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

🙂 Solo nomad: Spain is 11.4% cheaper than Costa Rica without rent, and 16.1% more expensive with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Spain is 10% cheaper than Costa Rica without rent, and 4% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Spain
Costa Rica
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$16.02 €13.83
$9.65 ₡4,833
66.01%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$57.6 €49.75
$58.6 ₡29.3K
-1.66%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.6 €9.15
$9.9 ₡4,957
7.07%
Cappuccino
$2.39 €2.06
$3.9 ₡1,954
-38.72%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.6 €2.24
$2.2 ₡1,100
18.18%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.91 €1.65
$1.65 ₡827
15.76%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.44 €2.97
$3.03 ₡1,517
13.53%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.11 €3.55
$4.55 ₡2,278
-9.67%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Spain
Costa Rica
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.18 €1.02
$2.06 ₡1,033
-42.72%
White Bread (500g)
$1.53 €1.32
$3.06 ₡1,530
-50.00%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.61 €1.39
$2.52 ₡1,261
-36.11%
Eggs
$3.1 €2.68
$3.29 ₡1,646
-5.78%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$14.26 €12.32
$9.29 ₡4,650
53.50%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.6 €7.42
$9.54 ₡4,775
-9.85%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$15.7 €13.56
$13.6 ₡6,808
15.44%
Apples (1kg)
$2.45 €2.12
$4.67 ₡2,337
-47.54%
Banana (1kg)
$2.07 €1.78
$1.56 ₡782
32.69%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.03 €1.75
$3.34 ₡1,672
-39.22%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.65 €2.29
$3.01 ₡1,507
-11.96%
Potato (1kg)
$1.83 €1.58
$3.04 ₡1,524
-39.80%
Onion (1kg)
$1.96 €1.69
$2.85 ₡1,426
-31.23%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.36 €1.17
$1.01 ₡506
34.65%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.74 €0.64
$2.54 ₡1,273
-70.87%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.43 €5.55
$4.86 ₡2,434
32.30%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.72 €4.94
$14.87 ₡7,442
-61.53%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.32 €1.14
$2.27 ₡1,137
-41.85%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.08 €1.8
$2.73 ₡1,366
-23.81%
🚌 Getting Around
Spain
Costa Rica
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.79 €1.54
$0.95 ₡476
88.42%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$34.46 €29.75
$49.46 ₡24.8K
-30.33%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.56 €3.94
$1.81 ₡904
151.93%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.33 €1.15
$1.93 ₡969
-31.09%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$26.41 €22.8
$7.69 ₡3,850
243.43%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.83 €1.58
$1.47 ₡735
24.49%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$39.3K €33.9K
$37.4K ₡18.7M
5.08%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$31.2K €27K
$34.8K ₡17.4M
-10.24%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Spain
Costa Rica
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$149 €128
$86.9 ₡43.5K
71.10%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$20.46 €17.67
$25.46 ₡12.7K
-19.64%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$33.3 €28.75
$54.7 ₡27.4K
-39.17%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Spain
Costa Rica
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$47.32 €40.85
$57.8 ₡28.9K
-18.07%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$15.64 €13.5
$28.42 ₡14.2K
-44.97%
Cinema Ticket
$9.52 €8.22
$9.08 ₡4,546
4.85%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Spain
Costa Rica
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$522 €451
$551 ₡275.9K
-5.28%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$9,960 €8,600
$9,816 ₡4.9M
1.47%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Spain
Costa Rica
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$87.2 €75.3
$72.3 ₡36.2K
20.62%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$37.22 €32.13
$55.2 ₡27.6K
-32.58%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$91.5 €79
$118 ₡59.3K
-22.68%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$108 €93
$104 ₡52.1K
3.48%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Spain
Costa Rica
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,050 €907
$817 ₡408.8K
28.62%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$812 €701
$539 ₡269.6K
50.72%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,692 €1,460
$1,495 ₡748.3K
13.17%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,239 €1,069
$1,019 ₡510.2K
21.53%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,233 €3,655
$2,511 ₡1.3M
68.57%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,725 €2,353
$1,384 ₡693K
96.83%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Spain
Costa Rica
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,998 €1,725
$996 ₡498.8K
100.57%
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: October 28, 2025

Last update for Costa Rica: October 28, 2025

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