Cost of living comparison
Costa Rica is 15.6% more expensive than Spain overall.
- Restaurants
-
pay 10.6% less in Costa Rica
- Groceries
-
pay 32.2% more in Costa Rica
- Transportation
-
pay 10.7% more in Costa Rica
- Housing
-
pay 3.4% less in Costa Rica
- Childcare
-
pay 42.0% more in Costa Rica
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 20.0% more in Costa Rica
- Clothing
-
pay 18.2% more in Costa Rica
The cost of childcare, groceries, entertainment and sports, clothing, and transportation in Costa Rica are more expensive than in Spain. Expenses including restaurants and housing are lower in Costa Rica.
If you lived in Costa Rica instead of Spain, you would:
pay 10.6% less for restaurants
|
Spain
|
Costa Rica
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$13.87
€12.80
|
$9.75
CRC4,934.64
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$9.22
€8.51
|
$9.08
CRC4,597.50
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.13
€1.97
|
$2.01
CRC1,017.87
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.58
€1.46
|
$1.49
CRC755.10
|
|
pay 32.2% more for groceries
|
Spain
|
Costa Rica
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$1.30
€1.20
|
$2.53
CRC1,281.92
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$6.37
€5.88
|
$3.76
CRC1,904.89
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$4.16
€3.84
|
$6.98
CRC3,531.56
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$2.66
€2.45
|
$3.21
CRC1,626.19
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$3.36
€3.11
|
$3.97
CRC2,010.28
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$0.99
€0.92
|
$1.79
CRC905.87
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.81
€0.75
|
$0.62
CRC312.30
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$0.87
€0.80
|
$1.22
CRC615.81
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.13
€1.05
|
$1.22
CRC618.46
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.72
€0.67
|
$1.09
CRC553.99
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.81
€0.75
|
$1.11
CRC563.82
|
|
pay 10.7% more for transportation
|
Spain
|
Costa Rica
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$6.38
€5.89
|
$5.63
CRC2,848.69
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$34.26
€31.63
|
$49.00
CRC24,805.81
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$33,643.92
€31,059.77
|
$35,063.37
CRC17,750,894.60
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$14.57
€13.45
|
$15.62
CRC7,908.78
|
|
pay 3.4% less for housing
|
Spain
|
Costa Rica
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$31.87
€29.42
|
$48.50
CRC24,553.43
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$872.36
€805.36
|
$778.04
CRC393,882.96
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$692.13
€638.97
|
$547.50
CRC277,174.52
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$103.97
€95.98
|
$68.26
CRC34,555.59
|
|
pay 42.0% more for childcare
|
Spain
|
Costa Rica
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$385.97
€356.33
|
$519.07
CRC262,778.88
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$7,352.21
€6,787.49
|
$10,987.74
CRC5,562,564.62
|
|
pay 20.0% more for entertainment and sports
|
Spain
|
Costa Rica
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$2.84
€2.63
|
$2.73
CRC1,380.63
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$1.98
€1.83
|
$3.65
CRC1,849.97
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$5.66
€5.22
|
$4.58
CRC2,319.80
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$42.87
€39.58
|
$59.46
CRC30,102.03
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$8.63
€7.97
|
$8.63
CRC4,366.88
|
|
pay 18.2% more for clothing
|
Spain
|
Costa Rica
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$75.89
€70.06
|
$65.32
CRC33,070.22
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$32.12
€29.65
|
$44.54
CRC22,548.63
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$77.96
€71.97
|
$110.39
CRC55,882.87
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$91.38
€84.37
|
$97.22
CRC49,216.21
|
|
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