The Real Cost of Living in Costa Rica
What you spend really depends on your lifestyle. Some live for as little as $1500 monthly while other spend two and three times the said amount. I would say that the for between $1,500 to $2,700 per month you can have a comfortable lifestyle, and splurge occasionally. Remember if you “go local” and do as the Costa Ricans you will save money.
Incoming weeks I will elaborate more on this subject including tips for saving money and some sample budgets.* The prices below are from May 2018 and based on an exchange rate of around 560 colones to a dollar.
The figures below are from Numbeo.com
Cost of living in Costa Rica is 23.07% lower than in United States (aggregate data for all cities, rent is not taken into account). Rent in Costa Rica is 55.24% lower than in United States (average data for all cities).
| Restaurants | Colones | Range |
|---|---|---|
| Meal, Inexpensive Restaurant | 4,000.00 | 3,000.00-5,000.00 |
| Meal for 2 People, Mid-range Restaurant, Three-course | 20,000.00 | 12,000.00-25,000.00 |
| McMeal at McDonalds (or Equivalent Combo Meal) | 3,965.27 | 3,500.00-4,390.12 |
| Domestic Beer (0.5 liter draught) | 1,300.00 | 850.00-1,750.00 |
| Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle) | 2,000.00 | 1,200.00-2,500.00 |
| Cappuccino (regular) | 1,384.35 | 1,000.00-2,000.00 |
| Coke/Pepsi (0.33 liter bottle) | 828.67 | 600.00-1,200.00 |
| Water (0.33 liter bottle) | 746.03 | 500.00-1,132.94 |
| Markets | ||
| Milk (regular), (1 liter) | 752.91 | 600.00-920.00 |
| Loaf of Fresh White Bread (500g) | 1,030.80 | 600.00-1,500.00 |
| Rice (white), (1kg) | 1,168.38 | 950.00-1,500.00 |
| Eggs (regular) (12) | 1,459.65 | 1,102.00-2,000.00 |
| Local Cheese (1kg) | 3,576.74 | 2,300.00-6,172.94 |
| Chicken Breasts (Boneless, Skinless), (1kg) | 4,263.17 | 3,000.00-5,664.68 |
| Beef Round (1kg) (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) | 5,175.27 | 3,512.10-7,000.00 |
| Apples (1kg) | 2,462.23 | 1,377.89-3,500.00 |
| Banana (1kg) | 648.53 | 500.00-840.00 |
| Oranges (1kg) | 1,118.18 | 500.00-2,500.00 |
| Tomato (1kg) | 1,221.80 | 600.00-2,000.00 |
| Potato (1kg) | 1,058.78 | 655.00-1,500.00 |
| Onion (1kg) | 978.96 | 679.76-1,500.00 |
| Lettuce (1 head) | 457.86 | 300.00-700.00 |
| Water (1.5 liter bottle) | 1,091.16 | 800.00-1,500.00 |
| Bottle of Wine (Mid-Range) | 6,000.00 | 5,000.00-8,000.00 |
| Domestic Beer (0.5 liter bottle) | 914.80 | 700.00-1,200.00 |
| Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle) | 1,468.84 | 950.00-2,100.00 |
| Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro) | 2,000.00 | 1,600.00-2,500.00 |
| Transportation | ||
| One-way Ticket (Local Transport) | 400.00 | 300.00-525.00 |
| Monthly Pass (Regular Price) | 23,000.00 | 15,217.39-30,000.00 |
| Taxi Start (Normal Tariff) | 645.00 | 600.00-700.00 |
| Taxi 1km (Normal Tariff) | 650.00 | 600.00-800.00 |
| Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff) | 6,000.00 | 5,000.00-10,000.00 |
| Gasoline (1 liter) | 614.24 | 547.00-700.00 |
| Volkswagen Golf 1.4 90 KW Trendline (Or Equivalent New Car) | 12,210,000.00 | 10,000,000.00-14,161,688.98 |
| Toyota Corolla 1.6l 97kW Comfort (Or Equivalent New Car) | 14,661,940.76 | 13,527,800.00-16,427,559.21 |
| Utilities (Monthly) | ||
| Basic (Electricity, Heating, Cooling, Water, Garbage) for 85m2 Apartment | 46,062.15 | 22,000.00-80,000.00 |
| 1 min. of Prepaid Mobile Tariff Local (No Discounts or Plans) | 37.59 | 30.00-62.31 |
| Internet (60 Mbps or More, Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL) | 31,323.15 | 18,000.00-60,000.00 |
| Sports And Leisure | ||
| Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult | 30,268.77 | 16,994.03-46,000.00 |
| Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour on Weekend) | 8,832.88 | 2,500.00-15,000.00 |
| Cinema, International Release, 1 Seat | 3,500.00 | 3,000.00-4,500.00 |
| Childcare | ||
| Preschool (or Kindergarten), Full Day, Private, Monthly for 1 Child | 208,790.45 | 125,000.00-300,000.00 |
| International Primary School, Yearly for 1 Child | 4,186,025.83 | 3,000,000.00-5,664,675.59 |
| Clothing And Shoes | ||
| 1 Pair of Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar) | 37,230.22 | 25,000.00-50,000.00 |
| 1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, H&M, …) | 28,382.58 | 20,000.00-50,000.00 |
| 1 Pair of Nike Running Shoes (Mid-Range) | 56,149.89 | 45,000.00-75,000.00 |
| 1 Pair of Men Leather Business Shoes | 52,730.08 | 38,000.00-80,000.00 |
| Rent Per Month | ||
| Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Centre | 294,093.29 | 200,000.00-450,000.00 |
| Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Centre | 215,044.36 | 150,000.00-311,557.16 |
Below is an approximate cost of products and services. I will elaborate on all of this in coming weeks.
