Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Honduras and Costa Rica

Name: Costa Rica
Address: CR

For one person, living is cheaper in Honduras: $1,178 a month against $1,821 in Costa Rica, rent and utilities included – about $7,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Honduras
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Honduras Living Index
87

Cost of Living Index in Costa Rica
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Costa Rica Living Index

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🇭🇳 Honduras

$1,178

/mo nomad

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,821

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,178 per month in Honduras vs $1,821 in Costa Rica, rent included.

Honduras $1,178
Costa Rica $1,821

A couple spends around $1,785 per month in Honduras vs $2,773 in Costa Rica, rent included.

Honduras $1,785
Costa Rica $2,773

A family of three spends $2,392 per month in Honduras vs $3,725 in Costa Rica, rent included.

Honduras $2,392
Costa Rica $3,725

Cost ranges are similar: Honduras spans $116–$1,228, Costa Rica $1,004–$2,114. City choice affects budget similarly in either country.

The cost of living in Honduras is roughly 35% lower than in Costa Rica on average.

Honduras sits 13% below the global median, while Costa Rica is 34% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.58 HNL 204

$11.26 ₡5,085

-32.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.95 HNL 859

$54.5 ₡24.6K

-41.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.53 HNL 229

$11.02 ₡4,975

-22.60%

Cappuccino

$2.33 HNL 62.7

$4.43 ₡1,999

-47.40%

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

$1.05 HNL 28.21

$2.34 ₡1,055

-55.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.98 HNL 26.35

$1.84 ₡829

-46.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.81 HNL 48.53

$3.26 ₡1,473

-44.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.28 HNL 88.3

$4.55 ₡2,054

-27.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 HNL 39.02

$2.45 ₡1,105

-40.82%

White Bread (500g)

$1.98 HNL 53.2

$3.56 ₡1,608

-44.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.49 HNL 40.16

$2.76 ₡1,245

-46.01%

Eggs

$1.79 HNL 48.25

$3.97 ₡1,794

-54.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.01 HNL 188

$10.47 ₡4,728

-33.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.79 HNL 156

$9.98 ₡4,507

-41.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.31 HNL 223

$13.91 ₡6,278

-40.26%

Apples (1kg)

$3.47 HNL 93.2

$5.06 ₡2,283

-31.42%

Banana (1kg)

$1.25 HNL 33.69

$1.69 ₡764

-26.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.22 HNL 59.7

$3.45 ₡1,558

-35.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.68 HNL 45.16

$3.23 ₡1,460

-47.99%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 HNL 49.82

$3.44 ₡1,555

-46.22%

Onion (1kg)

$2.14 HNL 57.5

$3.25 ₡1,465

-34.15%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.03 HNL 27.62

$1.09 ₡492

-5.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 HNL 32.11

$2.67 ₡1,204

-55.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.92 HNL 78.6

$5.38 ₡2,427

-45.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.90 HNL 266

$15.50 ₡6,996

-36.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 HNL 33.67

$2.75 ₡1,241

-54.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.54 HNL 41.48

$3.30 ₡1,489

-53.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.68 HNL 18.25

$1.13 ₡509

-39.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.1 HNL 1,508

$65.5 ₡29.6K

-14.39%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.96 HNL 52.8

$2.17 ₡979

-9.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 HNL 36.74

$2.02 ₡913

-32.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.43 HNL 200

$8.94 ₡4,036

-16.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.12 HNL 30.16

$1.61 ₡726

-30.43%

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

$22.2K HNL 597.4K

$34.5K ₡15.6M

-35.57%

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

$26.2K HNL 705.3K

$37.4K ₡16.9M

-29.77%

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

$126 HNL 3,383

$94.9 ₡42.9K

32.58%

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

$20.06 HNL 539

$31.42 ₡14.2K

-36.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$38.03 HNL 1,022

$58.6 ₡26.4K

-35.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.14 HNL 972

$65.7 ₡29.7K

-44.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.66 HNL 421

$22.20 ₡10.0K

-29.46%

Cinema Ticket

$5.58 HNL 150

$8.10 ₡3,656

-31.11%

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

$204 HNL 5,485

$722 ₡325.9K

-71.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,407 HNL 91.6K

$12.9K ₡5.8M

-73.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.8 HNL 1,500

$75.5 ₡34.1K

-26.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.64 HNL 1,012

$56.4 ₡25.5K

-33.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.5 HNL 2,406

$128 ₡57.9K

-30.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.5 HNL 2,109

$108 ₡48.8K

-27.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$502 HNL 13.5K

$960 ₡433.4K

-47.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$402 HNL 10.8K

$708 ₡319.6K

-43.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$958 HNL 25.8K

$1,749 ₡789.4K

-45.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$736 HNL 19.8K

$1,215 ₡548.5K

-39.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,121 HNL 57.0K

$2,656 ₡1.2M

-20.13%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,078 HNL 29.0K

$1,839 ₡830.1K

-41.38%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$541 HNL 14.6K

$1,058 ₡477.8K

-48.84%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.19

9.56

37.97%

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

Last update for Honduras: October 25, 2026

Last update for Costa Rica: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Honduras

$402 34.1%

Costa Rica

$708 38.9% 76.3% $306

Groceries & Markets

Honduras

$222 18.8%

Costa Rica

$380 20.9% 71.2% $158

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Honduras

$184 15.6%

Costa Rica

$185 10.2% 0.5% $0.9

Eating Out

Honduras

$138 11.7%

Costa Rica

$218 12% 58.3% $80

Clothing & Footwear

Honduras

$118 10%

Costa Rica

$166 9.1% 40.9% $48

Getting Around

Honduras

$68 5.7%

Costa Rica

$82 4.5% 21.7% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Honduras

$47 4%

Costa Rica

$82 4.5% 73.1% $35

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $377 in Honduras vs $855 in Costa Rica. For reference, capital cities sit at $447 in Tegucigalpa and $1,164 in San Jose.

Average salary: $557 in Honduras vs $1,087 in Costa Rica. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 127% higher in Costa Rica.

Dining out costs 74% more in Costa Rica.

Public transport is 46% more expensive in Costa Rica.

Salaries are 95% higher in Costa Rica, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Costa Rica.

Good to know

🇭🇳 Honduras

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

🕒 Local time

04:33 4:33 AM

Same time as Honduras

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

10,062,994

5,044,197

💱 Currency

Honduran Lempira HNL L

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

100 HNL = 3.72 USD

100 HNL = 3.33 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to HNL – Honduran Lempira Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇭🇳 Honduran Lempira (L)

Honduran Lempira exchange rates as of October 31, 2026: 1 USD = 26.88 HNL (100 HNL = 3.72 USD). 1 EUR = 30.01 HNL (100 HNL = 3.33 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 31, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to HNL in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Honduras Costa Rica 580 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Honduras
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

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

Honduras is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 35% lower on average.

Housing costs more in Costa Rica: a central one-bedroom averages $855 versus $377 in Honduras.

Groceries, public transport, and eating out all cost less in Honduras – part of why living there is about 35% cheaper overall.

$2,000 buys a comfortable lifestyle in Honduras, but in Costa Rica it only works with careful planning outside the capital. Same money, very different lives.

Honduras is the budget-friendly choice for expats. But cost isn’t everything: visa policies, language, healthcare quality, and job markets all weigh in too.