Cost of Living Comparison Between United Kingdom and Costa Rica Cost of Living Comparison Between United Kingdom and Costa Rica

😐 Solo nomad: United Kingdom is 8.7% more expensive than Costa Rica without rent, and 62.1% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: United Kingdom is 13.8% more expensive than Costa Rica without rent, and 41.8% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
United Kingdom
Costa Rica
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$20.18 £15.12
$9.67 ₡4,570
108.69%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$88.4 £66.2
$58.6 ₡27.7K
50.84%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.31 £7.72
$10.23 ₡4,837
0.78%
Cappuccino
$4.61 £3.46
$3.97 ₡1,878
16.12%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.40 £1.80
$2.17 ₡1,026
10.60%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.69 £1.26
$1.73 ₡817
-2.31%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$6.85 £5.13
$2.89 ₡1,367
137.02%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.35 £4.76
$4.40 ₡2,083
44.32%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
United Kingdom
Costa Rica
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.68 £1.26
$2.05 ₡970
-18.05%
White Bread (500g)
$1.73 £1.29
$3.09 ₡1,459
-44.01%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.24 £1.68
$2.51 ₡1,186
-10.76%
Eggs
$3.99 £2.99
$3.30 ₡1,559
20.91%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.64 £7.22
$9.16 ₡4,331
5.24%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.73 £6.54
$9.29 ₡4,393
-6.03%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$14.38 £10.77
$13.16 ₡6,223
9.27%
Apples (1kg)
$3.07 £2.30
$4.48 ₡2,117
-31.47%
Banana (1kg)
$1.70 £1.27
$1.62 ₡766
4.94%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.80 £2.10
$3.22 ₡1,520
-13.04%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.56 £2.67
$2.98 ₡1,410
19.46%
Potato (1kg)
$1.68 £1.26
$3.01 ₡1,422
-44.19%
Onion (1kg)
$1.60 £1.20
$2.85 ₡1,345
-43.86%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.17 £0.88
$1.01 ₡478
15.84%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.49 £1.12
$2.51 ₡1,187
-40.64%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$19.98 £14.96
$4.94 ₡2,335
304.45%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.66 £7.98
$15.72 ₡7,434
-32.19%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.81 £2.10
$2.38 ₡1,123
18.07%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.43 £2.57
$2.71 ₡1,282
26.57%
🚌 Getting Around
United Kingdom
Costa Rica
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.27 £2.45
$0.94 ₡445
247.87%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$94.2 £70.6
$48.94 ₡23.1K
92.52%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$5.33 £4.00
$1.79 ₡847
197.77%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.60 £1.20
$2.01 ₡950
-20.40%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$27.11 £20.31
$7.82 ₡3,699
246.68%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.99 £1.49
$1.51 ₡715
31.79%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$38.6K £28.9K
$36.8K ₡17.4M
4.80%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$40.2K £30.1K
$34.7K ₡16.4M
15.71%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
United Kingdom
Costa Rica
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$319 £239
$86.8 ₡41.0K
267.96%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$17.41 £13.04
$25.69 ₡12.1K
-32.23%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$42.06 £31.50
$53.8 ₡25.4K
-21.76%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
United Kingdom
Costa Rica
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$46.02 £34.47
$55.9 ₡26.4K
-17.70%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$16.18 £12.12
$28.78 ₡13.6K
-43.78%
Cinema Ticket
$13.72 £10.27
$9.04 ₡4,276
51.77%
🧸 Childcare & Education
United Kingdom
Costa Rica
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,716 £1,285
$560 ₡264.9K
206.19%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$21.2K £15.9K
$10.0K ₡4.7M
111.58%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
United Kingdom
Costa Rica
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$90.7 £68.0
$72.4 ₡34.2K
25.32%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$44.09 £33.02
$54.4 ₡25.7K
-18.89%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$102 £76.2
$117 ₡55.3K
-13.08%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$105 £78.9
$103 ₡48.6K
2.43%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
United Kingdom
Costa Rica
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,418 £1,062
$811 ₡383.6K
74.69%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,122 £840
$551 ₡260.4K
103.71%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,313 £1,732
$1,482 ₡700.8K
56.05%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,807 £1,353
$1,036 ₡489.8K
74.40%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$5,834 £4,370
$2,301 ₡1.1M
153.50%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$4,528 £3,392
$1,575 ₡744.8K
187.43%
💵 Salaries & Financials
United Kingdom
Costa Rica
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,295 £2,468
$1,030 ₡487.0K
219.85%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.75
10.53
-45.39%

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

Last update for United Kingdom: March 3, 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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