Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Costa Rica and Suriname

Name: Suriname
Address: SR

For one person, living is cheaper in Suriname: $1,045 a month against $1,830 in Costa Rica, rent and utilities included – about $9,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

87

Cost of Living Index in Costa Rica
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Costa Rica Living Index
50

Cost of Living Index in Suriname
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Suriname Living Index

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🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,830

/mo nomad

🇸🇷 Suriname

$1,045

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,830 per month in Costa Rica vs $1,045 in Suriname, rent included.

Costa Rica $1,830
Suriname $1,045

A couple spends around $2,781 per month in Costa Rica vs $1,707 in Suriname, rent included.

Costa Rica $2,781
Suriname $1,707

A family of three spends $3,733 per month in Costa Rica vs $2,370 in Suriname, rent included.

Costa Rica $3,733
Suriname $2,370

The regional cost range is wider in Costa Rica ($1,006–$2,121) than in Suriname ($202–$1,050), so city choice matters more there.

The cost of living in Costa Rica is about 75% higher than in Suriname on average.

Costa Rica sits 35% above the global median, while Suriname is 23% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.72 ₡5,266

$13.49 SRD 504

-13.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$56.0 ₡25.2K

$46.28 SRD 1,729

21.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.18 ₡5,027

$10.72 SRD 400

4.29%

Cappuccino

$4.63 ₡2,081

$2.81 SRD 105

64.77%

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

$2.34 ₡1,052

$1.48 SRD 55.2

58.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 ₡832

$0.87 SRD 32.56

112.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ₡1,455

$2.37 SRD 88.7

36.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.57 ₡2,054

$4.03 SRD 151

13.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.41 ₡1,081

$1.81 SRD 67.5

33.15%

White Bread (500g)

$3.59 ₡1,615

$1.36 SRD 50.8

163.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.79 ₡1,255

$1.43 SRD 53.5

95.10%

Eggs

$3.87 ₡1,740

$3.05 SRD 114

26.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.38 ₡4,665

$11.71 SRD 437

-11.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.01 ₡4,498

$6.42 SRD 240

55.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.77 ₡6,191

$9.95 SRD 372

38.39%

Apples (1kg)

$4.76 ₡2,141

$4.91 SRD 183

-3.05%

Banana (1kg)

$1.71 ₡771

$2.44 SRD 91.1

-29.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.42 ₡1,538

$3.82 SRD 143

-10.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.23 ₡1,453

$5.83 SRD 218

-44.60%

Potato (1kg)

$3.29 ₡1,479

$1.32 SRD 49.15

149.24%

Onion (1kg)

$3.13 ₡1,406

$1.94 SRD 72.6

61.34%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.09 ₡492

$1.55 SRD 57.9

-29.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.75 ₡1,238

$1.35 SRD 50.4

103.70%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.34 ₡2,402

$7.27 SRD 271

-26.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.23 ₡7,294

$8.22 SRD 307

97.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.63 ₡1,182

$2.00 SRD 74.6

31.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.25 ₡1,463

$3.79 SRD 142

-14.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.08 ₡483

$0.55 SRD 20.63

96.36%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.1 ₡30.2K

$32.28 SRD 1,206

107.96%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.18 ₡981

$2.13 SRD 79.4

2.35%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.01 ₡902

$1.56 SRD 58.2

28.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.08 ₡3,631

$7.06 SRD 264

14.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡696

$1.11 SRD 41.32

39.64%

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

$33.9K ₡15.2M

$25.2K SRD 940.8K

34.60%

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

$37.5K ₡16.9M

$24.7K SRD 922.3K

51.83%

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

$98.2 ₡44.1K

$37.24 SRD 1,391

163.59%

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

$30.64 ₡13.8K

$25.90 SRD 967

18.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$59.7 ₡26.8K

$30.32 SRD 1,132

96.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$65.1 ₡29.2K

$13.70 SRD 512

374.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.65 ₡10.2K

$20.78 SRD 776

9.00%

Cinema Ticket

$8.17 ₡3,671

$5.08 SRD 190

60.83%

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

$733 ₡329.5K

$62.1 SRD 2,319

1080.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.7K ₡8.0M

$15.4K SRD 576.8K

14.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$74.7 ₡33.6K

$37.03 SRD 1,383

101.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.9 ₡25.1K

$28.77 SRD 1,075

94.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$130 ₡58.6K

$75.3 SRD 2,811

73.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 ₡48.7K

$119 SRD 4,456

-9.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$933 ₡419.2K

$489 SRD 18.3K

90.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$706 ₡317.5K

$268 SRD 10.0K

163.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,763 ₡792.3K

$956 SRD 35.7K

84.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,201 ₡539.8K

$500 SRD 18.7K

140.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,692 ₡1.2M

$468 SRD 17.5K

475.70%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,834 ₡824.4K

$400 SRD 14.9K

358.71%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,076 ₡483.5K

$280 SRD 10.4K

284.71%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.56

16.25

-41.17%

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

Last update for Costa Rica: November 2, 2026

Last update for Suriname: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Costa Rica

$706 38.6%

Suriname

$268 25.6% 62.1% $438

Groceries & Markets

Costa Rica

$379 20.7%

Suriname

$295 28.2% 22.2% $84

Eating Out

Costa Rica

$225 12.3%

Suriname

$203 19.5% 9.6% $22

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Costa Rica

$189 10.3%

Suriname

$93 9% 50.4% $95

Clothing & Footwear

Costa Rica

$166 9.1%

Suriname

$117 11.2% 29.5% $49

Getting Around

Costa Rica

$84 4.6%

Suriname

$44 4.3% 46.9% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Costa Rica

$81 4.5%

Suriname

$24 2.3% 70.7% $58

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $849 in Costa Rica vs $494 in Suriname. For reference, capital cities sit at $1,170 in San Jose and $494 in Paramaribo.

Average salary: $1,092 in Costa Rica vs $291 in Suriname. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 72% higher in Costa Rica.

Dining out costs 23% more in Costa Rica.

Public transport is 109% more expensive in Costa Rica.

Salaries are about 3.8 times higher in Costa Rica, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Costa Rica.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

🇸🇷 Suriname

🕒 Local time

16:57 4:57 PM

19:57 7:57 PM

3 h ahead of Costa Rica

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,044,197

563,402

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Surinamese Dollar SRD $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

100 SRD = 2.68 USD

100 SRD = 2.38 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 450 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 506 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Surinamese Dollar exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 37.35 SRD (100 SRD = 2.68 USD). 1 EUR = 42.05 SRD (100 SRD = 2.38 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Costa Rica Suriname 3,220 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Costa Rica
Suriname

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 Suriname: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Suriname is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 43% lower on average.

Housing costs more in Costa Rica: a central one-bedroom averages $849 versus $494 in Suriname.

Groceries, public transport, and eating out all cost less in Suriname – part of why living there is about 43% cheaper overall.

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

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