Cost of living comparison
Costa Rica is 37.1% cheaper than Virgin Islands overall.
- Restaurants
-
pay 31.9% less in Costa Rica
- Groceries
-
pay 53.4% less in Costa Rica
- Transportation
-
pay 33.2% less in Costa Rica
- Housing
-
pay 60.2% less in Costa Rica
- Childcare
-
pay 40.0% less in Costa Rica
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 34.2% less in Costa Rica
- Clothing
-
pay 6.8% less in Costa Rica
Expenses including housing, groceries, childcare, entertainment and sports, transportation, and restaurants are lower in Costa Rica.
If you lived in Costa Rica instead of Virgin Islands, you would:
pay 31.9% less for restaurants
|
Virgin Islands
|
Costa Rica
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$24.00
|
$9.75
CRC4,858.31
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$9.18
|
$9.08
CRC4,526.38
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$3.02
|
$2.01
CRC1,002.12
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.26
|
$1.49
CRC743.42
|
|
pay 53.4% less for groceries
|
Virgin Islands
|
Costa Rica
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$6.40
|
$2.53
CRC1,262.09
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$7.98
|
$3.76
CRC1,875.42
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$10.27
|
$6.98
CRC3,476.94
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$6.80
|
$3.21
CRC1,601.03
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$11.70
|
$3.97
CRC1,979.18
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$3.78
|
$1.79
CRC891.86
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$2.30
|
$0.62
CRC307.47
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.98
|
$1.22
CRC606.28
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$4.63
|
$1.22
CRC608.89
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.21
|
$1.09
CRC545.42
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$2.47
|
$1.11
CRC555.10
|
|
pay 33.2% less for transportation
|
Virgin Islands
|
Costa Rica
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$5.33
|
$5.63
CRC2,804.63
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$100.00
|
$49.00
CRC24,422.09
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$42,333.33
|
$35,063.37
CRC17,476,309.95
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$52.43
|
$15.62
CRC7,786.44
|
|
pay 60.2% less for housing
|
Virgin Islands
|
Costa Rica
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$96.50
|
$48.50
CRC24,173.62
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,781.25
|
$778.04
CRC387,790.07
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,389.90
|
$547.50
CRC272,886.97
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$266.22
|
$68.26
CRC34,021.06
|
|
pay 40.0% less for childcare
|
Virgin Islands
|
Costa Rica
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$991.67
|
$519.07
CRC258,714.02
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$16,200.00
|
$10,987.74
CRC5,476,518.54
|
|
pay 34.2% less for entertainment and sports
|
Virgin Islands
|
Costa Rica
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$5.70
|
$2.73
CRC1,359.27
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$6.43
|
$3.65
CRC1,821.35
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$4.50
|
$4.58
CRC2,283.92
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$109.33
|
$59.46
CRC29,636.38
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$12.67
|
$8.63
CRC4,299.33
|
|
pay 6.8% less for clothing
|
Virgin Islands
|
Costa Rica
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$78.12
|
$65.32
CRC32,558.66
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$62.38
|
$44.54
CRC22,199.83
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$98.75
|
$110.39
CRC55,018.43
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$91.67
|
$97.22
CRC48,454.89
|
|
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