Cost of living comparison

compared to
Costa Rica vs. Minnesota Cost of Living Summary

Costa Rica is 20.7% cheaper than Minnesota.

Restaurants
pay 25.9% less in Costa Rica
Groceries
pay 16.8% less in Costa Rica
Transportation
pay 11.8% more in Costa Rica
Housing
pay 38.8% less in Costa Rica
Childcare
pay 55.6% less in Costa Rica
Entertainment and Sports
pay 30.3% less in Costa Rica
Clothing
pay 10.4% more in Costa Rica

The cost of transportation and clothing in Costa Rica are more expensive than in Minnesota. Expenses including childcare, housing, entertainment and sports, restaurants, and groceries are lower in Costa Rica.

Costa Rica vs. Minnesota Cost Breakdown

If you lived in Costa Rica instead of Minnesota, you would:

pay 25.9% less for restaurants

 
Minnesota
Costa Rica
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant $17.25
 
$9.75
CRC4,960.41
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
$10.44
 
$9.08
CRC4,621.51
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) $2.57
 
$2.01
CRC1,023.18

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pay 16.8% less for groceries

 
Minnesota
Costa Rica
Bread
1 loaf
$3.24
 
$2.53
CRC1,288.62
Local cheese (8 oz) $4.95
 
$3.76
CRC1,914.83
Milk (1 gallon) $3.64
 
$6.98
CRC3,550.00

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pay 11.8% more for transportation

 
Minnesota
Costa Rica
Gasoline (1 gallon) $3.27
 
$5.63
CRC2,863.57
Monthly public transit pass $75.17
 
$49.00
CRC24,935.34
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) $32,650.12
 
$35,063.37
CRC17,843,584.03

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pay 38.8% less for housing

 
Minnesota
Costa Rica
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
$66.32
 
$48.50
CRC24,681.64
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area $1,195.42
 
$778.04
CRC395,939.69
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center $1,106.51
 
$547.50
CRC278,621.84

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pay 55.6% less for childcare

 
Minnesota
Costa Rica
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly $1,324.96
 
$519.07
CRC264,151.03
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters $22,140.67
 
$10,987.74
CRC5,591,610.53

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pay 30.3% less for entertainment and sports

 
Minnesota
Costa Rica
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) $5.62
 
$2.73
CRC1,387.84
Cappuccino in mid-range area $5.50
 
$3.65
CRC1,859.63
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
$9.80
 
$4.58
CRC2,331.92

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pay 10.4% more for clothing

 
Minnesota
Costa Rica
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
$52.74
 
$65.32
CRC33,242.90
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
$47.94
 
$44.54
CRC22,666.37
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
$84.66
 
$110.39
CRC56,174.67

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The statistics used to build this comparison are calculated using data from users just like you. We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Learn more about our data sources. Page last updated: January 2025
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See the cost of living in United States vs. Costa Rica. This provides a comparison of the average cost of living from cities within United States and Costa Rica.

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