Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Saint Lucia and Costa Rica

Name: Costa Rica
Address: CR

For one person, living is cheaper in Saint Lucia: $1,373 a month against $1,779 in Costa Rica, rent and utilities included – about $4,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

67

Cost of Living Index in Saint Lucia
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Saint Lucia Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Costa Rica
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Costa Rica Living Index

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🇱🇨 Saint Lucia

$1,373

/mo nomad

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,779

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,373 per month in Saint Lucia vs $1,779 in Costa Rica, rent included.

Saint Lucia $1,373
Costa Rica $1,779

A couple spends around $2,237 per month in Saint Lucia vs $2,745 in Costa Rica, rent included.

Saint Lucia $2,237
Costa Rica $2,745

A family of three spends $3,101 per month in Saint Lucia vs $3,711 in Costa Rica, rent included.

Saint Lucia $3,101
Costa Rica $3,711

The cost of living in Saint Lucia is roughly 23% lower than in Costa Rica on average.

Both Saint Lucia and Costa Rica are pricier than the global median – Saint Lucia by 2%, Costa Rica by 32%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.18 EC$22.08

$11.77 ₡5,278

-30.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.9 EC$202

$55.1 ₡24.7K

35.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.21 EC$24.88

$10.88 ₡4,880

-15.35%

Cappuccino

$3.92 EC$10.58

$4.50 ₡2,018

-12.89%

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

$1.44 EC$3.89

$2.37 ₡1,063

-39.24%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.05 EC$2.82

$1.91 ₡858

-45.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.88 EC$7.79

$3.25 ₡1,457

-11.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.27 EC$8.83

$4.40 ₡1,974

-25.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.17 EC$5.85

$2.45 ₡1,098

-11.43%

White Bread (500g)

$1.71 EC$4.61

$3.57 ₡1,599

-52.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.63 EC$4.40

$2.75 ₡1,235

-40.73%

Eggs

$4.69 EC$12.67

$4.03 ₡1,806

16.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.69 EC$31.57

$10.04 ₡4,504

16.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.08 EC$29.93

$10.40 ₡4,665

6.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.83 EC$40.04

$13.69 ₡6,140

8.33%

Apples (1kg)

$7.50 EC$20.26

$5.16 ₡2,313

45.35%

Banana (1kg)

$1.85 EC$4.99

$1.69 ₡760

9.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.34 EC$14.43

$3.60 ₡1,613

48.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$8.50 EC$22.95

$3.39 ₡1,519

150.74%

Potato (1kg)

$3.46 EC$9.35

$3.36 ₡1,506

2.98%

Onion (1kg)

$2.06 EC$5.56

$3.18 ₡1,427

-35.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.10 EC$8.37

$1.12 ₡504

176.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 EC$3.69

$2.66 ₡1,195

-48.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.77 EC$20.99

$5.38 ₡2,415

44.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.01 EC$32.43

$16.05 ₡7,197

-25.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.21 EC$5.97

$2.71 ₡1,214

-18.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.11 EC$13.79

$3.30 ₡1,480

54.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.10 EC$2.97

$1.13 ₡507

-2.65%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.8 ₡29.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$9.08 EC$24.53

$2.28 ₡1,021

298.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.00 ₡895

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.08 ₡4,074

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 EC$4.05

$1.54 ₡689

-2.60%

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

$29.4K EC$79.3K

$32.5K ₡14.6M

-9.55%

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

$41.2K EC$111.3K

$36.6K ₡16.4M

12.66%

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

$130 EC$351

$95.7 ₡42.9K

35.79%

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

$40.79 EC$110

$30.83 ₡13.8K

32.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$46.74 EC$126

$58.4 ₡26.2K

-19.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.4 EC$142

$65.6 ₡29.4K

-20.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.18 ₡9,948

Cinema Ticket

$7.03 EC$18.99

$8.25 ₡3,701

-14.79%

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

$210 EC$567

$743 ₡333.3K

-71.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.7K ₡5.7M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.0 EC$170

$75.1 ₡33.7K

-16.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.4 EC$139

$56.5 ₡25.3K

-8.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 EC$297

$131 ₡59.0K

-16.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 EC$296

$110 ₡49.2K

-0.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$497 EC$1,342

$841 ₡376.9K

-40.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$354 EC$956

$655 ₡293.9K

-45.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,098 EC$2,964

$1,750 ₡784.7K

-37.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$697 EC$1,883

$1,177 ₡527.9K

-40.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$143 EC$385

$2,434 ₡1.1M

-94.14%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$161 EC$436

$1,640 ₡735.7K

-90.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$775 EC$2,091

$1,071 ₡480.5K

-27.71%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.75

9.56

-18.93%

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

Last update for Saint Lucia: October 11, 2026

Last update for Costa Rica: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Saint Lucia

$400 29.1%

Costa Rica

$383 21.5% 4.3% $17

Accommodation & Living

Saint Lucia

$354 25.8%

Costa Rica

$655 36.9% 85% $301

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Saint Lucia

$218 15.8%

Costa Rica

$185 10.4% 15% $33

Eating Out

Saint Lucia

$171 12.5%

Costa Rica

$223 12.5% 30.4% $52

Clothing & Footwear

Saint Lucia

$150 11%

Costa Rica

$168 9.4% 11.5% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Saint Lucia

$67 4.8%

Costa Rica

$82 4.6% 23.4% $16

Getting Around

Saint Lucia

$13 * 1%

Costa Rica

$83 4.6% 513% $69

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $155 in Saint Lucia vs $830 in Costa Rica. For reference, capital cities sit at $464 in Castries and $927 in San Jose.

Average salary: $870 in Saint Lucia vs $1,089 in Costa Rica. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 435% higher in Costa Rica.

Dining out costs 218% more in Costa Rica.

Salaries are 25% higher in Costa Rica.

Good to know

🇱🇨 Saint Lucia

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

🕒 Local time

19:01 7:01 PM

17:01 5:01 PM

2 h behind Saint Lucia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

167,591

5,044,197

💱 Currency

East Caribbean Dollar XCD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 XCD = 0.37 USD

1 XCD = 0.329 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to XCD – East Caribbean Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🌐 East Caribbean Dollar ($)

East Caribbean Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 2.7 XCD (1 XCD = 0.37 USD). 1 EUR = 3.04 XCD (1 XCD = 0.329 EUR).

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).

USD to XCD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Saint Lucia Costa Rica 2,550 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Saint Lucia
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

Saint Lucia vs Costa Rica: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Saint Lucia is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 30% lower on average.

Housing costs more in Costa Rica: a central one-bedroom averages $830 versus $155 in Saint Lucia.

Groceries, public transport, and eating out all cost less in Saint Lucia, adding to the overall 30% price gap.

$1,000 buys a comfortable lifestyle in Saint Lucia, but in Costa Rica it only works with careful planning outside the capital. Same money, very different lives.

Saint Lucia is the budget-friendly choice for expats – lower housing and daily costs. But cost isn't everything: visa policies, language, healthcare quality, and job markets all weigh in too.