Cost of living comparison
Costa Rica is 30.2% cheaper than New York.
- Restaurants
-
pay 24.0% less in Costa Rica
- Groceries
-
pay 21.9% less in Costa Rica
- Housing
-
pay 50.2% less in Costa Rica
- Childcare
-
pay 60.3% less in Costa Rica
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 39.2% less in Costa Rica
- Clothing
-
pay 14.3% 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 New York, you would:
pay 24.0% less for restaurants
|
New York
|
Costa Rica
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$19.04
|
$9.75
CRC4,960.41
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$10.50
|
$9.08
CRC4,621.51
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.37
|
$2.01
CRC1,023.18
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.83
|
$1.49
CRC759.04
|
|
pay 21.9% less for groceries
|
New York
|
Costa Rica
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.74
|
$2.53
CRC1,288.62
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$7.35
|
$3.76
CRC1,914.83
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$4.05
|
$6.98
CRC3,550.00
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.87
|
$3.21
CRC1,634.68
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.18
|
$3.97
CRC2,020.77
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.36
|
$1.79
CRC910.60
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.80
|
$0.62
CRC313.93
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.10
|
$1.22
CRC619.02
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.36
|
$1.22
CRC621.69
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.54
|
$1.09
CRC556.88
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.49
|
$1.11
CRC566.77
|
|
pay (unknown) more for transportation
|
New York
|
Costa Rica
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.60
|
$5.63
CRC2,863.57
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$97.65
|
$49.00
CRC24,935.34
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$31,535.81
|
$35,063.37
CRC17,843,584.03
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$18.98
|
$15.62
CRC7,950.08
|
pay 50.2% less for housing
|
New York
|
Costa Rica
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$63.86
|
$48.50
CRC24,681.64
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,925.71
|
$778.04
CRC395,939.69
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,646.33
|
$547.50
CRC278,621.84
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$138.03
|
$68.26
CRC34,736.03
|
|
pay 60.3% less for childcare
|
New York
|
Costa Rica
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,553.18
|
$519.07
CRC264,151.03
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$23,861.84
|
$10,987.74
CRC5,591,610.53
|
|
pay 39.2% less for entertainment and sports
|
New York
|
Costa Rica
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$6.09
|
$2.73
CRC1,387.84
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$4.84
|
$3.65
CRC1,859.63
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$13.68
|
$4.58
CRC2,331.92
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$63.42
|
$59.46
CRC30,259.21
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$15.22
|
$8.63
CRC4,389.69
|
|
pay 14.3% more for clothing
|
New York
|
Costa Rica
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$50.08
|
$65.32
CRC33,242.90
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$41.74
|
$44.54
CRC22,666.37
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$82.58
|
$110.39
CRC56,174.67
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$112.43
|
$97.22
CRC49,473.20
|
|
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