Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Suriname and Costa Rica

Name: Costa Rica
Address: CR

For one person, living is cheaper in Suriname: $1,045 a month against $1,830 in Costa Rica, rent and utilities included – about $9,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

50

Cost of Living Index in Suriname
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Suriname Living Index
87

Cost of Living Index in Costa Rica
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Costa Rica Living Index

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🇸🇷 Suriname

$1,045

/mo nomad

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,830

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,045 per month in Suriname vs $1,830 in Costa Rica, rent included.

Suriname $1,045
Costa Rica $1,830

A couple spends around $1,707 per month in Suriname vs $2,781 in Costa Rica, rent included.

Suriname $1,707
Costa Rica $2,781

A family of three spends $2,370 per month in Suriname vs $3,733 in Costa Rica, rent included.

Suriname $2,370
Costa Rica $3,733

The regional cost range is wider in Costa Rica ($1,006–$2,121) than in Suriname ($202–$1,050), so city choice matters more there.

The cost of living in Suriname is roughly 43% lower than in Costa Rica on average.

Suriname sits 23% below the global median, while Costa Rica is 35% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.49 SRD 504

$11.72 ₡5,266

15.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.28 SRD 1,729

$56.0 ₡25.2K

-17.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.72 SRD 400

$11.18 ₡5,027

-4.11%

Cappuccino

$2.81 SRD 105

$4.63 ₡2,081

-39.31%

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

$1.48 SRD 55.2

$2.34 ₡1,052

-36.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.87 SRD 32.56

$1.85 ₡832

-52.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.37 SRD 88.7

$3.24 ₡1,455

-26.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.03 SRD 151

$4.57 ₡2,054

-11.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.81 SRD 67.5

$2.41 ₡1,081

-24.90%

White Bread (500g)

$1.36 SRD 50.8

$3.59 ₡1,615

-62.12%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.43 SRD 53.5

$2.79 ₡1,255

-48.75%

Eggs

$3.05 SRD 114

$3.87 ₡1,740

-21.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.71 SRD 437

$10.38 ₡4,665

12.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.42 SRD 240

$10.01 ₡4,498

-35.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.95 SRD 372

$13.77 ₡6,191

-27.74%

Apples (1kg)

$4.91 SRD 183

$4.76 ₡2,141

3.15%

Banana (1kg)

$2.44 SRD 91.1

$1.71 ₡771

42.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.82 SRD 143

$3.42 ₡1,538

11.70%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.83 SRD 218

$3.23 ₡1,453

80.50%

Potato (1kg)

$1.32 SRD 49.15

$3.29 ₡1,479

-59.88%

Onion (1kg)

$1.94 SRD 72.6

$3.13 ₡1,406

-38.02%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.55 SRD 57.9

$1.09 ₡492

42.20%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.35 SRD 50.4

$2.75 ₡1,238

-50.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.27 SRD 271

$5.34 ₡2,402

36.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.22 SRD 307

$16.23 ₡7,294

-49.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.00 SRD 74.6

$2.63 ₡1,182

-23.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.79 SRD 142

$3.25 ₡1,463

16.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 SRD 20.63

$1.08 ₡483

-49.07%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$32.28 SRD 1,206

$67.1 ₡30.2K

-51.91%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.13 SRD 79.4

$2.18 ₡981

-2.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 SRD 58.2

$2.01 ₡902

-22.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.06 SRD 264

$8.08 ₡3,631

-12.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 SRD 41.32

$1.55 ₡696

-28.39%

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

$25.2K SRD 940.8K

$33.9K ₡15.2M

-25.71%

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

$24.7K SRD 922.3K

$37.5K ₡16.9M

-34.14%

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

$37.24 SRD 1,391

$98.2 ₡44.1K

-62.06%

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

$25.90 SRD 967

$30.64 ₡13.8K

-15.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.32 SRD 1,132

$59.7 ₡26.8K

-49.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$13.70 SRD 512

$65.1 ₡29.2K

-78.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.78 SRD 776

$22.65 ₡10.2K

-8.26%

Cinema Ticket

$5.08 SRD 190

$8.17 ₡3,671

-37.82%

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

$62.1 SRD 2,319

$733 ₡329.5K

-91.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.4K SRD 576.8K

$17.7K ₡8.0M

-12.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$37.03 SRD 1,383

$74.7 ₡33.6K

-50.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.77 SRD 1,075

$55.9 ₡25.1K

-48.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.3 SRD 2,811

$130 ₡58.6K

-42.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 SRD 4,456

$108 ₡48.7K

10.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$489 SRD 18.3K

$933 ₡419.2K

-47.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$268 SRD 10.0K

$706 ₡317.5K

-62.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$956 SRD 35.7K

$1,763 ₡792.3K

-45.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$500 SRD 18.7K

$1,201 ₡539.8K

-58.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$468 SRD 17.5K

$2,692 ₡1.2M

-82.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$400 SRD 14.9K

$1,834 ₡824.4K

-78.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$280 SRD 10.4K

$1,076 ₡483.5K

-74.01%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

16.25

9.56

69.98%

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

Last update for Suriname: November 2, 2026

Last update for Costa Rica: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Suriname

$295 28.2%

Costa Rica

$379 20.7% 28.6% $84

Accommodation & Living

Suriname

$268 25.6%

Costa Rica

$706 38.6% 164% $438

Eating Out

Suriname

$203 19.5%

Costa Rica

$225 12.3% 10.7% $22

Clothing & Footwear

Suriname

$117 11.2%

Costa Rica

$166 9.1% 41.9% $49

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Suriname

$93 9%

Costa Rica

$189 10.3% 102% $95

Getting Around

Suriname

$44 4.3%

Costa Rica

$84 4.6% 88.4% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Suriname

$24 2.3%

Costa Rica

$81 4.5% 241% $58

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $494 in Suriname vs $849 in Costa Rica. For reference, capital cities sit at $494 in Paramaribo and $1,170 in San Jose.

Average salary: $291 in Suriname 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 72% higher in Costa Rica.

Dining out costs 23% more in Costa Rica.

Public transport is 109% more expensive in Costa Rica.

Salaries are about 3.8 times higher in Costa Rica, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Costa Rica.

Good to know

🇸🇷 Suriname

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

🕒 Local time

10:41 10:41 AM

07:41 7:41 AM

3 h behind Suriname

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

563,402

5,044,197

💱 Currency

Surinamese Dollar SRD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

100 SRD = 2.68 USD

100 SRD = 2.39 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to SRD – Surinamese Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇸🇷 Surinamese Dollar ($)

Surinamese Dollar exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 37.35 SRD (100 SRD = 2.68 USD). 1 EUR = 41.87 SRD (100 SRD = 2.39 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 450 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to SRD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Suriname Costa Rica 3,220 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Suriname
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

Suriname vs Costa Rica: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Suriname is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 43% lower on average.

Housing costs more in Costa Rica: a central one-bedroom averages $849 versus $494 in Suriname.

Groceries, public transport, and eating out all cost less in Suriname – part of why living there is about 43% cheaper overall.

$2,000 buys a comfortable lifestyle in Suriname, but in Costa Rica it only works with careful planning outside the capital. Same money, very different lives.

Suriname is the budget-friendly choice for expats. But cost isn’t everything: visa policies, language, healthcare quality, and job markets all weigh in too.