Costa Rica vs Ecuador - Cost of Living Comparison

Updated:

Livingcost

Costa Rica Ecuador
🚶 Cost of living one person
$1223
$812
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Cost of living Family
$3032
$2084
🏠 One person rent
$553
$326
🏘️ Family rent
$929
$592
🍽️ Food expenses
$466
$302
🚐 Transport expenses
$67.4
$92.4
💳 Monthly salary after tax
$1035
$527
💸 GDP per capita
$16942
$6610
😃 Human freedom index
8.23
6.99
❤️ Life expectancy
77.3
77.9
👮 Corruption perceptions index
58
32
🌐 English speaking %
8.2%
1.2%
🎓 Higher education
75
54
😀 Quality of life
57
32
🏙️ Population
5.04M
16.9M

The average cost of living in Costa Rica ($1223) is 51% more expensive than in Ecuador ($812). Costa Rica ranked 51st vs 121st 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 66th and 141st best countries to live in the world.

Salary adjustment calculator
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
$9.67
$3.92
🥂 Dinner in a Restaurant, for 2
$48.3
$37.5
🥪 Fast food meal, equiv. McDonald's
$9.11
$7.57
🍻 Beer in a Pub, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$2.72
$2.5
 Cappuccino
$4.09
$2.64
🥤 Pepsi / Coke, 0.5 L or 16.9 fl oz
$1.93
$0.94
Rent & Utilities
🏙️ 1 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$626
$295
🏡 Cheap 1 bedroom apartment, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$406
$250
🏙️ 3 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$1078
$543
🏡 Cheap 3 bedroom apartment, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$722
$493
🔌 Utility Bill one person, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$58.4
$38.5
🔌 Utility Bill for a Family, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$89.9
$59.6
🌐 Internet plan, 50 Mbps+ 1 month unlimited
$45.2
$28.8
🏦 Mortgage Interest Rate for 20 Years
9.96%
9.77%
🏙️ Apartment price to Buy in city Center, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$2614
$1196
🏡 House price to Buy in Suburbs, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$1569
$2020
Transportation
🚌 Local transport ticket
$0.96
$0.33
🎟️ Monthly ticket local transport
$51.1
$21.6
🚕 Taxi Ride, 8 km or 5 mi
$15.8
$16.6
 Gas / Petrol, 1 L or 0.26 gal
$1.43
$0.71
Groceries
🥛 Milk, 1 L or 1 qt
$2.06
$1.13
🍞 Bread, 0.5 kg or 1.1 lb
$2.35
$1.55
🍚 Rice, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.97
$1.46
🥚 Eggs, x12
$3.1
$2.29
🧀 Cheese, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$10.8
$7.01
🐔 Chicken Breast, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$8.45
$6.05
🥩 Round Steak, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$12.9
$7.3
🍏 Apples, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$3.94
$2.08
🍌 Banana, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.41
$1.24
🍊 Oranges, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$3.43
$1.13
🍅 Tomato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$2.74
$1.26
🥔 Potato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$2.71
$1.43
🧅 Onion, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$2.56
$1.2
🌊 Water, 1 L or 1 qt
$1.64
$0.71
🍹 Coca-Cola / Pepsi, 2 L or 67.6 fl oz
$3.18
$2.05
🍾 Wine (mid-priced), 750 mL bottle
$16
$10.7
🍺 Beer, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$2.27
$1.74
🚬 Cigarette pack
$4.96
$6.29
💊 Cold medicince, 1 week
$8.11
$7.58
🧴 Hair Shampoo
$7.96
$6.41
🧻 Toilet paper, 4 rolls
$3.22
$2.1
👄 Toothpaste, 1 tube
$3.77
$1.89
Other
🏋️ Gym Membership, 1 month
$57.6
$34.2
🎫 Cinema Ticket, 1 person
$8.89
$6.79
👩‍⚕️ Doctor's visit
$72
$37.4
💇 Haircut, simple
$15.2
$8.81
👖 Brand Jeans
$64.6
$51.2
👟 Brand Sneakers
$123
$96.2
👶 Daycare or Preschool, 1 month
$560
$264
🏫 International Primary School, 1 year
$11203
$6414

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
$1324
342K
Limon
$1225
71.5K
Alajuela
$1269
44.4K
Liberia
$932
65.9K
Cartago
$1024
22.8K
Puntarenas
$801
41.5K
Heredia
$1296
16.7K
Tamarindo
$1710
7.13K
Santa Teresa
$1213
3K

In Ecuador

City Cost of living Population
Guayaquil
$925
2.65M
Quito
$884
1.76M
Cuenca
$758
362K
Duran
$806
295K
Santo Domingo
$532
335K
Machala
$569
288K
Ambato
$573
177K
Manta
$990
259K
Ibarra
$519
158K
Loja
$600
203K
Quevedo
$651
178K
Portoviejo
$716
244K
Milagro
$697
160K
Esmeraldas
$610
155K
La Libertad
$816
112K
Babahoyo
$823
98.3K
Riobamba
$538
177K
Galapagos Islands
$674
25K
Montanita
$766
1K