Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between India and Costa Rica

Name: Costa Rica
Address: CR

For one person, living is cheaper in India: $399 a month against $1,821 in Costa Rica, rent and utilities included – about $17,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

19

Cost of Living Index in India
Learn more

India Living Index
87

Cost of Living Index in Costa Rica
Learn more

Costa Rica Living Index

Jump to prices

🇮🇳 India

$399

/mo nomad

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,821

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $399 per month in India vs $1,821 in Costa Rica, rent included.

India $399
Costa Rica $1,821

A couple spends around $639 per month in India vs $2,773 in Costa Rica, rent included.

India $639
Costa Rica $2,773

A family of three spends $879 per month in India vs $3,725 in Costa Rica, rent included.

India $879
Costa Rica $3,725

The regional cost range is wider in Costa Rica ($1,004–$2,114) than in India ($230–$813), so city choice matters more there.

The cost of living in India is roughly 78% lower than in Costa Rica on average.

India sits 71% below the global median, while Costa Rica is 34% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.14 ₹204

$11.26 ₡5,069

-80.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$10.46 ₹995

$54.5 ₡24.5K

-80.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.80 ₹361

$11.02 ₡4,960

-65.52%

Cappuccino

$1.68 ₹160

$4.43 ₡1,993

-62.08%

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

$0.38 ₹36.00

$2.34 ₡1,052

-83.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.15 ₹14.61

$1.84 ₡826

-91.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.87 ₹178

$3.26 ₡1,469

-42.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.18 ₹303

$4.55 ₡2,047

-30.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.62 ₹59.2

$2.45 ₡1,101

-74.69%

White Bread (500g)

$0.50 ₹47.77

$3.56 ₡1,603

-85.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.63 ₹60.3

$2.76 ₡1,241

-77.17%

Eggs

$0.96 ₹91.3

$3.97 ₡1,789

-75.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.85 ₹461

$10.47 ₡4,713

-53.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.84 ₹271

$9.98 ₡4,493

-71.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.91 ₡6,259

Apples (1kg)

$2.00 ₹190

$5.06 ₡2,276

-60.47%

Banana (1kg)

$0.65 ₹61.4

$1.69 ₡761

-61.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.97 ₹92.3

$3.45 ₡1,553

-71.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.47 ₹44.31

$3.23 ₡1,455

-85.45%

Potato (1kg)

$0.34 ₹31.88

$3.44 ₡1,550

-90.12%

Onion (1kg)

$0.42 ₹39.73

$3.25 ₡1,461

-87.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.47 ₹44.40

$1.09 ₡490

-56.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.31 ₹29.68

$2.67 ₡1,200

-88.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.08 ₹483

$5.38 ₡2,420

-5.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.31 ₹695

$15.50 ₡6,975

-52.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 ₹155

$2.75 ₡1,238

-40.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.76 ₹262

$3.30 ₡1,484

-16.36%

Buffalo Round (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) (1kg)

$5.11 ₹486

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 ₹24.86

$1.13 ₡508

-76.99%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.58 ₹816

$65.5 ₡29.5K

-86.91%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.00 ₹94.7

$2.17 ₡976

-53.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.27 ₹25.74

$2.02 ₡910

-86.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.54 ₹146

$8.94 ₡4,023

-82.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.07 ₹102

$1.61 ₡724

-33.54%

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

$11.2K ₹1.1M

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-67.49%

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

$20.1K ₹1.9M

$37.4K ₡16.8M

-46.33%

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

$37.08 ₹3,527

$94.9 ₡42.7K

-60.94%

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

$3.58 ₹341

$31.42 ₡14.1K

-88.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$7.15 ₹680

$58.6 ₡26.3K

-87.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$15.00 ₹1,427

$65.7 ₡29.6K

-77.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.17 ₹682

$22.20 ₡9,989

-67.70%

Cinema Ticket

$3.20 ₹304

$8.10 ₡3,645

-60.49%

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

$58.8 ₹5,593

$722 ₡324.9K

-91.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,667 ₹158.5K

$12.9K ₡5.8M

-87.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$23.03 ₹2,191

$75.5 ₡34.0K

-69.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.17 ₹2,299

$56.4 ₡25.4K

-57.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$41.20 ₹3,919

$128 ₡57.7K

-67.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$29.62 ₹2,817

$108 ₡48.7K

-72.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$146 ₹13.9K

$960 ₡432.0K

-84.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$96.4 ₹9,166

$708 ₡318.6K

-86.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$343 ₹32.6K

$1,749 ₡786.9K

-80.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$234 ₹22.2K

$1,215 ₡546.8K

-80.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,177 ₹111.9K

$2,656 ₡1.2M

-55.68%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$633 ₹60.2K

$1,839 ₡827.5K

-65.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$409 ₹38.9K

$1,058 ₡476.3K

-61.37%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.93

9.56

-6.59%

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

Last update for India: October 25, 2026

Last update for Costa Rica: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

India

$102 25.6%

Costa Rica

$380 20.9% 272% $278

Accommodation & Living

India

$96 24.1%

Costa Rica

$708 38.9% 635% $612

Eating Out

India

$67 16.7%

Costa Rica

$218 12% 228% $152

Clothing & Footwear

India

$53 13.3%

Costa Rica

$166 9.1% 212% $113

Monthly Utilities & Internet

India

$48 12%

Costa Rica

$185 10.2% 287% $137

Sport & Entertainment

India

$21 5.4%

Costa Rica

$82 4.5% 283% $61

Getting Around

India

$12 3%

Costa Rica

$82 4.5% 587% $70

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $120 in India vs $855 in Costa Rica. For reference, capital cities sit at $277 in Delhi and $1,164 in San Jose.

Average salary: $412 in India 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 613% higher in Costa Rica.

Dining out costs 391% more in Costa Rica.

Public transport is 738% more expensive in Costa Rica.

Salaries are about 2.6 times higher in Costa Rica, and purchasing power comes out stronger in India.

Good to know

🇮🇳 India

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

🕒 Local time

15:14 3:14 PM

03:44 3:44 AM

11 h 30 min behind India

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,326,093,247

5,044,197

💱 Currency

Indian Rupee INR ₹

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 INR = 10.51 USD

1,000 INR = 9.45 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 2 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to INR – Indian Rupee Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇳 Indian Rupee (₹)

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 95.12 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 106 INR (1,000 INR = 9.45 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 450 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 501 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2 EUR).

USD to INR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

India Costa Rica 15,280 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

India
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

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

India is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 78% lower on average.

Housing costs more in Costa Rica: a central one-bedroom averages $855 versus $120 in India.

Groceries, public transport, and eating out all cost less in India, adding to the overall 356% price gap.

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