Cost of Living Comparison Between Costa Rica and United Kingdom Cost of Living Comparison Between Costa Rica and United Kingdom

🙂 Solo nomad: Costa Rica is 9.1% cheaper than United Kingdom without rent, and 38.7% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Costa Rica is 11.7% cheaper than United Kingdom without rent, and 29.8% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Costa Rica
United Kingdom
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$9.65 ₡4,833
$20.1 £14.79
-51.99%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$58.6 ₡29.3K
$89.9 £66.2
-34.84%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.9 ₡4,957
$10.03 £7.38
-1.30%
Cappuccino
$3.9 ₡1,954
$4.71 £3.46
-17.20%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.2 ₡1,100
$2.46 £1.81
-10.57%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.65 ₡827
$1.69 £1.24
-2.37%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.03 ₡1,517
$6.59 £4.85
-54.02%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.55 ₡2,278
$6.27 £4.62
-27.43%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Costa Rica
United Kingdom
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.06 ₡1,033
$1.65 £1.22
24.85%
White Bread (500g)
$3.06 ₡1,530
$1.66 £1.22
84.34%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.52 ₡1,261
$2.26 £1.67
11.50%
Eggs
$3.29 ₡1,646
$4.08 £3.01
-19.36%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.29 ₡4,650
$9.78 £7.2
-5.01%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.54 ₡4,775
$8.74 £6.43
9.15%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.6 ₡6,808
$14.34 £10.55
-5.16%
Apples (1kg)
$4.67 ₡2,337
$3.04 £2.24
53.62%
Banana (1kg)
$1.56 ₡782
$1.67 £1.23
-6.59%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.34 ₡1,672
$2.9 £2.13
15.17%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.01 ₡1,507
$3.47 £2.56
-13.26%
Potato (1kg)
$3.04 ₡1,524
$1.62 £1.19
87.65%
Onion (1kg)
$2.85 ₡1,426
$1.6 £1.18
78.13%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.01 ₡506
$1.12 £0.82
-9.82%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.54 ₡1,273
$1.57 £1.15
61.78%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.86 ₡2,434
$20.41 £15.02
-76.19%
Wine (Bottle)
$14.87 ₡7,442
$10.52 £7.74
41.35%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.27 ₡1,137
$2.83 £2.08
-19.79%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.73 ₡1,366
$3.3 £2.43
-17.27%
🚌 Getting Around
Costa Rica
United Kingdom
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.95 ₡476
$3.33 £2.45
-71.47%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$49.46 ₡24.8K
$94.8 £69.7
-47.80%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.81 ₡904
$5.46 £4.02
-66.85%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.93 ₡969
$1.55 £1.14
24.52%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$7.69 ₡3,850
$26.83 £19.74
-71.34%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.47 ₡735
$2 £1.47
-26.50%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$37.4K ₡18.7M
$37.7K £27.7K
-0.80%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.8K ₡17.4M
$41.3K £30.4K
-15.83%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Costa Rica
United Kingdom
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$86.9 ₡43.5K
$319 £235
-72.76%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$25.46 ₡12.7K
$17.53 £12.9
45.24%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$54.7 ₡27.4K
$41.82 £30.78
30.89%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Costa Rica
United Kingdom
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$57.8 ₡28.9K
$45.9 £33.78
25.84%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$28.42 ₡14.2K
$15.86 £11.67
79.19%
Cinema Ticket
$9.08 ₡4,546
$13.71 £10.09
-33.77%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Costa Rica
United Kingdom
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$551 ₡275.9K
$1,756 £1,293
-68.62%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$9,816 ₡4.9M
$21.2K £15.6K
-53.79%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Costa Rica
United Kingdom
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$72.3 ₡36.2K
$90.6 £66.7
-20.20%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$55.2 ₡27.6K
$44.44 £32.71
24.23%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$118 ₡59.3K
$101 £74.3
17.26%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$104 ₡52.1K
$103 £76
0.80%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Costa Rica
United Kingdom
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$817 ₡408.8K
$1,427 £1,050
-42.78%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$539 ₡269.6K
$1,157 £851
-53.44%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,495 ₡748.3K
$2,327 £1,713
-35.77%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,019 ₡510.2K
$1,846 £1,359
-44.80%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,511 ₡1.3M
$6,050 £4,452
-58.49%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,384 ₡693K
$4,820 £3,547
-71.28%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Costa Rica
United Kingdom
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$996 ₡498.8K
$3,133 £2,306
-68.20%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
10.53
5.75
83.13%

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

Last update for Costa Rica: October 28, 2025

Last update for United Kingdom: October 29, 2025

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