Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Costa Rica and Spain

Name: Spain
Address: ES

For one person, living costs are similar in Costa Rica and in Spain: $1,830 and $1,796 a month, rent and utilities included.

87

Cost of Living Index in Costa Rica
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Costa Rica Living Index
85

Cost of Living Index in Spain
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Spain Living Index

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🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,830

/mo nomad

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,796

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,830 per month in Costa Rica vs $1,796 in Spain, rent included.

Costa Rica $1,830
Spain $1,796

A couple spends around $2,781 per month in Costa Rica vs $2,612 in Spain, rent included.

Costa Rica $2,781
Spain $2,612

A family of three spends $3,733 per month in Costa Rica vs $3,429 in Spain, rent included.

Costa Rica $3,733
Spain $3,429

The regional cost range is wider in Spain ($932–$2,592) than in Costa Rica ($1,006–$2,121), so city choice matters more there.

The cost of living in Costa Rica and in Spain is about the same on average.

Both Costa Rica and Spain are pricier than the global median – Costa Rica by 35%, Spain by 33%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.72 ₡5,277

$16.93 €15.07

-30.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$56.0 ₡25.2K

$56.3 €50.1

-0.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.18 ₡5,038

$11.32 €10.07

-1.24%

Cappuccino

$4.63 ₡2,086

$2.42 €2.15

91.32%

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

$2.34 ₡1,055

$2.55 €2.27

-8.24%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 ₡834

$1.79 €1.60

3.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ₡1,458

$3.34 €2.97

-2.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.57 ₡2,058

$4.03 €3.58

13.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.41 ₡1,083

$1.15 €1.03

109.57%

White Bread (500g)

$3.59 ₡1,618

$1.47 €1.31

144.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.79 ₡1,258

$1.68 €1.49

66.07%

Eggs

$3.87 ₡1,744

$3.43 €3.05

12.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.38 ₡4,674

$14.11 €12.56

-26.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.01 ₡4,508

$8.64 €7.69

15.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.77 ₡6,204

$16.44 €14.63

-16.24%

Apples (1kg)

$4.76 ₡2,145

$2.53 €2.25

88.14%

Banana (1kg)

$1.71 ₡772

$2.05 €1.82

-16.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.42 ₡1,541

$2.03 €1.81

68.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.23 ₡1,456

$2.46 €2.19

31.30%

Potato (1kg)

$3.29 ₡1,482

$1.87 €1.66

75.94%

Onion (1kg)

$3.13 ₡1,409

$1.95 €1.73

60.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.09 ₡493

$1.37 €1.22

-20.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.75 ₡1,241

$0.74 €0.66

271.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.34 ₡2,407

$6.61 €5.88

-19.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.23 ₡7,310

$5.52 €4.91

194.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.63 ₡1,185

$1.28 €1.14

105.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.25 ₡1,466

$2.08 €1.85

56.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.08 ₡484

$1.64 €1.46

-34.15%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.1 ₡30.2K

$32.79 €29.18

104.73%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.18 ₡983

$3.91 €3.48

-44.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.01 ₡904

$1.32 €1.17

52.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.08 ₡3,639

$26.47 €23.55

-69.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡697

$1.75 €1.56

-11.43%

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

$33.9K ₡15.3M

$34.9K €31.0K

-2.76%

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

$37.5K ₡16.9M

$30.6K €27.2K

22.55%

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

$98.2 ₡44.2K

$146 €130

-32.72%

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

$30.64 ₡13.8K

$17.77 €15.82

72.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$59.7 ₡26.9K

$32.25 €28.70

85.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$65.1 ₡29.3K

$44.93 €39.98

44.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.65 ₡10.2K

$15.01 €13.36

50.90%

Cinema Ticket

$8.17 ₡3,678

$9.36 €8.33

-12.71%

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

$733 ₡330.2K

$564 €502

29.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.7K ₡8.0M

$13.3K €11.8K

33.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$74.7 ₡33.7K

$84.3 €75.0

-11.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.9 ₡25.2K

$37.06 €32.98

50.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$130 ₡58.8K

$91.2 €81.1

43.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 ₡48.8K

$108 €95.8

0.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$933 ₡420.1K

$1,025 €912

-9.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$706 ₡318.2K

$829 €738

-14.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,763 ₡794.0K

$1,641 €1,460

7.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,201 ₡540.9K

$1,231 €1,095

-2.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,692 ₡1.2M

$4,131 €3,676

-34.82%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,834 ₡826.1K

$2,739 €2,438

-33.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,076 ₡484.6K

$2,012 €1,791

-46.54%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.56

3.3

189.70%

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

Last update for Costa Rica: November 2, 2026

Last update for Spain: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Costa Rica

$706 38.6%

Spain

$829 46.2% 17.4% $123

Groceries & Markets

Costa Rica

$379 20.7%

Spain

$272 15.2% 28.1% $106

Eating Out

Costa Rica

$225 12.3%

Spain

$241 13.4% 6.9% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Costa Rica

$189 10.3%

Spain

$196 10.9% 3.9% $7.4

Clothing & Footwear

Costa Rica

$166 9.1%

Spain

$144 8% 13.3% $22

Getting Around

Costa Rica

$84 4.6%

Spain

$50 2.8% 40.4% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Costa Rica

$81 4.5%

Spain

$64 3.5% 21.8% $18

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $849 in Costa Rica vs $937 in Spain. For reference, capital cities sit at $1,170 in San Jose and $1,525 in Madrid.

Average salary: $1,092 in Costa Rica vs $1,975 in Spain. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 10% higher in Spain.

Public transport is 116% more expensive in Costa Rica.

Salaries are 81% higher in Spain, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Spain.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

🇪🇸 Spain

🕒 Local time

13:39 1:39 PM

20:39 8:39 PM

7 h ahead of Costa Rica

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,044,197

47,415,750

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 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 November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 450 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 506 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 0.89 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to CRC in detail →

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Costa Rica Spain 8,480 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

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Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

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