Cost of Living Comparison Between Italy and Costa Rica Cost of Living Comparison Between Italy and Costa Rica

😐 Solo nomad: Italy is 3.1% more expensive than Costa Rica without rent, and 17.7% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Italy is 7.8% more expensive than Costa Rica without rent, and 11.8% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Italy
Costa Rica
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$17.12 €14.75
$9.67 ₡4,570
77.04%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$82.4 €71.1
$58.6 ₡27.7K
40.73%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.37 €9.80
$10.23 ₡4,837
11.14%
Cappuccino
$1.99 €1.72
$3.97 ₡1,878
-49.87%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.99 €2.58
$2.17 ₡1,026
37.79%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.32 €1.14
$1.73 ₡817
-23.70%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$5.75 €4.95
$2.89 ₡1,367
98.96%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.20 €4.48
$4.40 ₡2,083
18.18%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Italy
Costa Rica
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.68 €1.44
$2.05 ₡970
-18.05%
White Bread (500g)
$2.30 €1.98
$3.09 ₡1,459
-25.57%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.92 €2.52
$2.51 ₡1,186
16.33%
Eggs
$3.91 €3.37
$3.30 ₡1,559
18.48%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$16.27 €14.03
$9.16 ₡4,331
77.62%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$12.30 €10.60
$9.29 ₡4,393
32.40%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$20.26 €17.46
$13.16 ₡6,223
53.95%
Apples (1kg)
$2.46 €2.12
$4.48 ₡2,117
-45.09%
Banana (1kg)
$2.23 €1.92
$1.62 ₡766
37.65%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.74 €2.36
$3.22 ₡1,520
-14.91%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.33 €2.87
$2.98 ₡1,410
11.74%
Potato (1kg)
$1.95 €1.68
$3.01 ₡1,422
-35.22%
Onion (1kg)
$1.89 €1.63
$2.85 ₡1,345
-33.68%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.53 €1.32
$1.01 ₡478
51.49%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.54 €0.46
$2.51 ₡1,187
-78.49%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$7.03 €6.06
$4.94 ₡2,335
42.31%
Wine (Bottle)
$6.81 €5.87
$15.72 ₡7,434
-56.68%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.74 €1.50
$2.38 ₡1,123
-26.89%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.44 €2.10
$2.71 ₡1,282
-9.96%
🚌 Getting Around
Italy
Costa Rica
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.95 €1.68
$0.94 ₡445
107.45%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$41.74 €35.98
$48.94 ₡23.1K
-14.71%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$5.63 €4.85
$1.79 ₡847
214.53%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.59 €1.37
$2.01 ₡950
-20.90%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$35.32 €30.45
$7.82 ₡3,699
351.66%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.08 €1.79
$1.51 ₡715
37.75%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$32.6K €28.1K
$36.8K ₡17.4M
-11.50%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$33.2K €28.6K
$34.7K ₡16.4M
-4.55%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Italy
Costa Rica
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$225 €194
$86.8 ₡41.0K
158.62%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.40 €11.55
$25.69 ₡12.1K
-47.84%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$31.48 €27.14
$53.8 ₡25.4K
-41.44%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Italy
Costa Rica
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$57.4 €49.46
$55.9 ₡26.4K
2.59%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$25.47 €21.96
$28.78 ₡13.6K
-11.50%
Cinema Ticket
$10.36 €8.93
$9.04 ₡4,276
14.60%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Italy
Costa Rica
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$576 €496
$560 ₡264.9K
2.78%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$10.7K €9,249
$10.0K ₡4.7M
7.25%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Italy
Costa Rica
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$91.0 €78.4
$72.4 ₡34.2K
25.67%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.85 €34.35
$54.4 ₡25.7K
-26.69%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$99.9 €86.1
$117 ₡55.3K
-14.61%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$130 €112
$103 ₡48.6K
25.94%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Italy
Costa Rica
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$855 €737
$811 ₡383.6K
5.32%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$664 €572
$551 ₡260.4K
20.59%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,508 €1,300
$1,482 ₡700.8K
1.71%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,105 €952
$1,036 ₡489.8K
6.62%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,810 €3,285
$2,301 ₡1.1M
65.56%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,467 €2,127
$1,575 ₡744.8K
56.62%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Italy
Costa Rica
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,932 €1,665
$1,030 ₡487.0K
87.51%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.41
10.53
-58.12%

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

Last update for Italy: March 2, 2026

Last update for Costa Rica: March 2, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated January 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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