Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Curacao and Costa Rica

Name: Costa Rica
Address: CR

For one person, living is cheaper in Costa Rica: $1,779 a month against $1,964 in Curacao, rent and utilities included – about $2,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

95

Cost of Living Index in Curacao
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Curacao Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Costa Rica
Learn more

Costa Rica Living Index

Jump to prices

🇨🇼 Curacao

$1,964

/mo nomad

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,779

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Curacao and in Costa Rica actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,964 per month in Curacao vs $1,779 in Costa Rica, rent included.

Curacao $1,964
Costa Rica $1,779

A couple spends around $3,058 per month in Curacao vs $2,745 in Costa Rica, rent included.

Curacao $3,058
Costa Rica $2,745

A family of three spends $4,152 per month in Curacao vs $3,711 in Costa Rica, rent included.

Curacao $4,152
Costa Rica $3,711

The cost of living in Curacao is about 10% higher than in Costa Rica on average.

Both Curacao and Costa Rica are pricier than the global median – Curacao by 46%, Costa Rica by 32%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.55 ANG 31.42

$11.77 ₡5,278

49.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$77.1 ANG 138

$55.1 ₡24.7K

39.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.95 ANG 19.60

$10.88 ₡4,880

0.64%

Cappuccino

$3.65 ANG 6.53

$4.50 ₡2,018

-18.89%

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

$3.18 ANG 5.69

$2.37 ₡1,063

34.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 ANG 3.63

$1.91 ₡858

6.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.43 ANG 9.73

$3.25 ₡1,457

67.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.92 ANG 8.81

$4.40 ₡1,974

11.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.99 ANG 3.56

$2.45 ₡1,098

-18.78%

White Bread (500g)

$2.71 ANG 4.85

$3.57 ₡1,599

-24.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.62 ANG 6.48

$2.75 ₡1,235

31.64%

Eggs

$4.30 ANG 7.70

$4.03 ₡1,806

6.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 ANG 29.97

$10.04 ₡4,504

66.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.13 ANG 12.76

$10.40 ₡4,665

-31.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.76 ANG 21.04

$13.69 ₡6,140

-14.10%

Apples (1kg)

$5.15 ANG 9.22

$5.16 ₡2,313

-0.19%

Banana (1kg)

$3.10 ANG 5.55

$1.69 ₡760

83.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.27 ANG 5.84

$3.60 ₡1,613

-9.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.02 ANG 7.19

$3.39 ₡1,519

18.58%

Potato (1kg)

$2.48 ANG 4.45

$3.36 ₡1,506

-26.19%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 ANG 3.52

$3.18 ₡1,427

-38.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.40 ANG 4.29

$1.12 ₡504

114.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.79 ANG 4.99

$2.66 ₡1,195

4.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.82 ANG 17.57

$5.38 ₡2,415

82.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.32 ANG 22.04

$16.05 ₡7,197

-23.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 ANG 4.30

$2.71 ₡1,214

-11.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.41 ANG 4.31

$3.30 ₡1,480

-26.97%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.92 ANG 3.43

$1.13 ₡507

69.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.8 ₡29.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$22.31 ANG 39.94

$2.28 ₡1,021

878.51%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.00 ₡895

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.08 ₡4,074

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.40 ANG 2.50

$1.54 ₡689

-9.09%

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

$32.5K ₡14.6M

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

$20.3K ANG 36.3K

$36.6K ₡16.4M

-44.53%

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

$262 ANG 468

$95.7 ₡42.9K

173.16%

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

$74.6 ANG 134

$30.83 ₡13.8K

141.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.2 ANG 122

$58.4 ₡26.2K

16.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.49 ANG 85.0

$65.6 ₡29.4K

-27.57%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$45.23 ANG 81.0

$22.18 ₡9,948

103.92%

Cinema Ticket

$12.13 ANG 21.71

$8.25 ₡3,701

47.03%

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

$325 ANG 582

$743 ₡333.3K

-56.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.1K ANG 21.6K

$12.7K ₡5.7M

-4.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 ANG 180

$75.1 ₡33.7K

34.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$73.4 ANG 131

$56.5 ₡25.3K

29.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$164 ANG 293

$131 ₡59.0K

24.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.3 ANG 167

$110 ₡49.2K

-14.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$798 ANG 1,428

$841 ₡376.9K

-5.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$616 ANG 1,103

$655 ₡293.9K

-5.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,734 ANG 3,104

$1,750 ₡784.7K

-0.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,200 ANG 2,148

$1,177 ₡527.9K

1.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$832 ANG 1,489

$2,434 ₡1.1M

-65.82%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$165 ANG 295

$1,640 ₡735.7K

-89.96%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,236 ANG 2,212

$1,071 ₡480.5K

15.36%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.97

9.56

-48.01%

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

Last update for Curacao: October 10, 2026

Last update for Costa Rica: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Curacao

$616 31.4%

Costa Rica

$655 36.9% 6.3% $39

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Curacao

$404 20.6%

Costa Rica

$185 10.4% 54.3% $219

Groceries & Markets

Curacao

$373 19%

Costa Rica

$383 21.5% 2.6% $9.7

Eating Out

Curacao

$275 14%

Costa Rica

$223 12.5% 18.9% $52

Clothing & Footwear

Curacao

$194 9.9%

Costa Rica

$168 9.4% 13.6% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Curacao

$72 3.7%

Costa Rica

$82 4.6% 14.4% $10

Getting Around

Curacao

$30 * 1.5%

Costa Rica

$83 4.6% 176% $53

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $198 in Curacao vs $830 in Costa Rica. For reference, capital cities sit at $792 in Willemstad and $927 in San Jose.

Average salary: $1,247 in Curacao vs $1,089 in Costa Rica. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 319% higher in Costa Rica.

Dining out costs 46% more in Costa Rica.

Salaries are 15% higher in Curacao.

Good to know

🇨🇼 Curacao

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

🕒 Local time

16:39 4:39 PM

14:39 2:39 PM

2 h behind Curacao

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

152,849

5,044,197

💱 Currency

Netherlands Antillean Guilder ANG ƒ

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 ANG = 0.559 USD

1 ANG = 0.497 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to ANG – Netherlands Antillean Guilder Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🌐 Netherlands Antillean Guilder (ƒ)

Netherlands Antillean Guilder exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 1.79 ANG (1 ANG = 0.559 USD). 1 EUR = 2.01 ANG (1 ANG = 0.497 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to ANG in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Curacao Costa Rica 1,670 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Curacao
Costa Rica

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

Curacao vs Costa Rica: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Costa Rica is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 10% lower on average.

Not necessarily. Overall, Curacao costs about 10% more, but the gap varies by category, and some expenses can be lower in Curacao. Compare the categories that matter most for your budget.

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