Costa Rica vs Dominican Republic - Cost of Living Comparison

Updated:

Livingcost

Costa Rica Dominican Republic
🚶 Cost of living one person
$1195
$807
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Cost of living Family
$2964
$2060
🏠 One person rent
$547
$320
🏘️ Family rent
$932
$607
🍽️ Food expenses
$455
$311
🚐 Transport expenses
$64.7
$98
💳 Monthly salary after tax
$956
$416
💸 GDP per capita
$16595
$10716
😃 Human freedom index
8.04
7.56
❤️ Life expectancy
77.3
74.2
👮 Corruption perceptions index
55
35
🌐 English speaking %
8.2%
0.2%
🎓 Higher education
75
37
😀 Quality of life
56
36
🏙️ Population
5.04M
10.8M

The average cost of living in Costa Rica ($1195) is 48% more expensive than in the Dominican Republic ($807). Costa Rica ranked 52nd vs 122nd for the Dominican Republic in the list of the most expensive countries in the world.

The average after-tax salary is enough to cover living expenses for 0.8 months in Costa Rica compared to 0.5 months in the Dominican Republic. Ranked 65th and 128th best countries to live in the world.

Salary adjustment calculator
the estimated difference in money purchasing power

Cost of living in Costa Rica vs Dominican Republic infographic

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Prices in Costa Rica vs the Dominican Republic

We calculate prices for Costa Rica and the Dominican Republic as a population-weighted mean of 9 and 25 cities, respectively. Since large cities tend to have a higher cost of living, it's better to visit specific city pages below for more relevant information.

Costa Rica Dominican Republic
Eating Out
🍱 Lunch Menu
$9.45
$6.85
🥂 Dinner in a Restaurant, for 2
$47
$37.3
🥪 Fast food meal, equiv. McDonald's
$8.97
$6.79
🍻 Beer in a Pub, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$2.84
$2.4
 Cappuccino
$4.13
$2.11
🥤 Pepsi / Coke, 0.5 L or 16.9 fl oz
$1.84
$0.87
Rent & Utilities
🏙️ 1 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$597
$355
🏡 Cheap 1 bedroom apartment, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$411
$215
🏙️ 3 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$1066
$700
🏡 Cheap 3 bedroom apartment, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$737
$460
🔌 Utility Bill one person, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$55.6
$41.2
🔌 Utility Bill for a Family, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$85.4
$63.2
🌐 Internet plan, 50 Mbps+ 1 month unlimited
$43.6
$35.4
🏦 Mortgage Interest Rate for 20 Years
11.25%
12.89%
🏙️ Apartment price to Buy in city Center, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$2170
$1653
🏡 House price to Buy in Suburbs, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$1570
$915
Transportation
🚌 Local transport ticket
$0.93
$0.69
🎟️ Monthly ticket local transport
$50
$49.4
🚕 Taxi Ride, 8 km or 5 mi
$14.7
$19
 Gas / Petrol, 1 L or 0.26 gal
$1.43
$1.24
Groceries
🥛 Milk, 1 L or 1 qt
$1.95
$1.15
🍞 Bread, 0.5 kg or 1.1 lb
$2.29
$1.51
🍚 Rice, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.95
$1.07
🥚 Eggs, x12
$3.2
$1.78
🧀 Cheese, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$10.2
$6.55
🐔 Chicken Breast, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$8.53
$5.4
🥩 Round Steak, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$12.8
$11
🍏 Apples, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$3.95
$2.63
🍌 Banana, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.31
$0.76
🍊 Oranges, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$3.22
$2.55
🍅 Tomato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$2.68
$1.44
🥔 Potato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$2.52
$1.54
🧅 Onion, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$2.46
$2.19
🌊 Water, 1 L or 1 qt
$1.57
$0.55
🍹 Coca-Cola / Pepsi, 2 L or 67.6 fl oz
$3.05
$1.37
🍾 Wine (mid-priced), 750 mL bottle
$15.5
$11.7
🍺 Beer, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$2.2
$2.36
🚬 Cigarette pack
$4.86
$4.02
💊 Cold medicince, 1 week
$8.11
$6.2
🧴 Hair Shampoo
$7
$4.14
🧻 Toilet paper, 4 rolls
$2.76
$2.32
👄 Toothpaste, 1 tube
$3.9
$2.29
Other
🏋️ Gym Membership, 1 month
$51.8
$29.4
🎫 Cinema Ticket, 1 person
$8.05
$5.56
👩‍⚕️ Doctor's visit
$66.7
$28.2
💇 Haircut, simple
$12.8
$8.07
👖 Brand Jeans
$69.5
$46.8
👟 Brand Sneakers
$118
$83.4
👶 Daycare or Preschool, 1 month
$481
$301
🏫 International Primary School, 1 year
$12191
$4539

Cost of living in other countries

Cost of living

Cities Comparison in Costa Rica vs the Dominican Republic

More countries to compare

Cost of Living in Popular cities

In Costa Rica

City Cost of living Population
San Jose
$1239
342K
Limon
$1201
71.5K
Alajuela
$1233
44.4K
Liberia
$898
65.9K
Puntarenas
$1277
41.5K
Cartago
$961
22.8K
Heredia
$1246
16.7K
Tamarindo
$1687
7.13K
Santa Teresa
$1310
3K

In the Dominican Republic

City Cost of living Population
Santo Domingo
$1046
1.13M
Santiago de los Caballeros
$794
1.34M
Puerto Plata
$766
338K
La Vega
$573
248K
San Cristobal
$831
233K
Higuey
$769
251K
Punta Cana
$1023
139K
San Francisco de Macoris
$527
188K
San Juan de la Maguana
$625
169K
Bani
$709
146K
Boca Chica
$838
142K
San Pedro de Macoris
$731
217K
Bonao
$542
158K
La Romana
$685
139K
Sabaneta
$727
98.5K
Azua
$791
91.3K
Samana
$718
108K
Barahona
$728
83.6K
Cotui
$660
79.6K
Mao
$740
76.9K
Nagua
$809
76.9K
Sosua
$964
69.9K
Jarabacoa
$758
58.8K
El Seibo
$748
66.9K
Cabarete
$790
4.09K