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

😐 Solo nomad: Costa Rica is 0.4% more expensive than Italy without rent, and 15.6% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Costa Rica is 6.1% cheaper than Italy without rent, and 11.2% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Costa Rica
Italy
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$9.65 ₡4,833
$17.2 €14.85
-43.90%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$58.6 ₡29.3K
$80 €69.1
-26.79%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.9 ₡4,957
$11.38 €9.82
-13.01%
Cappuccino
$3.9 ₡1,954
$2 €1.72
95.00%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.2 ₡1,100
$2.87 €2.48
-23.34%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.65 ₡827
$1.35 €1.17
22.22%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.03 ₡1,517
$5.68 €4.91
-46.65%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.55 ₡2,278
$5.1 €4.4
-10.78%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Costa Rica
Italy
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.06 ₡1,033
$1.68 €1.45
22.62%
White Bread (500g)
$3.06 ₡1,530
$2.31 €2
32.47%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.52 ₡1,261
$2.9 €2.5
-13.10%
Eggs
$3.29 ₡1,646
$4.04 €3.49
-18.56%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.29 ₡4,650
$16.69 €14.41
-44.34%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.54 ₡4,775
$12.25 €10.58
-22.12%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.6 ₡6,808
$20.16 €17.4
-32.54%
Apples (1kg)
$4.67 ₡2,337
$2.47 €2.13
89.07%
Banana (1kg)
$1.56 ₡782
$2.12 €1.83
-26.42%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.34 ₡1,672
$2.71 €2.34
23.25%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.01 ₡1,507
$3.28 €2.83
-8.23%
Potato (1kg)
$3.04 ₡1,524
$2.04 €1.76
49.02%
Onion (1kg)
$2.85 ₡1,426
$1.82 €1.57
56.59%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.01 ₡506
$1.47 €1.27
-31.29%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.54 ₡1,273
$0.51 €0.44
398.04%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.86 ₡2,434
$6.75 €5.83
-28.00%
Wine (Bottle)
$14.87 ₡7,442
$7 €6.04
112.43%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.27 ₡1,137
$1.82 €1.57
24.73%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.73 ₡1,366
$2.53 €2.18
7.91%
🚌 Getting Around
Costa Rica
Italy
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.95 ₡476
$1.96 €1.69
-51.53%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$49.46 ₡24.8K
$42.43 €36.63
16.57%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.81 ₡904
$5.68 €4.9
-68.13%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.93 ₡969
$1.59 €1.38
21.38%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$7.69 ₡3,850
$34.1 €29.45
-77.45%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.47 ₡735
$2.01 €1.74
-26.87%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$37.4K ₡18.7M
$31.8K €27.4K
17.71%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.8K ₡17.4M
$32.7K €28.2K
6.47%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Costa Rica
Italy
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$86.9 ₡43.5K
$222 €192
-60.96%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$25.46 ₡12.7K
$13.37 €11.55
90.43%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$54.7 ₡27.4K
$31.76 €27.42
72.36%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Costa Rica
Italy
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$57.8 ₡28.9K
$57.5 €49.63
0.49%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$28.42 ₡14.2K
$25.84 €22.31
9.98%
Cinema Ticket
$9.08 ₡4,546
$10.21 €8.82
-11.07%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Costa Rica
Italy
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$551 ₡275.9K
$576 €497
-4.26%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$9,816 ₡4.9M
$10.7K €9,249
-8.36%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Costa Rica
Italy
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$72.3 ₡36.2K
$92.9 €80.2
-22.16%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$55.2 ₡27.6K
$40.84 €35.26
35.19%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$118 ₡59.3K
$98.4 €84.9
20.38%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$104 ₡52.1K
$131 €113
-20.62%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Costa Rica
Italy
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$817 ₡408.8K
$853 €737
-4.32%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$539 ₡269.6K
$658 €568
-18.10%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,495 ₡748.3K
$1,518 €1,311
-1.53%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,019 ₡510.2K
$1,072 €926
-4.95%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,511 ₡1.3M
$4,096 €3,537
-38.70%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,384 ₡693K
$2,595 €2,240
-46.65%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Costa Rica
Italy
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$996 ₡498.8K
$1,960 €1,692
-49.16%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
10.53
4.41
138.78%

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

Last update for Costa Rica: October 28, 2025

Last update for Italy: October 27, 2025

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