Cost of living in Costa Rica is 23.07% lower than in United States (aggregate data for all cities, rent is not taken into account). Rent in Costa Rica is 55.24% lower than in United States (average data for all cities).
| Restaurants | Colones | Range |
|---|---|---|
| Meal, Inexpensive Restaurant | 4,000.00 | 3,000.00-5,000.00 |
| Meal for 2 People, Mid-range Restaurant, Three-course | 20,000.00 | 12,000.00-25,000.00 |
| McMeal at McDonalds (or Equivalent Combo Meal) | 3,965.27 | 3,500.00-4,390.12 |
| Domestic Beer (0.5 liter draught) | 1,300.00 | 850.00-1,750.00 |
| Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle) | 2,000.00 | 1,200.00-2,500.00 |
| Cappuccino (regular) | 1,384.35 | 1,000.00-2,000.00 |
| Coke/Pepsi (0.33 liter bottle) | 828.67 | 600.00-1,200.00 |
| Water (0.33 liter bottle) | 746.03 | 500.00-1,132.94 |
| Markets | ||
| Milk (regular), (1 liter) | 752.91 | 600.00-920.00 |
| Loaf of Fresh White Bread (500g) | 1,030.80 | 600.00-1,500.00 |
| Rice (white), (1kg) | 1,168.38 | 950.00-1,500.00 |
| Eggs (regular) (12) | 1,459.65 | 1,102.00-2,000.00 |
| Local Cheese (1kg) | 3,576.74 | 2,300.00-6,172.94 |
| Chicken Breasts (Boneless, Skinless), (1kg) | 4,263.17 | 3,000.00-5,664.68 |
| Beef Round (1kg) (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) | 5,175.27 | 3,512.10-7,000.00 |
| Apples (1kg) | 2,462.23 | 1,377.89-3,500.00 |
| Banana (1kg) | 648.53 | 500.00-840.00 |
| Oranges (1kg) | 1,118.18 | 500.00-2,500.00 |
| Tomato (1kg) | 1,221.80 | 600.00-2,000.00 |
| Potato (1kg) | 1,058.78 | 655.00-1,500.00 |
| Onion (1kg) | 978.96 | 679.76-1,500.00 |
| Lettuce (1 head) | 457.86 | 300.00-700.00 |
| Water (1.5 liter bottle) | 1,091.16 | 800.00-1,500.00 |
| Bottle of Wine (Mid-Range) | 6,000.00 | 5,000.00-8,000.00 |
| Domestic Beer (0.5 liter bottle) | 914.80 | 700.00-1,200.00 |
| Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle) | 1,468.84 | 950.00-2,100.00 |
| Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro) | 2,000.00 | 1,600.00-2,500.00 |
| Transportation | ||
| One-way Ticket (Local Transport) | 400.00 | 300.00-525.00 |
| Monthly Pass (Regular Price) | 23,000.00 | 15,217.39-30,000.00 |
| Taxi Start (Normal Tariff) | 645.00 | 600.00-700.00 |
| Taxi 1km (Normal Tariff) | 650.00 | 600.00-800.00 |
| Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff) | 6,000.00 | 5,000.00-10,000.00 |
| Gasoline (1 liter) | 614.24 | 547.00-700.00 |
| Volkswagen Golf 1.4 90 KW Trendline (Or Equivalent New Car) | 12,210,000.00 | 10,000,000.00-14,161,688.98 |
| Toyota Corolla 1.6l 97kW Comfort (Or Equivalent New Car) | 14,661,940.76 | 13,527,800.00-16,427,559.21 |
| Utilities (Monthly) | ||
| Basic (Electricity, Heating, Cooling, Water, Garbage) for 85m2 Apartment | 46,062.15 | 22,000.00-80,000.00 |
| 1 min. of Prepaid Mobile Tariff Local (No Discounts or Plans) | 37.59 | 30.00-62.31 |
| Internet (60 Mbps or More, Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL) | 31,323.15 | 18,000.00-60,000.00 |
| Sports And Leisure | ||
| Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult | 30,268.77 | 16,994.03-46,000.00 |
| Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour on Weekend) | 8,832.88 | 2,500.00-15,000.00 |
| Cinema, International Release, 1 Seat | 3,500.00 | 3,000.00-4,500.00 |
| Childcare | ||
| Preschool (or Kindergarten), Full Day, Private, Monthly for 1 Child | 208,790.45 | 125,000.00-300,000.00 |
| International Primary School, Yearly for 1 Child | 4,186,025.83 | 3,000,000.00-5,664,675.59 |
| Clothing And Shoes | ||
| 1 Pair of Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar) | 37,230.22 | 25,000.00-50,000.00 |
| 1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, H&M, …) | 28,382.58 | 20,000.00-50,000.00 |
| 1 Pair of Nike Running Shoes (Mid-Range) | 56,149.89 | 45,000.00-75,000.00 |
| 1 Pair of Men Leather Business Shoes | 52,730.08 | 38,000.00-80,000.00 |
| Rent Per Month | ||
| Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Centre | 294,093.29 | 200,000.00-450,000.00 |
| Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Centre | 215,044.36 | 150,000.00-311,557.16 |
