,725
Honduras $2,392

Cost ranges are similar: Costa Rica spans $1,004–$2,114, Honduras $116–$1,228. City choice affects budget similarly in either country.

The cost of living in Costa Rica is about 55% higher than in Honduras on average.

Costa Rica sits 34% above the global median, while Honduras is 13% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.26 ₡5,085

$7.58 HNL 204

48.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.5 ₡24.6K

$31.95 HNL 859

70.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.02 ₡4,975

$8.53 HNL 229

29.19%

Cappuccino

$4.43 ₡1,999

$2.33 HNL 62.7

90.13%

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

$2.34 ₡1,055

$1.05 HNL 28.21

122.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.84 ₡829

$0.98 HNL 26.35

87.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.26 ₡1,473

$1.81 HNL 48.53

80.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.55 ₡2,054

$3.28 HNL 88.3

38.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.45 ₡1,105

$1.45 HNL 39.02

68.97%

White Bread (500g)

$3.56 ₡1,608

$1.98 HNL 53.2

79.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.76 ₡1,245

$1.49 HNL 40.16

85.23%

Eggs

$3.97 ₡1,794

$1.79 HNL 48.25

121.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.47 ₡4,728

$7.01 HNL 188

49.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.98 ₡4,507

$5.79 HNL 156

72.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.91 ₡6,278

$8.31 HNL 223

67.39%

Apples (1kg)

$5.06 ₡2,283

$3.47 HNL 93.2

45.82%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ₡764

$1.25 HNL 33.69

35.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.45 ₡1,558

$2.22 HNL 59.7

55.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.23 ₡1,460

$1.68 HNL 45.16

92.26%

Potato (1kg)

$3.44 ₡1,555

$1.85 HNL 49.82

85.95%

Onion (1kg)

$3.25 ₡1,465

$2.14 HNL 57.5

51.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.09 ₡492

$1.03 HNL 27.62

5.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.67 ₡1,204

$1.19 HNL 32.11

124.37%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.38 ₡2,427

$2.92 HNL 78.6

84.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.50 ₡6,996

$9.90 HNL 266

56.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.75 ₡1,241

$1.25 HNL 33.67

120.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.30 ₡1,489

$1.54 HNL 41.48

114.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.13 ₡509

$0.68 HNL 18.25

66.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.5 ₡29.6K

$56.1 HNL 1,508

16.81%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.17 ₡979

$1.96 HNL 52.8

10.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.02 ₡913

$1.37 HNL 36.74

47.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.94 ₡4,036

$7.43 HNL 200

20.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.61 ₡726

$1.12 HNL 30.16

43.75%

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

$34.5K ₡15.6M

$22.2K HNL 597.4K

55.21%

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

$37.4K ₡16.9M

$26.2K HNL 705.3K

42.38%

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

$94.9 ₡42.9K

$126 HNL 3,383

-24.57%

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

$31.42 ₡14.2K

$20.06 HNL 539

56.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.6 ₡26.4K

$38.03 HNL 1,022

53.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$65.7 ₡29.7K

$36.14 HNL 972

81.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.20 ₡10.0K

$15.66 HNL 421

41.76%

Cinema Ticket

$8.10 ₡3,656

$5.58 HNL 150

45.16%

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

$722 ₡325.9K

$204 HNL 5,485

253.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.9K ₡5.8M

$3,407 HNL 91.6K

278.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$75.5 ₡34.1K

$55.8 HNL 1,500

35.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.4 ₡25.5K

$37.64 HNL 1,012

49.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$128 ₡57.9K

$89.5 HNL 2,406

43.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 ₡48.8K

$78.5 HNL 2,109

37.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$960 ₡433.4K

$502 HNL 13.5K

91.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$708 ₡319.6K

$402 HNL 10.8K

76.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,749 ₡789.4K

$958 HNL 25.8K

82.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,215 ₡548.5K

$736 HNL 19.8K

65.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,656 ₡1.2M

$2,121 HNL 57.0K

25.21%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,839 ₡830.1K

$1,078 HNL 29.0K

70.60%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,058 ₡477.8K

$541 HNL 14.6K

95.48%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.56

13.19

-27.52%

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

Last update for Costa Rica: October 26, 2026

Last update for Honduras: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Costa Rica

$708 38.9%

Honduras

$402 34.1% 43.3% $306

Groceries & Markets

Costa Rica

$380 20.9%

Honduras

$222 18.8% 41.6% $158

Eating Out

Costa Rica

$218 12%

Honduras

$138 11.7% 36.8% $80

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Costa Rica

$185 10.2%

Honduras

$184 15.6% 0.5% $0.9

Clothing & Footwear

Costa Rica

$166 9.1%

Honduras

$118 10% 29% $48

Getting Around

Costa Rica

$82 4.5%

Honduras

$68 5.7% 17.9% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Costa Rica

$82 4.5%

Honduras

$47 4% 42.2% $35

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $855 in Costa Rica vs $377 in Honduras. For reference, capital cities sit at $1,164 in San Jose and $447 in Tegucigalpa.

Average salary: $1,087 in Costa Rica vs $557 in Honduras. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 127% higher in Costa Rica.

Dining out costs 74% more in Costa Rica.

Public transport is 46% more expensive in Costa Rica.

Salaries are 95% higher in Costa Rica, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Costa Rica.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

🇭🇳 Honduras

🕒 Local time

01:49 1:49 AM

Same time as Costa Rica

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,044,197

10,062,994

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Honduran Lempira HNL L

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

100 HNL = 3.72 USD

100 HNL = 3.33 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Honduran Lempira exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 26.88 HNL (100 HNL = 3.72 USD). 1 EUR = 30.01 HNL (100 HNL = 3.33 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Costa Rica Honduras 580 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Costa Rica
Honduras

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 Honduras: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Honduras is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 35% lower on average.

Housing costs more in Costa Rica: a central one-bedroom averages $855 versus $377 in Honduras.

Groceries, public transport, and eating out all cost less in Honduras – part of why living there is about 35% cheaper overall.

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

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