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

Name: Costa Rica
Address: CR

😐 Solo nomad: United States is 26.6% more expensive than Costa Rica without rent, and 85% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: United States is 22.1% more expensive than Costa Rica without rent, and 61.3% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.36 $20.36

$9.74 ₡4,452

109.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.3 $74.3

$60.5 ₡27.6K

22.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.42 $11.42

$9.92 ₡4,530

15.12%

Cappuccino

$5.21 $5.21

$4.04 ₡1,848

28.96%

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

$2.62 $2.62

$2.12 ₡969

23.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.15 $2.15

$1.64 ₡749

31.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.84 $5.84

$2.92 ₡1,332

100.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.18 $7.18

$4.46 ₡2,036

60.99%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.08 $1.08

$2.09 ₡953

-48.33%

White Bread (500g)

$3.59 $3.59

$3.18 ₡1,453

12.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.71 $4.71

$2.41 ₡1,099

95.44%

Eggs

$4.38 $4.38

$3.43 ₡1,567

27.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.67 $12.67

$9.52 ₡4,349

33.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.40 $12.40

$9.22 ₡4,213

34.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.39 $16.39

$13.22 ₡6,041

23.98%

Apples (1kg)

$5.16 $5.16

$4.70 ₡2,149

9.79%

Banana (1kg)

$1.72 $1.72

$1.56 ₡712

10.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.47 $4.47

$3.35 ₡1,528

33.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.01 $5.01

$3.00 ₡1,371

67.00%

Potato (1kg)

$2.91 $2.91

$2.93 ₡1,337

-0.68%

Onion (1kg)

$3.06 $3.06

$2.71 ₡1,240

12.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.16 $2.16

$1.02 ₡464

111.76%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.21 $2.21

$2.42 ₡1,106

-8.68%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.93 $9.93

$5.01 ₡2,288

98.20%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.94 $14.94

$16.31 ₡7,448

-8.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.91 $1.91

$2.31 ₡1,053

-17.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.70 $3.70

$2.85 ₡1,300

29.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.55 $2.55

$0.94 ₡431

171.28%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.0 $65.0

$49.31 ₡22.5K

31.90%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 $3.69

$1.81 ₡825

103.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.78 $1.78

$2.00 ₡913

-11.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.24 $30.24

$7.43 ₡3,396

307.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.45 ₡662

-34.48%

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

$29.7K $29.7K

$36.3K ₡16.6M

-18.07%

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

$26.3K $26.3K

$34.8K ₡15.9M

-24.47%

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

$210 $210

$88.1 ₡40.2K

137.96%

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

$58.3 $58.3

$25.36 ₡11.6K

129.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$72.1 $72.1

$54.1 ₡24.7K

33.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.90 $45.90

$57.7 ₡26.4K

-20.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.20 $22.20

$29.04 ₡13.3K

-23.55%

Cinema Ticket

$14.25 $14.25

$9.05 ₡4,134

57.46%

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

$1,367 $1,367

$550 ₡251.1K

148.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.8K $22.8K

$10.2K ₡4.7M

123.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.0 $53.0

$71.5 ₡32.7K

-25.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.96 $42.96

$53.9 ₡24.6K

-20.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.4 $89.4

$121 ₡55.1K

-25.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 $113

$101 ₡46.2K

12.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,766 $1,766

$812 ₡371.2K

117.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,460 $1,460

$553 ₡252.8K

163.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,865 $2,865

$1,493 ₡681.8K

91.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,360 $2,360

$1,057 ₡483.1K

123.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,427 $3,427

$2,263 ₡1.0M

51.45%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,624 $2,624

$1,634 ₡746.5K

60.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,306 $4,306

$1,067 ₡487.3K

303.63%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.51

10.53

-38.18%

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

Last update for United States: April 12, 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

United States vs other spots: cost of living compared

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

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

United States

Costa Rica

United States

Costa Rica

United States vs other spots: cost of living compared

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