Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Spain and Costa Rica

Name: Costa Rica
Address: CR

For one person, living costs are similar in Spain and in Costa Rica: $1,796 and $1,830 a month, rent and utilities included.

85

Cost of Living Index in Spain
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Spain Living Index
87

Cost of Living Index in Costa Rica
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Costa Rica Living Index

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🇪🇸 Spain

$1,796

/mo nomad

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,830

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,796 per month in Spain vs $1,830 in Costa Rica, rent included.

Spain $1,796
Costa Rica $1,830

A couple spends around $2,612 per month in Spain vs $2,781 in Costa Rica, rent included.

Spain $2,612
Costa Rica $2,781

A family of three spends $3,429 per month in Spain vs $3,733 in Costa Rica, rent included.

Spain $3,429
Costa Rica $3,733

The regional cost range is wider in Spain ($932–$2,592) than in Costa Rica ($1,006–$2,121), so city choice matters more there.

The cost of living in Spain and in Costa Rica is about the same on average.

Both Spain and Costa Rica are pricier than the global median – Spain by 33%, Costa Rica by 35%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.93 €15.07

$11.72 ₡5,277

44.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$56.3 €50.1

$56.0 ₡25.2K

0.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.32 €10.07

$11.18 ₡5,038

1.25%

Cappuccino

$2.42 €2.15

$4.63 ₡2,086

-47.73%

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

$2.55 €2.27

$2.34 ₡1,055

8.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.79 €1.60

$1.85 ₡834

-3.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.34 €2.97

$3.24 ₡1,458

3.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.03 €3.58

$4.57 ₡2,058

-11.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 €1.03

$2.41 ₡1,083

-52.28%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 €1.31

$3.59 ₡1,618

-59.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.68 €1.49

$2.79 ₡1,258

-39.78%

Eggs

$3.43 €3.05

$3.87 ₡1,744

-11.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.11 €12.56

$10.38 ₡4,674

35.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.64 €7.69

$10.01 ₡4,508

-13.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.44 €14.63

$13.77 ₡6,204

19.39%

Apples (1kg)

$2.53 €2.25

$4.76 ₡2,145

-46.85%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 €1.82

$1.71 ₡772

19.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 €1.81

$3.42 ₡1,541

-40.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.46 €2.19

$3.23 ₡1,456

-23.84%

Potato (1kg)

$1.87 €1.66

$3.29 ₡1,482

-43.16%

Onion (1kg)

$1.95 €1.73

$3.13 ₡1,409

-37.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.37 €1.22

$1.09 ₡493

25.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.74 €0.66

$2.75 ₡1,241

-73.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.61 €5.88

$5.34 ₡2,407

23.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.52 €4.91

$16.23 ₡7,310

-65.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 €1.14

$2.63 ₡1,185

-51.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 €1.85

$3.25 ₡1,466

-36.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.64 €1.46

$1.08 ₡484

51.85%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$32.79 €29.18

$67.1 ₡30.2K

-51.15%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.91 €3.48

$2.18 ₡983

79.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.32 €1.17

$2.01 ₡904

-34.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.47 €23.55

$8.08 ₡3,639

227.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.75 €1.56

$1.55 ₡697

12.90%

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

$34.9K €31.0K

$33.9K ₡15.3M

2.83%

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

$30.6K €27.2K

$37.5K ₡16.9M

-18.40%

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

$146 €130

$98.2 ₡44.2K

48.63%

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

$17.77 €15.82

$30.64 ₡13.8K

-42.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.25 €28.70

$59.7 ₡26.9K

-46.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.93 €39.98

$65.1 ₡29.3K

-30.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.01 €13.36

$22.65 ₡10.2K

-33.73%

Cinema Ticket

$9.36 €8.33

$8.17 ₡3,678

14.57%

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

$564 €502

$733 ₡330.2K

-23.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.3K €11.8K

$17.7K ₡8.0M

-25.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.3 €75.0

$74.7 ₡33.7K

12.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.06 €32.98

$55.9 ₡25.2K

-33.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.2 €81.1

$130 ₡58.8K

-30.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 €95.8

$108 ₡48.8K

-0.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,025 €912

$933 ₡420.1K

9.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$829 €738

$706 ₡318.2K

17.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,641 €1,460

$1,763 ₡794.0K

-6.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,231 €1,095

$1,201 ₡540.9K

2.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,131 €3,676

$2,692 ₡1.2M

53.43%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,739 €2,438

$1,834 ₡826.1K

49.35%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,012 €1,791

$1,076 ₡484.6K

87.07%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.3

9.56

-65.48%

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

Last update for Spain: November 2, 2026

Last update for Costa Rica: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Spain

$829 46.2%

Costa Rica

$706 38.6% 14.8% $123

Groceries & Markets

Spain

$272 15.2%

Costa Rica

$379 20.7% 39.1% $106

Eating Out

Spain

$241 13.4%

Costa Rica

$225 12.3% 6.5% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Spain

$196 10.9%

Costa Rica

$189 10.3% 3.8% $7.4

Clothing & Footwear

Spain

$144 8%

Costa Rica

$166 9.1% 15.4% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Spain

$64 3.5%

Costa Rica

$81 4.5% 27.9% $18

Getting Around

Spain

$50 2.8%

Costa Rica

$84 4.6% 67.9% $34

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $937 in Spain vs $849 in Costa Rica. For reference, capital cities sit at $1,525 in Madrid and $1,170 in San Jose.

Average salary: $1,975 in Spain vs $1,092 in Costa Rica. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 10% higher in Spain.

Public transport is 116% more expensive in Costa Rica.

Salaries are 81% higher in Spain, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Spain.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Spain

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

🕒 Local time

18:04 6:04 PM

11:04 11:04 AM

7 h behind Spain

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

47,415,750

5,044,197

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 0.89 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 450 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 506 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Spain Costa Rica 8,480 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Spain
Costa Rica

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

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