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

🙂 Solo nomad: Spain is 9.3% cheaper than Costa Rica without rent, and 16% more expensive with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Spain is 9.6% cheaper than Costa Rica without rent, and 2.4% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Spain
Costa Rica
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$16.00 €13.62
$9.74 ₡4,452
64.27%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$57.2 €48.66
$60.5 ₡27.6K
-5.49%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.51 €8.94
$9.92 ₡4,530
5.95%
Cappuccino
$2.37 €2.02
$4.04 ₡1,848
-41.34%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.50 €2.13
$2.12 ₡969
17.92%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.82 €1.55
$1.64 ₡749
10.98%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.55 €3.02
$2.92 ₡1,332
21.58%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.13 €3.52
$4.46 ₡2,036
-7.40%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Spain
Costa Rica
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.19 €1.01
$2.09 ₡953
-43.06%
White Bread (500g)
$1.53 €1.30
$3.18 ₡1,453
-51.89%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.66 €1.41
$2.41 ₡1,099
-31.12%
Eggs
$2.94 €2.50
$3.43 ₡1,567
-14.29%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$14.09 €11.99
$9.52 ₡4,349
48.00%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.28 €7.05
$9.22 ₡4,213
-10.20%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$15.73 €13.39
$13.22 ₡6,041
18.99%
Apples (1kg)
$2.46 €2.09
$4.70 ₡2,149
-47.66%
Banana (1kg)
$2.05 €1.75
$1.56 ₡712
31.41%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.03 €1.72
$3.35 ₡1,528
-39.40%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.64 €2.25
$3.00 ₡1,371
-12.00%
Potato (1kg)
$1.80 €1.53
$2.93 ₡1,337
-38.57%
Onion (1kg)
$1.91 €1.63
$2.71 ₡1,240
-29.52%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.31 €1.11
$1.02 ₡464
28.43%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.74 €0.63
$2.42 ₡1,106
-69.42%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.48 €5.52
$5.01 ₡2,288
29.34%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.85 €4.98
$16.31 ₡7,448
-64.13%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.25 €1.06
$2.31 ₡1,053
-45.89%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.16 €1.84
$2.85 ₡1,300
-24.21%
🚌 Getting Around
Spain
Costa Rica
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.79 €1.52
$0.94 ₡431
90.43%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$34.82 €29.63
$49.31 ₡22.5K
-29.39%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.63 €3.94
$1.81 ₡825
155.80%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.33 €1.13
$2.00 ₡913
-33.50%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$26.77 €22.78
$7.43 ₡3,396
260.30%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.82 €1.55
$1.45 ₡662
25.52%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$38.3K €32.6K
$36.3K ₡16.6M
5.58%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$30.6K €26.1K
$34.8K ₡15.9M
-12.01%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Spain
Costa Rica
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$150 €128
$88.1 ₡40.2K
70.38%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$20.68 €17.60
$25.36 ₡11.6K
-18.45%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$33.45 €28.46
$54.1 ₡24.7K
-38.12%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Spain
Costa Rica
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$47.46 €40.39
$57.7 ₡26.4K
-17.73%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$15.83 €13.47
$29.04 ₡13.3K
-45.49%
Cinema Ticket
$9.14 €7.78
$9.05 ₡4,134
0.99%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Spain
Costa Rica
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$523 €445
$550 ₡251.1K
-4.89%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$10.1K €8,553
$10.2K ₡4.7M
-1.43%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Spain
Costa Rica
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$87.3 €74.3
$71.5 ₡32.7K
22.09%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$37.21 €31.67
$53.9 ₡24.6K
-30.96%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$89.0 €75.8
$121 ₡55.1K
-26.19%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$107 €91.4
$101 ₡46.2K
6.22%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Spain
Costa Rica
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,068 €909
$812 ₡371.2K
31.41%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$840 €715
$553 ₡252.8K
51.74%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,663 €1,415
$1,493 ₡681.8K
11.40%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,254 €1,067
$1,057 ₡483.1K
18.58%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,528 €3,853
$2,263 ₡1.0M
100.11%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,699 €2,297
$1,634 ₡746.5K
65.15%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Spain
Costa Rica
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,117 €1,802
$1,067 ₡487.3K
98.45%
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: April 13, 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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