Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dominica and Costa Rica

Name: Costa Rica
Address: CR

For one person, living is cheaper in Dominica: $1,260 a month against $1,779 in Costa Rica, rent and utilities included – about $6,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Dominica
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Dominica Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Costa Rica
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Costa Rica Living Index

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🇩🇲 Dominica

$1,260

/mo nomad

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,779

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dominica 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 Dominica and in Costa Rica actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,260 per month in Dominica vs $1,779 in Costa Rica, rent included.

Dominica $1,260
Costa Rica $1,779

A couple spends around $2,106 per month in Dominica vs $2,745 in Costa Rica, rent included.

Dominica $2,106
Costa Rica $2,745

A family of three spends $2,952 per month in Dominica vs $3,711 in Costa Rica, rent included.

Dominica $2,952
Costa Rica $3,711

The cost of living in Dominica is roughly 29% lower than in Costa Rica on average.

Dominica sits 7% below the global median, while Costa Rica is 32% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.28 EC$19.66

$11.77 ₡5,278

-38.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.9 EC$148

$55.1 ₡24.7K

-0.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.24 EC$19.55

$10.88 ₡4,880

-33.46%

Cappuccino

$3.70 EC$9.99

$4.50 ₡2,018

-17.78%

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

$2.45 EC$6.61

$2.37 ₡1,063

3.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.10 EC$5.67

$1.91 ₡858

9.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.80 EC$4.87

$3.25 ₡1,457

-44.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 EC$8.94

$4.40 ₡1,974

-24.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.20 EC$8.65

$2.45 ₡1,098

30.61%

White Bread (500g)

$2.25 EC$6.07

$3.57 ₡1,599

-36.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 EC$4.04

$2.75 ₡1,235

-45.45%

Eggs

$5.45 EC$14.71

$4.03 ₡1,806

35.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$2.42 EC$6.55

$10.04 ₡4,504

-75.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.47 EC$28.28

$10.40 ₡4,665

0.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.99 EC$35.07

$13.69 ₡6,140

-5.11%

Apples (1kg)

$7.46 EC$20.13

$5.16 ₡2,313

44.57%

Banana (1kg)

$2.84 EC$7.67

$1.69 ₡760

68.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.64 EC$12.54

$3.60 ₡1,613

28.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.02 EC$13.56

$3.39 ₡1,519

48.08%

Potato (1kg)

$3.29 EC$8.88

$3.36 ₡1,506

-2.08%

Onion (1kg)

$3.08 EC$8.31

$3.18 ₡1,427

-3.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.97 EC$5.31

$1.12 ₡504

75.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.58 EC$6.96

$2.66 ₡1,195

-3.01%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.29 EC$19.69

$5.38 ₡2,415

35.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.03 EC$29.77

$16.05 ₡7,197

-31.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.39 EC$6.46

$2.71 ₡1,214

-11.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 EC$7.66

$3.30 ₡1,480

-13.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.29 EC$3.47

$1.13 ₡507

14.16%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.1 EC$143

$65.8 ₡29.5K

-19.39%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.62 EC$9.77

$2.28 ₡1,021

58.77%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.77 EC$10.18

$2.00 ₡895

88.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.36 EC$27.98

$9.08 ₡4,074

14.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 EC$3.91

$1.54 ₡689

-5.84%

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

$35.1K EC$94.8K

$32.5K ₡14.6M

8.18%

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

$30.0K EC$81.0K

$36.6K ₡16.4M

-18.06%

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

$139 EC$376

$95.7 ₡42.9K

45.64%

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

$46.25 EC$125

$30.83 ₡13.8K

50.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 EC$189

$58.4 ₡26.2K

19.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.52 EC$123

$65.6 ₡29.4K

-30.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.50 EC$60.7

$22.18 ₡9,948

1.44%

Cinema Ticket

$9.81 EC$26.48

$8.25 ₡3,701

18.91%

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

$128 EC$346

$743 ₡333.3K

-82.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,355 EC$11.8K

$12.7K ₡5.7M

-65.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.7 EC$150

$75.1 ₡33.7K

-25.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.13 EC$81.4

$56.5 ₡25.3K

-46.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$67.2 EC$181

$131 ₡59.0K

-48.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$80.5 EC$217

$110 ₡49.2K

-26.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$284 EC$766

$841 ₡376.9K

-66.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$222 EC$598

$655 ₡293.9K

-66.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$816 EC$2,202

$1,750 ₡784.7K

-53.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$640 EC$1,727

$1,177 ₡527.9K

-45.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$100 EC$270

$2,434 ₡1.1M

-95.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$36.73 EC$99.2

$1,640 ₡735.7K

-97.76%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$560 EC$1,512

$1,071 ₡480.5K

-47.74%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.6

9.56

-20.50%

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

Last update for Dominica: October 11, 2026

Last update for Costa Rica: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Dominica

$373 29.7%

Costa Rica

$383 21.5% 2.5% $9.5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dominica

$256 20.3%

Costa Rica

$185 10.4% 27.6% $71

Accommodation & Living

Dominica

$222 17.6%

Costa Rica

$655 36.9% 196% $434

Eating Out

Dominica

$158 12.6%

Costa Rica

$223 12.5% 40.9% $65

Clothing & Footwear

Dominica

$105 8.3%

Costa Rica

$168 9.4% 59.7% $63

Getting Around

Dominica

$81 6.4%

Costa Rica

$83 4.6% 2.4% $1.9

Sport & Entertainment

Dominica

$65 5.2%

Costa Rica

$82 4.6% 26% $17

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $89.0 in Dominica vs $830 in Costa Rica. For reference, capital cities sit at $278 in Roseau and $927 in San Jose.

Average salary: $561 in Dominica 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 833% higher in Costa Rica.

Dining out costs 184% more in Costa Rica.

Public transport is 67% more expensive in Costa Rica.

Salaries are 94% higher in Costa Rica, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Costa Rica.

Good to know

🇩🇲 Dominica

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

🕒 Local time

22:04 10:04 PM

20:04 8:04 PM

2 h behind Dominica

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

74,656

5,044,197

💱 Currency

East Caribbean Dollar XCD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 XCD = 0.37 USD

1 XCD = 0.329 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to XCD – East Caribbean Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🌐 East Caribbean Dollar ($)

East Caribbean Dollar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 2.7 XCD (1 XCD = 0.37 USD). 1 EUR = 3.04 XCD (1 XCD = 0.329 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to XCD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Dominica Costa Rica 2,530 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Dominica
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

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

Dominica is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 41% lower on average.

Housing costs more in Costa Rica: a central one-bedroom averages $830 versus $89.0 in Dominica.

Groceries, public transport, and eating out all cost less in Dominica, adding to the overall 41% price gap.

$1,500 buys a comfortable lifestyle in Dominica, but in Costa Rica it only works with careful planning outside the capital. Same money, very different lives.

Dominica 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.