Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Guanacaste and Campina Grande

For one person, living is cheaper in Campina Grande: $756 a month against $1,548 in Guanacaste, rent and utilities included – about $9,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

75

Cost of Living Index in Guanacaste
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Guanacaste Living Index
37

Cost of Living Index in Campina Grande
Learn more

Campina Grande Living Index

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Guanacaste

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,548

/mo nomad

Campina Grande

🇧🇷 Brazil

$756

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Guanacaste and in Campina Grande

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,548 in Guanacaste versus $756 in Campina Grande.

Guanacaste $1,548
Campina Grande $756

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,428 in Guanacaste versus $1,175 in Campina Grande.

Guanacaste $2,428
Campina Grande $1,175

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,309 in Guanacaste versus $1,593 in Campina Grande.

Guanacaste $3,309
Campina Grande $1,593

Living in Guanacaste is roughly 105% more expensive than in Campina Grande, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Guanacaste is 15% above, Campina Grande is 44% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.82 ₡4,851

$4.38 R$22.18

147.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.68 ₡21.8K

$30.43 R$154

59.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.68 ₡5,237

$6.89 R$34.93

69.52%

Cappuccino

$4.53 ₡2,032

$1.03 R$5.21

339.81%

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

$2.75 ₡1,234

$1.05 R$5.32

161.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 ₡871

$0.59 R$2.97

228.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.16 ₡1,417

$1.65 R$8.34

91.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.54 ₡2,037

$2.20 R$11.14

106.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.00 ₡895

$1.22 R$6.20

63.93%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 ₡1,363

$1.64 R$8.31

85.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.43 ₡1,090

$1.12 R$5.66

116.96%

Eggs

$3.54 ₡1,588

$1.91 R$9.70

85.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.44 ₡2,438

$6.93 R$35.15

-21.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.47 ₡2,002

$4.10 R$20.78

9.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.84 ₡4,861

$8.01 R$40.59

35.33%

Apples (1kg)

$2.56 ₡1,147

$1.38 R$6.99

85.51%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 ₡735

$1.41 R$7.13

16.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 ₡2,022

$0.75 R$3.80

501.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 ₡698

$1.22 R$6.18

27.87%

Potato (1kg)

$3.90 ₡1,749

$1.26 R$6.37

209.52%

Onion (1kg)

$2.23 ₡1,002

$1.09 R$5.52

104.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.85 ₡383

$0.49 R$2.48

73.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.09 ₡1,386

$0.75 R$3.83

312.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.42 ₡1,984

$1.84 R$9.34

140.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.31 ₡9,107

$8.04 R$40.76

152.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$1.14 R$5.80

154.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$1.59 R$8.05

67.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.30 ₡582

$1.01 R$5.13

28.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.02 R$203

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.45 ₡1,100

$0.93 R$4.70

163.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 ₡696

$0.73 R$3.68

112.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.80 ₡3,945

$3.52 R$17.84

150.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡695

$1.27 R$6.46

22.05%

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

$21.8K ₡9.8M

$19.8K R$100.5K

10.07%

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

$35.4K ₡15.9M

$33.1K R$167.7K

7.12%

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

$96.5 ₡43.3K

$116 R$586

-16.58%

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

$36.34 ₡16.3K

$10.17 R$51.5

257.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.76 ₡14.7K

$17.52 R$88.8

86.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$72.0 ₡32.3K

$19.43 R$98.5

270.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$30.51 R$155

Cinema Ticket

$7.57 ₡3,395

$4.95 R$25.11

52.93%

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

$974 ₡436.7K

$86.4 R$438

1027.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.4K ₡7.8M

$11.8K R$59.7K

47.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$65.6 ₡29.4K

$37.13 R$188

76.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.46 ₡19.5K

$27.89 R$141

55.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.9 ₡39.9K

$72.7 R$369

22.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$76.9 ₡34.5K

$42.78 R$217

79.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$812 ₡364.2K

$263 R$1,334

208.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$625 ₡280.4K

$194 R$984

222.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,920 ₡861.1K

$617 R$3,128

211.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,264 ₡567.0K

$353 R$1,791

257.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$394 R$1,995

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

72.40%

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

Last update for Guanacaste: October 11, 2026

Last update for Campina Grande: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Guanacaste

$625 40.4%

Campina Grande

$194 25.7% 68.9% $431

Groceries & Markets

Guanacaste

$311 20.1%

Campina Grande

$172 22.8% 44.5% $138

Eating Out

Guanacaste

$220 14.2%

Campina Grande

$87 11.5% 60.3% $132

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Guanacaste

$166 10.7%

Campina Grande

$143 19% 13.4% $22

Clothing & Footwear

Guanacaste

$124 8%

Campina Grande

$81 10.7% 34.3% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Guanacaste

$87 5.6%

Campina Grande

$29 3.9% 66.4% $58

Getting Around

Guanacaste

$15 * 1%

Campina Grande

$49 6.4% 216% $33

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $812 in Guanacaste and $263 in Campina Grande. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $49.00 in Guanacaste vs $30.00 in Campina Grande for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $311 vs $172 per month, with Campina Grande cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Guanacaste

🇧🇷 Campina Grande

🕒 Local time

12:32 12:32 PM

15:32 3:32 PM

3 h ahead of Guanacaste

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,823

419,379

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

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).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 5.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.197 USD). 1 EUR = 5.7 BRL (1 BRL = 0.175 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Guanacaste Campina Grande 5,810 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Guanacaste
Campina Grande

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

Guanacaste vs Campina Grande: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Campina Grande is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 105% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $2,321 in Guanacaste and $1,134 in Campina Grande to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $812 in Guanacaste versus $263 in Campina Grande. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $974 in Guanacaste versus $86.4 in Campina Grande. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Campina Grande – a meal for two runs $30.00 versus $49.00 in Guanacaste. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $756 in Campina Grande versus $1,548 in Guanacaste, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Campina Grande but tight or insufficient in Guanacaste. The gap between the two cities makes Campina Grande the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Campina Grande is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Guanacaste, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Expats usually find Campina Grande gentler on the wallet – expenses run 105% less than in Guanacaste. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.