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 10.2% more expensive than Costa Rica without rent, and 60.1% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: United Kingdom is 14.4% more expensive than Costa Rica without rent, and 42.7% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
United Kingdom
Costa Rica
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$20.53 £15.21
$9.74 ₡4,452
110.78%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$88.0 £65.2
$60.5 ₡27.6K
45.48%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.00 £7.41
$9.92 ₡4,530
0.81%
Cappuccino
$4.59 £3.40
$4.04 ₡1,848
13.61%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.49 £1.85
$2.12 ₡969
17.45%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.68 £1.24
$1.64 ₡749
2.44%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$6.76 £5.01
$2.92 ₡1,332
131.51%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.26 £4.64
$4.46 ₡2,036
40.36%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
United Kingdom
Costa Rica
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.64 £1.22
$2.09 ₡953
-21.53%
White Bread (500g)
$1.73 £1.28
$3.18 ₡1,453
-45.60%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.18 £1.61
$2.41 ₡1,099
-9.54%
Eggs
$4.06 £3.01
$3.43 ₡1,567
18.37%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.49 £7.03
$9.52 ₡4,349
-0.32%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.81 £6.53
$9.22 ₡4,213
-4.45%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$14.17 £10.50
$13.22 ₡6,041
7.19%
Apples (1kg)
$3.02 £2.24
$4.70 ₡2,149
-35.74%
Banana (1kg)
$1.60 £1.19
$1.56 ₡712
2.56%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.89 £2.14
$3.35 ₡1,528
-13.73%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.42 £2.53
$3.00 ₡1,371
14.00%
Potato (1kg)
$1.64 £1.21
$2.93 ₡1,337
-44.03%
Onion (1kg)
$1.54 £1.14
$2.71 ₡1,240
-43.17%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.11 £0.82
$1.02 ₡464
8.82%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.52 £1.13
$2.42 ₡1,106
-37.19%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$20.02 £14.83
$5.01 ₡2,288
299.60%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.73 £7.95
$16.31 ₡7,448
-34.21%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.87 £2.12
$2.31 ₡1,053
24.24%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.27 £2.42
$2.85 ₡1,300
14.74%
🚌 Getting Around
United Kingdom
Costa Rica
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.23 £2.40
$0.94 ₡431
243.62%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$95.8 £71.0
$49.31 ₡22.5K
94.32%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$5.55 £4.11
$1.81 ₡825
206.63%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.57 £1.17
$2.00 ₡913
-21.50%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$26.67 £19.76
$7.43 ₡3,396
258.95%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.97 £1.46
$1.45 ₡662
35.86%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$38.1K £28.2K
$36.3K ₡16.6M
4.98%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$41.3K £30.6K
$34.8K ₡15.9M
18.70%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
United Kingdom
Costa Rica
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$326 £242
$88.1 ₡40.2K
270.20%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$17.49 £12.96
$25.36 ₡11.6K
-31.03%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$43.23 £32.03
$54.1 ₡24.7K
-20.03%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
United Kingdom
Costa Rica
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$46.40 £34.39
$57.7 ₡26.4K
-19.57%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$16.14 £11.96
$29.04 ₡13.3K
-44.42%
Cinema Ticket
$13.45 £9.96
$9.05 ₡4,134
48.62%
🧸 Childcare & Education
United Kingdom
Costa Rica
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,734 £1,285
$550 ₡251.1K
215.41%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$21.5K £15.9K
$10.2K ₡4.7M
110.50%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
United Kingdom
Costa Rica
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$92.1 £68.2
$71.5 ₡32.7K
28.83%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$44.35 £32.87
$53.9 ₡24.6K
-17.72%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$101 £74.8
$121 ₡55.1K
-16.26%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$105 £77.6
$101 ₡46.2K
3.52%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
United Kingdom
Costa Rica
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,419 £1,052
$812 ₡371.2K
74.66%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,154 £855
$553 ₡252.8K
108.47%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,304 £1,707
$1,493 ₡681.8K
54.34%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,865 £1,382
$1,057 ₡483.1K
76.40%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$5,885 £4,361
$2,263 ₡1.0M
160.08%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$4,601 £3,409
$1,634 ₡746.5K
181.54%
💵 Salaries & Financials
United Kingdom
Costa Rica
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,290 £2,438
$1,067 ₡487.3K
208.42%
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: April 14, 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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