Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Costa Rica and Italy

Name: Italy
Address: IT

For one person, living costs are similar in Costa Rica and in Italy: $1,779 and $1,804 a month, rent and utilities included.

86

Cost of Living Index in Costa Rica
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Costa Rica Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Italy
Learn more

Italy Living Index

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🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,779

/mo nomad

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,804

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,779 per month in Costa Rica vs $1,804 in Italy, rent included.

Costa Rica $1,779
Italy $1,804

A couple spends around $2,745 per month in Costa Rica vs $2,778 in Italy, rent included.

Costa Rica $2,745
Italy $2,778

A family of three spends $3,711 per month in Costa Rica vs $3,752 in Italy, rent included.

Costa Rica $3,711
Italy $3,752

The regional cost range is wider in Italy ($1,035–$2,560) than in Costa Rica ($1,004–$2,127), so city choice matters more there.

The cost of living in Costa Rica is roughly 1% lower than in Italy on average.

Both Costa Rica and Italy are pricier than the global median – Costa Rica by 32%, Italy by 34%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.77 ₡5,278

$19.89 €17.70

-40.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.1 ₡24.7K

$77.0 €68.5

-28.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.88 ₡4,880

$11.00 €9.78

-1.09%

Cappuccino

$4.50 ₡2,018

$1.99 €1.77

126.13%

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

$2.37 ₡1,063

$2.96 €2.63

-19.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.91 ₡858

$1.41 €1.25

35.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.25 ₡1,457

$5.60 €4.98

-41.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.40 ₡1,974

$5.67 €5.05

-22.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.45 ₡1,098

$1.61 €1.43

52.17%

White Bread (500g)

$3.57 ₡1,599

$2.30 €2.05

55.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.75 ₡1,235

$2.99 €2.66

-8.03%

Eggs

$4.03 ₡1,806

$4.06 €3.61

-0.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.04 ₡4,504

$17.23 €15.33

-41.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.40 ₡4,665

$12.68 €11.28

-17.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.69 ₡6,140

$20.36 €18.11

-32.76%

Apples (1kg)

$5.16 ₡2,313

$2.54 €2.26

103.15%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ₡760

$2.15 €1.91

-21.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.60 ₡1,613

$2.56 €2.28

40.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.39 ₡1,519

$3.22 €2.86

5.28%

Potato (1kg)

$3.36 ₡1,506

$1.92 €1.70

75.00%

Onion (1kg)

$3.18 ₡1,427

$1.84 €1.64

72.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ₡504

$1.51 €1.34

-25.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,195

$0.55 €0.49

383.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.38 ₡2,415

$6.81 €6.06

-21.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.05 ₡7,197

$8.03 €7.15

99.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.71 ₡1,214

$1.72 €1.53

57.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.30 ₡1,480

$2.37 €2.11

39.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.13 ₡507

$1.88 €1.67

-39.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.8 ₡29.5K

$43.31 €38.52

51.95%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.28 ₡1,021

$5.57 €4.95

-59.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.00 ₡895

$1.63 €1.45

22.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.08 ₡4,074

$33.78 €30.04

-73.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 ₡689

$2.04 €1.81

-24.51%

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

$32.5K ₡14.6M

$35.6K €31.7K

-8.86%

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

$36.6K ₡16.4M

$35.4K €31.5K

3.44%

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

$95.7 ₡42.9K

$222 €198

-56.96%

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

$30.83 ₡13.8K

$11.43 €10.17

169.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.4 ₡26.2K

$30.65 €27.26

90.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$65.6 ₡29.4K

$52.7 €46.89

24.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.18 ₡9,948

$23.82 €21.19

-6.88%

Cinema Ticket

$8.25 ₡3,701

$10.51 €9.35

-21.50%

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

$743 ₡333.3K

$541 €481

37.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.7K ₡5.7M

$11.7K €10.4K

7.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$75.1 ₡33.7K

$90.0 €80.0

-16.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.5 ₡25.3K

$39.08 €34.76

44.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$131 ₡59.0K

$101 €90.2

29.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 ₡49.2K

$132 €117

-16.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$841 ₡376.9K

$805 €716

4.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$655 ₡293.9K

$619 €550

5.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,750 ₡784.7K

$1,388 €1,235

26.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,177 ₡527.9K

$1,050 €934

12.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,434 ₡1.1M

$3,623 €3,223

-32.82%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,640 ₡735.7K

$2,229 €1,983

-26.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,071 ₡480.5K

$1,889 €1,680

-43.28%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.56

3.56

168.54%

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

Last update for Costa Rica: October 12, 2026

Last update for Italy: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Costa Rica

$655 36.9%

Italy

$619 34.3% 5.6% $37

Groceries & Markets

Costa Rica

$383 21.5%

Italy

$347 19.2% 9.4% $36

Eating Out

Costa Rica

$223 12.5%

Italy

$273 15.1% 22.4% $50

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Costa Rica

$185 10.4%

Italy

$265 14.7% 43% $80

Clothing & Footwear

Costa Rica

$168 9.4%

Italy

$163 9% 2.7% $4.6

Getting Around

Costa Rica

$83 4.6%

Italy

$65 3.6% 21.8% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Costa Rica

$82 4.6%

Italy

$74 4.1% 10.1% $8.3

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $830 in Costa Rica vs $721 in Italy. For reference, capital cities sit at $927 in San Jose and $1,222 in Rome.

Average salary: $1,089 in Costa Rica vs $1,888 in Italy. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 15% higher in Costa Rica.

Dining out costs 35% more in Italy.

Public transport is 173% more expensive in Italy.

Salaries are 73% higher in Italy, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Italy.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

🇮🇹 Italy

🕒 Local time

23:42 11:42 PM

07:42 7:42 AM

8 h ahead of Costa Rica

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,044,197

58,850,717

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD 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).

Euro exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Costa Rica Italy 9,810 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Costa Rica
Italy

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 Italy: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Costa Rica is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 1% lower on average.

Not necessarily. Overall, Italy costs about 1% more, but the gap varies by category, and some expenses can be lower in Italy. Compare the categories that matter most for your budget.

$2,000 buys a comfortable lifestyle in Costa Rica, but in Italy 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.