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

😐 Solo nomad: Italy is 2% more expensive than Costa Rica without rent, and 18% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Italy is 6.8% more expensive than Costa Rica without rent, and 12.6% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Italy
Costa Rica
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$17.19 €14.63
$9.74 ₡4,452
76.49%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$79.5 €67.7
$60.5 ₡27.6K
31.49%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.53 €9.81
$9.92 ₡4,530
16.23%
Cappuccino
$1.95 €1.66
$4.04 ₡1,848
-51.73%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.97 €2.52
$2.12 ₡969
40.09%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.36 €1.16
$1.64 ₡749
-17.07%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$5.64 €4.80
$2.92 ₡1,332
93.15%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.18 €4.41
$4.46 ₡2,036
16.14%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Italy
Costa Rica
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.62 €1.38
$2.09 ₡953
-22.49%
White Bread (500g)
$2.40 €2.04
$3.18 ₡1,453
-24.53%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.93 €2.49
$2.41 ₡1,099
21.58%
Eggs
$3.96 €3.37
$3.43 ₡1,567
15.45%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$16.71 €14.22
$9.52 ₡4,349
75.53%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$12.63 €10.75
$9.22 ₡4,213
36.98%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$20.75 €17.66
$13.22 ₡6,041
56.96%
Apples (1kg)
$2.51 €2.13
$4.70 ₡2,149
-46.60%
Banana (1kg)
$2.24 €1.91
$1.56 ₡712
43.59%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.68 €2.28
$3.35 ₡1,528
-20.00%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.35 €2.85
$3.00 ₡1,371
11.67%
Potato (1kg)
$2.03 €1.73
$2.93 ₡1,337
-30.72%
Onion (1kg)
$1.84 €1.56
$2.71 ₡1,240
-32.10%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.52 €1.29
$1.02 ₡464
49.02%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.50 €0.43
$2.42 ₡1,106
-79.34%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.91 €5.88
$5.01 ₡2,288
37.92%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.23 €6.15
$16.31 ₡7,448
-55.67%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.83 €1.56
$2.31 ₡1,053
-20.78%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.52 €2.14
$2.85 ₡1,300
-11.58%
🚌 Getting Around
Italy
Costa Rica
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.93 €1.64
$0.94 ₡431
105.32%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$43.04 €36.63
$49.31 ₡22.5K
-12.72%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$5.63 €4.80
$1.81 ₡825
211.05%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.52 €1.30
$2.00 ₡913
-24.00%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$34.84 €29.65
$7.43 ₡3,396
368.91%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.02 €1.72
$1.45 ₡662
39.31%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$32.9K €28.0K
$36.3K ₡16.6M
-9.45%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$33.6K €28.6K
$34.8K ₡15.9M
-3.44%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Italy
Costa Rica
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$221 €188
$88.1 ₡40.2K
150.93%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.55 €11.53
$25.36 ₡11.6K
-46.57%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$31.59 €26.88
$54.1 ₡24.7K
-41.56%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Italy
Costa Rica
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$57.4 €48.85
$57.7 ₡26.4K
-0.50%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$25.69 €21.86
$29.04 ₡13.3K
-11.54%
Cinema Ticket
$10.24 €8.72
$9.05 ₡4,134
13.15%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Italy
Costa Rica
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$579 €493
$550 ₡251.1K
5.40%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$10.5K €8,951
$10.2K ₡4.7M
3.15%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Italy
Costa Rica
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$92.2 €78.5
$71.5 ₡32.7K
28.96%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$40.41 €34.39
$53.9 ₡24.6K
-25.03%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$101 €86.0
$121 ₡55.1K
-16.24%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$133 €113
$101 ₡46.2K
31.32%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Italy
Costa Rica
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$851 €724
$812 ₡371.2K
4.72%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$655 €557
$553 ₡252.8K
18.36%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,515 €1,290
$1,493 ₡681.8K
1.53%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,076 €915
$1,057 ₡483.1K
1.71%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,967 €3,376
$2,263 ₡1.0M
75.29%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,426 €2,064
$1,634 ₡746.5K
48.43%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Italy
Costa Rica
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,938 €1,649
$1,067 ₡487.3K
81.69%
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: April 14, 2026

Last update for Costa Rica: April 13, 2026

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

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