Cost of living comparison
Costa Rica is 30.4% cheaper than California.
- Restaurants
-
pay 32.9% less in Costa Rica
- Groceries
-
pay 25.0% less in Costa Rica
- Transportation
-
pay 2.4% less in Costa Rica
- Housing
-
pay 57.5% less in Costa Rica
- Childcare
-
pay 66.8% less in Costa Rica
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 40.2% less in Costa Rica
- Clothing
-
pay 11.8% more in Costa Rica
Expenses including childcare, housing, entertainment and sports, restaurants, groceries, and transportation are lower in Costa Rica.
If you lived in Costa Rica instead of California, you would:
pay 32.9% less for restaurants
|
California
|
Costa Rica
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$21.02
|
$9.75
CRC4,960.41
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$11.52
|
$9.08
CRC4,621.51
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.71
|
$2.01
CRC1,023.18
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.16
|
$1.49
CRC759.04
|
|
pay 25.0% less for groceries
|
California
|
Costa Rica
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$4.14
|
$2.53
CRC1,288.62
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$6.95
|
$3.76
CRC1,914.83
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$4.61
|
$6.98
CRC3,550.00
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$4.33
|
$3.21
CRC1,634.68
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.70
|
$3.97
CRC2,020.77
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.34
|
$1.79
CRC910.60
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.92
|
$0.62
CRC313.93
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.91
|
$1.22
CRC619.02
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.38
|
$1.22
CRC621.69
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.39
|
$1.09
CRC556.88
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.44
|
$1.11
CRC566.77
|
|
pay 2.4% less for transportation
|
California
|
Costa Rica
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.83
|
$5.63
CRC2,863.57
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$62.05
|
$49.00
CRC24,935.34
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$30,005.28
|
$35,063.37
CRC17,843,584.03
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$20.07
|
$15.62
CRC7,950.08
|
|
pay 57.5% less for housing
|
California
|
Costa Rica
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$68.54
|
$48.50
CRC24,681.64
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$2,371.29
|
$778.04
CRC395,939.69
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$2,055.18
|
$547.50
CRC278,621.84
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$171.68
|
$68.26
CRC34,736.03
|
|
pay 66.8% less for childcare
|
California
|
Costa Rica
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,682.51
|
$519.07
CRC264,151.03
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$30,905.75
|
$10,987.74
CRC5,591,610.53
|
|
pay 40.2% less for entertainment and sports
|
California
|
Costa Rica
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$7.00
|
$2.73
CRC1,387.84
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.34
|
$3.65
CRC1,859.63
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$10.91
|
$4.58
CRC2,331.92
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$66.35
|
$59.46
CRC30,259.21
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$14.41
|
$8.63
CRC4,389.69
|
|
pay 11.8% more for clothing
|
California
|
Costa Rica
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$52.77
|
$65.32
CRC33,242.90
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$40.15
|
$44.54
CRC22,666.37
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$85.15
|
$110.39
CRC56,174.67
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$117.31
|
$97.22
CRC49,473.20
|
|
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