Costa Rica vs Ecuador - Cost of Living Comparison

Updated:

Livingcost

Costa Rica Ecuador
🚶 Cost of living one person
$1195
$814
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Cost of living Family
$2964
$2057
🏠 One person rent
$547
$338
🏘️ Family rent
$932
$591
🍽️ Food expenses
$455
$297
🚐 Transport expenses
$64.7
$85.6
💳 Monthly salary after tax
$956
$523
💸 GDP per capita
$16595
$6533
😃 Human freedom index
8.04
7.03
❤️ Life expectancy
77.3
77.9
👮 Corruption perceptions index
55
34
🌐 English speaking %
8.2%
2%
🎓 Higher education
75
53
😀 Quality of life
56
40
🏙️ Population
5.04M
16.9M

The average cost of living in Costa Rica ($1195) is 47% more expensive than in Ecuador ($814). Costa Rica ranked 52nd vs 120th for Ecuador 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 0.6 months in Ecuador. Ranked 65th and 114th best countries to live in the world.

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the estimated difference in money purchasing power

Cost of living in Costa Rica vs Ecuador infographic

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Prices in Costa Rica vs Ecuador

We calculate prices for Costa Rica and Ecuador as a population-weighted mean of 9 and 19 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 Ecuador
Eating Out
🍱 Lunch Menu
$9.45
$4.61
🥂 Dinner in a Restaurant, for 2
$47
$35.1
🥪 Fast food meal, equiv. McDonald's
$8.97
$7.4
🍻 Beer in a Pub, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$2.84
$2.09
 Cappuccino
$4.13
$2.75
🥤 Pepsi / Coke, 0.5 L or 16.9 fl oz
$1.84
$0.88
Rent & Utilities
🏙️ 1 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$597
$334
🏡 Cheap 1 bedroom apartment, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$411
$252
🏙️ 3 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$1066
$594
🏡 Cheap 3 bedroom apartment, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$737
$475
🔌 Utility Bill one person, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$55.6
$39.8
🔌 Utility Bill for a Family, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$85.4
$61.6
🌐 Internet plan, 50 Mbps+ 1 month unlimited
$43.6
$30
🏦 Mortgage Interest Rate for 20 Years
11.25%
9.51%
🏙️ Apartment price to Buy in city Center, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$2170
$1253
🏡 House price to Buy in Suburbs, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$1570
$1967
Transportation
🚌 Local transport ticket
$0.93
$0.33
🎟️ Monthly ticket local transport
$50
$21.6
🚕 Taxi Ride, 8 km or 5 mi
$14.7
$15.3
 Gas / Petrol, 1 L or 0.26 gal
$1.43
$0.76
Groceries
🥛 Milk, 1 L or 1 qt
$1.95
$1.14
🍞 Bread, 0.5 kg or 1.1 lb
$2.29
$1.42
🍚 Rice, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.95
$1.32
🥚 Eggs, x12
$3.2
$2.22
🧀 Cheese, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$10.2
$6.84
🐔 Chicken Breast, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$8.53
$5.64
🥩 Round Steak, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$12.8
$7.49
🍏 Apples, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$3.95
$2.16
🍌 Banana, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.31
$1.33
🍊 Oranges, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$3.22
$1.3
🍅 Tomato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$2.68
$1.38
🥔 Potato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$2.52
$1.33
🧅 Onion, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$2.46
$1.22
🌊 Water, 1 L or 1 qt
$1.57
$0.72
🍹 Coca-Cola / Pepsi, 2 L or 67.6 fl oz
$3.05
$2.18
🍾 Wine (mid-priced), 750 mL bottle
$15.5
$10.3
🍺 Beer, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$2.2
$1.7
🚬 Cigarette pack
$4.86
$5.84
💊 Cold medicince, 1 week
$8.11
$7.16
🧴 Hair Shampoo
$7
$6.01
🧻 Toilet paper, 4 rolls
$2.76
$2.24
👄 Toothpaste, 1 tube
$3.9
$2.06
Other
🏋️ Gym Membership, 1 month
$51.8
$36.3
🎫 Cinema Ticket, 1 person
$8.05
$6.81
👩‍⚕️ Doctor's visit
$66.7
$36.2
💇 Haircut, simple
$12.8
$8.59
👖 Brand Jeans
$69.5
$56.5
👟 Brand Sneakers
$118
$98
👶 Daycare or Preschool, 1 month
$481
$264
🏫 International Primary School, 1 year
$12191
$6728

Cost of living in other countries

Cost of living

Cities Comparison in Costa Rica vs Ecuador

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 Ecuador

City Cost of living Population
Guayaquil
$910
2.65M
Quito
$902
1.76M
Cuenca
$770
362K
Duran
$808
295K
Santo Domingo
$592
335K
Machala
$594
288K
Ambato
$574
177K
Manta
$870
259K
Ibarra
$528
158K
Loja
$617
203K
Quevedo
$651
178K
Milagro
$722
160K
Portoviejo
$760
244K
Esmeraldas
$618
155K
La Libertad
$813
112K
Babahoyo
$827
98.3K
Riobamba
$545
177K
Galapagos Islands
$679
25K
Montanita
$761
1K