Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between the United Kingdom and Costa Rica

Name: Costa Rica
Address: CR

For one person, living is cheaper in Costa Rica: $1,821 a month against $2,462 in the United Kingdom, rent and utilities included – about $7,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

119

Cost of Living Index in the United Kingdom
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United Kingdom Living Index
87

Cost of Living Index in Costa Rica
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Costa Rica Living Index

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🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,462

/mo nomad

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,821

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,462 per month in the United Kingdom vs $1,821 in Costa Rica, rent included.

United Kingdom $2,462
Costa Rica $1,821

A couple spends around $3,600 per month in the United Kingdom vs $2,773 in Costa Rica, rent included.

United Kingdom $3,600
Costa Rica $2,773

A family of three spends $4,738 per month in the United Kingdom vs $3,725 in Costa Rica, rent included.

United Kingdom $4,738
Costa Rica $3,725

The regional cost range is wider in the United Kingdom ($1,126–$4,646) than in Costa Rica ($1,004–$2,114), so city choice matters more there.

The cost of living in the United Kingdom is about 35% higher than in Costa Rica on average.

Both the United Kingdom and Costa Rica are pricier than the global median – the United Kingdom by 81%, Costa Rica by 34%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.48 £16.15

$11.26 ₡5,082

90.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.7 £64.4

$54.5 ₡24.6K

57.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.61 £7.98

$11.02 ₡4,973

-3.72%

Cappuccino

$4.91 £3.69

$4.43 ₡1,998

10.84%

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

$2.66 £2.00

$2.34 ₡1,055

13.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 £1.40

$1.84 ₡828

1.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.63 £4.98

$3.26 ₡1,472

103.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.84 £5.14

$4.55 ₡2,053

50.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.68 £1.26

$2.45 ₡1,104

-31.43%

White Bread (500g)

$1.72 £1.29

$3.56 ₡1,608

-51.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.17 £1.63

$2.76 ₡1,245

-21.38%

Eggs

$4.00 £3.01

$3.97 ₡1,793

0.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.42 £7.08

$10.47 ₡4,726

-10.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.19 £6.90

$9.98 ₡4,505

-7.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.77 £11.10

$13.91 ₡6,275

6.18%

Apples (1kg)

$2.97 £2.23

$5.06 ₡2,282

-41.30%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 £1.22

$1.69 ₡763

-4.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.85 £2.15

$3.45 ₡1,557

-17.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.52 £2.65

$3.23 ₡1,459

8.98%

Potato (1kg)

$1.83 £1.38

$3.44 ₡1,554

-46.80%

Onion (1kg)

$1.61 £1.21

$3.25 ₡1,465

-50.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 £0.94

$1.09 ₡492

14.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 £1.25

$2.67 ₡1,203

-37.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.65 £17.77

$5.38 ₡2,426

339.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.50 £7.89

$15.50 ₡6,993

-32.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.98 £2.24

$2.75 ₡1,241

8.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.51 £2.64

$3.30 ₡1,488

6.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.98 £2.99

$1.13 ₡509

252.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$107 £80.7

$65.5 ₡29.6K

63.92%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.18 £3.89

$2.17 ₡979

138.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.35 £1.76

$2.02 ₡912

16.34%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.84 £20.17

$8.94 ₡4,034

200.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.99 £1.49

$1.61 ₡726

23.60%

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

$39.4K £29.6K

$34.5K ₡15.6M

14.36%

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

$40.5K £30.4K

$37.4K ₡16.9M

8.37%

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

$327 £246

$94.9 ₡42.8K

244.62%

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

$18.21 £13.69

$31.42 ₡14.2K

-42.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.60 £32.77

$58.6 ₡26.4K

-25.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.36 £31.83

$65.7 ₡29.6K

-35.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.22 £13.69

$22.20 ₡10.0K

-17.93%

Cinema Ticket

$13.85 £10.41

$8.10 ₡3,654

70.99%

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

$1,868 £1,404

$722 ₡325.8K

158.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.6K £17.0K

$12.9K ₡5.8M

75.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$92.9 £69.8

$75.5 ₡34.1K

23.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.92 £34.51

$56.4 ₡25.5K

-18.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 £76.4

$128 ₡57.9K

-20.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 £76.8

$108 ₡48.8K

-5.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,342 £1,009

$960 ₡433.2K

39.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,073 £807

$708 ₡319.5K

51.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,231 £1,677

$1,749 ₡789.0K

27.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,742 £1,309

$1,215 ₡548.3K

43.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,601 £4,210

$2,656 ₡1.2M

110.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,265 £3,205

$1,839 ₡829.7K

131.97%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,349 £2,517

$1,058 ₡477.6K

216.45%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.32

9.56

-44.35%

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

Last update for the United Kingdom: October 26, 2026

Last update for Costa Rica: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

United Kingdom

$1.1K 43.6%

Costa Rica

$708 38.9% 34% $365

Monthly Utilities & Internet

United Kingdom

$389 15.8%

Costa Rica

$185 10.2% 52.5% $204

Eating Out

United Kingdom

$328 13.3%

Costa Rica

$218 12% 33.3% $109

Groceries & Markets

United Kingdom

$307 12.5%

Costa Rica

$380 20.9% 23.7% $73

Clothing & Footwear

United Kingdom

$154 6.3%

Costa Rica

$166 9.1% 7.4% $11

Getting Around

United Kingdom

$140 5.7%

Costa Rica

$82 4.5% 41.3% $58

Sport & Entertainment

United Kingdom

$70 2.9%

Costa Rica

$82 4.5% 16.9% $12

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $1,287 in the United Kingdom vs $855 in Costa Rica. For reference, capital cities sit at $2,811 in London and $1,164 in San Jose.

Average salary: $3,251 in the United Kingdom vs $1,087 in Costa Rica. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 51% higher in the United Kingdom.

Dining out costs 54% more in the United Kingdom.

Public transport is 51% more expensive in the United Kingdom.

Salaries are about 3 times higher in the United Kingdom, and purchasing power comes out stronger in the United Kingdom.

Good to know

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

🕒 Local time

10:42 10:42 AM

04:42 4:42 AM

6 h behind the United Kingdom

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

67,326,569

5,044,197

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.2 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇧 British Pound (£)

British Pound exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.752 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.836 GBP (1 GBP = 1.2 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 502 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

United Kingdom Costa Rica 8,730 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

United Kingdom
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

United Kingdom vs Costa Rica: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Costa Rica is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 26% lower on average.

Housing costs more in the United Kingdom: a central one-bedroom averages $1,287 versus $855 in Costa Rica.

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