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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 12% more expensive than Costa Rica without rent, and 63.3% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: United Kingdom is 15.8% more expensive than Costa Rica without rent, and 42.5% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
United Kingdom
Costa Rica
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$20.24 £15.12
$10.19 ₡5,052
98.63%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$87.4 £65.3
$60.5 ₡30.0K
44.62%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.17 £7.60
$10.17 ₡5,041
-
Cappuccino
$4.73 £3.54
$3.90 ₡1,933
21.28%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.38 £1.78
$2.19 ₡1,086
8.68%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.74 £1.30
$1.65 ₡819
5.45%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$6.60 £4.93
$2.95 ₡1,460
123.73%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.45 £4.82
$4.32 ₡2,142
49.31%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
United Kingdom
Costa Rica
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.71 £1.28
$2.03 ₡1,005
-15.76%
White Bread (500g)
$1.70 £1.27
$3.18 ₡1,576
-46.54%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.18 £1.63
$2.49 ₡1,234
-12.45%
Eggs
$4.06 £3.03
$3.41 ₡1,688
19.06%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.91 £7.40
$9.25 ₡4,584
7.14%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.86 £6.61
$9.42 ₡4,670
-5.94%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$14.01 £10.47
$13.28 ₡6,583
5.50%
Apples (1kg)
$2.94 £2.20
$4.51 ₡2,235
-34.81%
Banana (1kg)
$1.61 £1.20
$1.54 ₡763
4.55%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.81 £2.10
$3.37 ₡1,673
-16.62%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.55 £2.65
$2.94 ₡1,458
20.75%
Potato (1kg)
$1.63 £1.22
$2.97 ₡1,475
-45.12%
Onion (1kg)
$1.54 £1.15
$2.83 ₡1,403
-45.58%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.17 £0.87
$1.01 ₡502
15.84%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.55 £1.16
$2.54 ₡1,257
-38.98%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$20.35 £15.20
$5.03 ₡2,494
304.57%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.78 £8.05
$15.31 ₡7,589
-29.59%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.81 £2.10
$2.31 ₡1,145
21.65%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.39 £2.53
$2.72 ₡1,347
24.63%
🚌 Getting Around
United Kingdom
Costa Rica
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.32 £2.48
$0.96 ₡475
245.83%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$96.3 £72.0
$48.97 ₡24.3K
96.71%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$5.49 £4.10
$1.80 ₡893
205.00%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.52 £1.14
$2.01 ₡995
-24.38%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$27.15 £20.28
$7.51 ₡3,723
261.52%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.96 £1.47
$1.52 ₡752
28.95%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$38.3K £28.6K
$36.6K ₡18.2M
4.63%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$41.2K £30.7K
$36.0K ₡17.9M
14.28%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
United Kingdom
Costa Rica
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$321 £240
$85.9 ₡42.6K
274.10%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$17.42 £13.01
$25.46 ₡12.6K
-31.58%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$42.91 £32.05
$53.9 ₡26.7K
-20.36%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
United Kingdom
Costa Rica
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$45.54 £34.02
$57.3 ₡28.4K
-20.45%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$15.68 £11.71
$29.36 ₡14.6K
-46.59%
Cinema Ticket
$13.84 £10.34
$9.01 ₡4,466
53.61%
🧸 Childcare & Education
United Kingdom
Costa Rica
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,718 £1,283
$540 ₡267.8K
218.06%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$21.4K £16.0K
$10.1K ₡5.0M
113.16%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
United Kingdom
Costa Rica
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$91.1 £68.1
$71.5 ₡35.5K
27.44%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$44.98 £33.60
$54.9 ₡27.2K
-18.08%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$102 £76.1
$117 ₡58.2K
-13.19%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$105 £78.1
$103 ₡50.8K
1.94%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
United Kingdom
Costa Rica
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,375 £1,027
$810 ₡401.7K
69.68%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,162 £868
$551 ₡272.9K
111.13%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,342 £1,749
$1,488 ₡737.8K
57.34%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,828 £1,365
$1,043 ₡516.9K
75.32%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$5,907 £4,413
$2,335 ₡1.2M
152.98%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$4,604 £3,439
$1,607 ₡796.5K
186.55%
💵 Salaries & Financials
United Kingdom
Costa Rica
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,321 £2,481
$981 ₡486.2K
238.70%
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: January 12, 2026

Last update for Costa Rica: January 12, 2026

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