Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Heredia and Beirut

For one person, living is cheaper in Beirut: $1,666 a month against $1,806 in Heredia, rent and utilities included – about $1,700 less a year. The total is higher in Heredia despite lower rent and utilities.

88

Cost of Living Index in Heredia
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Heredia Living Index
81

Cost of Living Index in Beirut
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Beirut Living Index

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Heredia

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,806

/mo nomad

Beirut

🇱🇧 Lebanon

$1,666

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Heredia and in Beirut

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,806 in Heredia versus $1,666 in Beirut.

Heredia $1,806
Beirut $1,666

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,845 in Heredia versus $2,656 in Beirut.

Heredia $2,845
Beirut $2,656

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,883 in Heredia versus $3,646 in Beirut.

Heredia $3,883
Beirut $3,646

Living in Heredia is roughly 8% more expensive than in Beirut, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Heredia 34% above, Beirut 23% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.19 ₡5,466

$12.20 LBP 1.1M

-0.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$59.2 ₡26.6K

$69.7 LBP 6.2M

-15.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.61 ₡4,758

$10.10 LBP 903.6K

5.05%

Cappuccino

$3.76 ₡1,687

$4.48 LBP 400.8K

-16.07%

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

$2.17 ₡971

$2.26 LBP 202.4K

-3.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.70 ₡762

$0.89 LBP 79.8K

91.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.04 ₡915

$5.03 LBP 450.1K

-59.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.02 ₡1,802

$4.79 LBP 428.8K

-16.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.22 ₡995

$1.92 LBP 172.1K

15.63%

White Bread (500g)

$2.52 ₡1,132

$0.86 LBP 76.8K

193.02%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.63 ₡1,181

$2.31 LBP 207.2K

13.85%

Eggs

$7.72 ₡3,464

$3.63 LBP 324.6K

112.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.46 ₡5,141

$11.19 LBP 1.0M

2.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.86 ₡6,666

$10.40 LBP 930.8K

42.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.97 ₡7,613

$15.04 LBP 1.3M

12.83%

Apples (1kg)

$10.37 ₡4,652

$3.15 LBP 281.5K

229.21%

Banana (1kg)

$2.90 ₡1,299

$1.71 LBP 152.9K

69.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.98 ₡2,232

$1.62 LBP 144.6K

207.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.25 ₡1,456

$1.48 LBP 132.2K

119.59%

Potato (1kg)

$3.46 ₡1,550

$1.21 LBP 108.6K

185.95%

Onion (1kg)

$4.50 ₡2,017

$1.61 LBP 144.1K

179.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.14 ₡960

$1.16 LBP 103.9K

84.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$4.64 ₡2,082

$0.72 LBP 64.7K

544.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.37 ₡2,409

$3.02 LBP 270.2K

77.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.08 ₡6,317

$11.14 LBP 997.3K

26.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.54 ₡1,138

$1.32 LBP 118.3K

92.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.69 ₡2,101

$2.58 LBP 231.0K

81.78%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.34 ₡599

$2.28 LBP 204.1K

-41.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$16.52 ₡7,410

$77.9 LBP 7.0M

-78.79%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.69 ₡1,206

$4.91 LBP 439.2K

-45.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.78 ₡1,246

$2.26 LBP 202.3K

23.01%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.98 ₡4,926

$22.59 LBP 2.0M

-51.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 ₡685

$1.08 LBP 96.8K

41.67%

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

$33.0K ₡14.8M

$53.2K LBP 4.8B

-37.89%

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

$41.8K ₡18.8M

$32.3K LBP 2.9B

29.46%

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

$105 ₡47.0K

$232 LBP 20.7M

-54.77%

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

$26.36 ₡11.8K

$21.83 LBP 2.0M

20.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.8 ₡23.7K

$38.27 LBP 3.4M

37.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$73.7 ₡33.1K

$83.5 LBP 7.5M

-11.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.24 ₡9,973

$34.39 LBP 3.1M

-35.33%

Cinema Ticket

$11.39 ₡5,109

$9.91 LBP 887.2K

14.93%

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

$702 ₡314.9K

$683 LBP 61.1M

2.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.4K ₡8.3M

$10.8K LBP 969.2M

70.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.6 ₡40.2K

$68.3 LBP 6.1M

31.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$65.6 ₡29.4K

$49.77 LBP 4.5M

31.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 ₡61.7K

$138 LBP 12.3M

0.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 ₡48.5K

$119 LBP 10.7M

-9.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$970 ₡434.9K

$944 LBP 84.5M

2.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$611 ₡274.0K

$493 LBP 44.2M

23.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,810 ₡811.9K

$2,191 LBP 196.1M

-17.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,127 ₡505.6K

$1,053 LBP 94.3M

7.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,077 ₡931.4K

$4,042 LBP 361.7M

-48.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,443 ₡647.3K

$1,848 LBP 165.4M

-21.88%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,338 ₡600.0K

$698 LBP 62.5M

91.67%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

18.18%

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

Last update for Heredia: October 11, 2026

Last update for Beirut: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Heredia

$611 33.8%

Beirut

$493 29.6% 19.2% $118

Groceries & Markets

Heredia

$488 27%

Beirut

$276 16.6% 43.3% $211

Eating Out

Heredia

$208 11.5%

Beirut

$229 13.7% 10% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Heredia

$184 10.2%

Beirut

$292 17.5% 58.7% $108

Clothing & Footwear

Heredia

$180 10%

Beirut

$169 10.1% 6.6% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Heredia

$96 5.3%

Beirut

$103 6.2% 7.1% $6.9

Getting Around

Heredia

$38 2.1%

Beirut

$103 6.2% 168% $65

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $970 in Heredia and $944 in Beirut. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Heredia pays 92% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $59.0 in Heredia vs $70.0 in Beirut. Groceries flip the comparison at $488 vs $276, with Beirut cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Heredia

🇱🇧 Beirut

🕒 Local time

21:39 9:39 PM

06:39 6:39 AM

9 h ahead of Heredia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

117,000

1,916,100 Capital

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Lebanese Pound LBP ل.ل

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1,000,000 LBP = 11.17 USD

1,000,000 LBP = 9.94 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

LBP, 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).

Lebanese Pound exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 89,500 LBP (100,000 LBP = 1.12 USD). 1 EUR = 100,618 LBP (1,000,000 LBP = 9.94 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

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Between locations

Heredia Beirut 12,000 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Heredia
Beirut

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

Heredia vs Beirut: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Beirut is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and utilities. The 8% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 92% higher in Heredia, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $970 in Heredia versus $944 in Beirut. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,806 per month in Heredia versus $1,666 in Beirut – a 8% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Beirut runs roughly 371% less than in Heredia. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,666 in Beirut versus $1,806 in Heredia, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Beirut but tight or insufficient in Heredia. The gap between the two cities makes Beirut the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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

Safety-wise, Heredia and Beirut are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Beirut gentler on the wallet – expenses run 8% less than in Heredia. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.