Cost of living in Costa Rica

Summary of cost of living in Costa Rica

  • Family of four estimated monthly costs: ₡ 1,659,868
  • Single person estimated monthly costs: ₡ 761,562
  • Costa Rica is the 4th most expensive country in Latin America (4 out of 16)
  • Cost of living in Costa Rica is cheaper than in 53% of countries in the World (35 out of 66)
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Food
Basic lunchtime menu (including a drink) in the business district ₡ 7,179
Combo meal in fast food restaurant (big mac meal or similar) ₡ 4,244
500 gr (1 lb.) of boneless chicken breast ₡ 2,104
1 liter (1 qt.) of whole fat milk ₡ 1,033
12 eggs, large ₡ 2,009
1 kg (2 lb.) of tomatoes ₡ 1,170
500 gr (16 oz.) of local cheese ₡ 2,832
1 kg (2 lb.) of apples ₡ 1,735
1 kg (2 lb.) of potatoes ₡ 961
0.5 l (16 oz) domestic beer in the supermarket ₡ 972
1 bottle of red table wine, good quality ₡ 9,064
2 liters of coca-cola ₡ 1,602
Bread for 2 people for 1 day ₡ 887
Housing
Monthly rent for 85 m2 (900 sqft) furnished accommodation in expensive area ₡ 589,206
Monthly rent for 85 m2 (900 sqft) furnished accommodation in normal area ₡ 339,942
Utilities 1 month (heating, electricity, gas ...) for 2 people in 85m2 flat ₡ 36,687
Monthly rent for a 45 m2 (480 sqft) furnished studio in expensive area ₡ 378,343
Monthly rent for a 45 m2 (480 sqft) furnished studio in normal area ₡ 224,652
Utilities 1 month (heating, electricity, gas ...) for 1 person in 45 m2 (480 sqft) studio ₡ 21,419
Internet 8 mbps (1 month) ₡ 13,402
40” flat screen tv ₡ 192,502
Microwave 800/900 watt (bosch, panasonic, lg, sharp, or equivalent brands) ₡ 70,289
Laundry detergent (3 l. ~ 100 oz.) ₡ 4,103
Hourly rate for cleaning help ₡ 2,235
Clothes
1 pair of jeans (levis 501 or similar) ₡ 39,927
1 summer dress in a high street store (zara, h&m or similar retailers) ₡ 19,656
1 pair of sport shoes (nike, adidas, or equivalent brands) ₡ 54,687
1 pair of men’s leather business shoes ₡ 47,659
Transportation
Volkswagen golf 1.4 tsi 150 cv (or equivalent), with no extras, new ₡ 14,778,300
1 liter (1/4 gallon) of gas ₡ 703
Monthly ticket public transport ₡ 23,869
Personal Care
Cold medicine for 6 days (tylenol, frenadol, coldrex, or equivalent brands) ₡ 3,885
1 box of antibiotics (12 doses) ₡ 7,483
Short visit to private doctor (15 minutes) ₡ 34,202
1 box of 32 tampons (tampax, ob, ...) ₡ 5,144
Deodorant, roll-on (50ml ~ 1.5 oz.) ₡ 3,186
Hair shampoo 2-in-1 (400 ml ~ 12 oz.) ₡ 3,490
4 rolls of toilet paper ₡ 1,268
Tube of toothpaste ₡ 1,924
Standard men's haircut in expat area of the city ₡ 7,493
Entertainment
Basic dinner out for two in neighborhood pub ₡ 14,613
2 tickets to the movies ₡ 6,915
2 tickets to the theater (best available seats) ₡ 13,750
Dinner for two at an italian restaurant in the expat area including appetisers, main course, wine and dessert ₡ 29,844
1 cocktail drink in downtown club ₡ 4,584
Cappuccino in expat area of the city ₡ 3,313
1 beer in neighbourhood pub (500ml or 1pt.) ₡ 1,607
Ipad wi-fi 128gb ₡ 347,355
1 min. of prepaid mobile tariff (no discounts or plans) ₡ 38
1 month of gym membership in business district ₡ 34,947
1 package of marlboro cigarettes ₡ 2,752

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Map of Cost of Living in Costa Rica

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This map shows only the top cities in Costa Rica. We also have on this page a list of all the cities available in Expatistan:
List of all the cities available in Expatistan

The color of each marker corresponds with the cost of living in the city red markers show more expensive cities green ones show cheaper cities
Moving the mouse on top of a city will show its name and the Cost of Living Index of that city.

What is the Cost of Living Index? To calculate each city's Price Index value, we start by assigning a value of 100 to a central reference city (that happens to be Prague). Once the reference point has been established, the Price Index value of every other city in the database is calculated by comparing their cost of living to the cost of living in Prague.
Therefore, if a city has a Price Index of 134, that means that living there is 34% more expensive than living in Prague.

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Limón San Jose, Costa Rica

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