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

🙂 Solo nomad: Spain is 11.1% cheaper than Costa Rica without rent, and 17.2% more expensive with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Spain is 11.4% cheaper than Costa Rica without rent, and 0.7% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Spain
Costa Rica
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$16.15 €13.92
$9.67 ₡4,570
67.01%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$56.9 €49.09
$58.6 ₡27.7K
-2.80%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.35 €8.92
$10.23 ₡4,837
1.17%
Cappuccino
$2.36 €2.03
$3.97 ₡1,878
-40.55%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.56 €2.20
$2.17 ₡1,026
17.97%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.84 €1.58
$1.73 ₡817
6.36%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.41 €2.94
$2.89 ₡1,367
17.99%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.07 €3.51
$4.40 ₡2,083
-7.50%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Spain
Costa Rica
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.18 €1.01
$2.05 ₡970
-42.44%
White Bread (500g)
$1.57 €1.35
$3.09 ₡1,459
-49.19%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.68 €1.45
$2.51 ₡1,186
-33.07%
Eggs
$3.03 €2.61
$3.30 ₡1,559
-8.18%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$14.07 €12.13
$9.16 ₡4,331
53.60%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.53 €7.36
$9.29 ₡4,393
-8.18%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$16.03 €13.82
$13.16 ₡6,223
21.81%
Apples (1kg)
$2.46 €2.12
$4.48 ₡2,117
-45.09%
Banana (1kg)
$2.08 €1.79
$1.62 ₡766
28.40%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.02 €1.74
$3.22 ₡1,520
-37.27%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.66 €2.29
$2.98 ₡1,410
-10.74%
Potato (1kg)
$1.86 €1.61
$3.01 ₡1,422
-38.21%
Onion (1kg)
$1.99 €1.71
$2.85 ₡1,345
-30.18%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.31 €1.13
$1.01 ₡478
29.70%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.79 €0.68
$2.51 ₡1,187
-68.53%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.19 €5.34
$4.94 ₡2,335
25.30%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.68 €4.90
$15.72 ₡7,434
-63.87%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.31 €1.13
$2.38 ₡1,123
-44.96%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.16 €1.86
$2.71 ₡1,282
-20.30%
🚌 Getting Around
Spain
Costa Rica
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.75 €1.51
$0.94 ₡445
86.17%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$35.21 €30.35
$48.94 ₡23.1K
-28.05%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.47 €3.86
$1.79 ₡847
149.72%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.27 €1.10
$2.01 ₡950
-36.82%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$26.17 €22.56
$7.82 ₡3,699
234.65%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.84 €1.59
$1.51 ₡715
21.85%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$37.9K €32.7K
$36.8K ₡17.4M
2.84%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$31.5K €27.1K
$34.7K ₡16.4M
-9.40%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Spain
Costa Rica
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$151 €130
$86.8 ₡41.0K
74.23%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$20.21 €17.42
$25.69 ₡12.1K
-21.33%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$34.48 €29.72
$53.8 ₡25.4K
-35.86%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Spain
Costa Rica
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$47.21 €40.70
$55.9 ₡26.4K
-15.58%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$16.17 €13.94
$28.78 ₡13.6K
-43.82%
Cinema Ticket
$9.51 €8.20
$9.04 ₡4,276
5.20%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Spain
Costa Rica
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$514 €443
$560 ₡264.9K
-8.27%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$10.2K €8,823
$10.0K ₡4.7M
2.31%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Spain
Costa Rica
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$85.6 €73.8
$72.4 ₡34.2K
18.23%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$36.62 €31.56
$54.4 ₡25.7K
-32.63%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$91.1 €78.5
$117 ₡55.3K
-22.15%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$107 €92.6
$103 ₡48.6K
4.46%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Spain
Costa Rica
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,068 €921
$811 ₡383.6K
31.68%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$821 €708
$551 ₡260.4K
49.11%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,659 €1,430
$1,482 ₡700.8K
11.93%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,221 €1,052
$1,036 ₡489.8K
17.83%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,315 €3,720
$2,301 ₡1.1M
87.50%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,771 €2,389
$1,575 ₡744.8K
75.89%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Spain
Costa Rica
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,113 €1,821
$1,030 ₡487.0K
105.08%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.51
10.53
-66.67%

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

Last update for Spain: March 1, 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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