Cost of living comparison
Switzerland is 2.2 times more expensive than Costa Rica.
If you lived in Switzerland instead of Costa Rica, you would:
pay 2.4 times more for restaurants
|
Costa Rica
|
Switzerland
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$9.75
CRC4,975.61
|
$27.66
CHF24.56
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$9.08
CRC4,635.67
|
$16.97
CHF15.06
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.01
CRC1,026.32
|
$4.67
CHF4.15
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.49
CRC761.37
|
$4.13
CHF3.66
|
|
pay 75.2% more for groceries
|
Costa Rica
|
Switzerland
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$2.53
CRC1,292.57
|
$3.64
CHF3.24
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$3.76
CRC1,920.70
|
$13.22
CHF11.74
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$6.98
CRC3,560.88
|
$7.31
CHF6.49
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.21
CRC1,639.69
|
$6.80
CHF6.03
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$3.97
CRC2,026.96
|
$12.89
CHF11.45
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.79
CRC913.40
|
$1.52
CHF1.35
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.62
CRC314.90
|
$1.03
CHF0.91
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.22
CRC620.92
|
$1.31
CHF1.17
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.22
CRC623.60
|
$2.85
CHF2.53
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.09
CRC558.59
|
$1.12
CHF0.99
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.11
CRC568.50
|
$1.07
CHF0.95
|
|
pay 86.5% more for transportation
|
Costa Rica
|
Switzerland
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$5.63
CRC2,872.34
|
$7.83
CHF6.96
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$49.00
CRC25,011.74
|
$114.11
CHF101.33
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$35,063.37
CRC17,898,258.10
|
$36,806.66
CHF32,682.03
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$15.62
CRC7,974.44
|
$42.03
CHF37.32
|
|
pay 2.1 times more for housing
|
Costa Rica
|
Switzerland
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$48.50
CRC24,757.27
|
$53.46
CHF47.47
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$778.04
CRC397,152.88
|
$1,622.75
CHF1,440.90
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$547.50
CRC279,475.56
|
$1,411.84
CHF1,253.63
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$68.26
CRC34,842.46
|
$180.02
CHF159.85
|
|
pay 3.9 times more for childcare
|
Costa Rica
|
Switzerland
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$519.07
CRC264,960.41
|
$2,587.05
CHF2,297.14
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$10,987.74
CRC5,608,743.64
|
$30,321.56
CHF26,923.67
|
|
pay 2.1 times more for entertainment and sports
|
Costa Rica
|
Switzerland
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$2.73
CRC1,392.09
|
$7.82
CHF6.95
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$3.65
CRC1,865.32
|
$5.42
CHF4.81
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$4.58
CRC2,339.06
|
$10.09
CHF8.96
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$59.46
CRC30,351.92
|
$88.49
CHF78.57
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$8.63
CRC4,403.14
|
$21.15
CHF18.78
|
|
pay 57.4% more for clothing
|
Costa Rica
|
Switzerland
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$65.32
CRC33,344.76
|
$121.70
CHF108.06
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$44.54
CRC22,735.83
|
$61.65
CHF54.74
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$110.39
CRC56,346.79
|
$136.06
CHF120.81
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$97.22
CRC49,624.79
|
$176.75
CHF156.94
|
|
Change currency:
ASK THE ELSEWHERE COMMUNITY
Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Switzerland or Costa Rica. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.