Costa Rica vs Spain - Cost of Living Comparison

Updated:

Livingcost

Costa Rica Spain
🚶 Cost of living one person
$1287
$1583
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Cost of living Family
$3093
$3587
🏠 One person rent
$597
$900
🏘️ Family rent
$919
$1458
🍽️ Food expenses
$476
$454
🚐 Transport expenses
$67.9
$94.9
💳 Monthly salary after tax
$1027
$2016
💸 GDP per capita
$18587
$35297
😃 Human freedom index
8.23
8.34
❤️ Life expectancy
80.8
83.9
👮 Corruption perceptions index
58
56
🌐 English speaking %
8.2%
22%
🎓 Higher education
75
90
😀 Quality of life
65
81
🏙️ Population
5.13M
48.8M

The average cost of living in Costa Rica ($1287) is 19% less expensive than in Spain ($1583). Costa Rica ranked 55th vs 35th for Spain 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 1.3 months in Spain. Ranked 57th and 29th best countries to live in the world.

Salary adjustment calculator
the estimated difference in money purchasing power

Cost of living in Costa Rica vs Spain infographic

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Prices in Costa Rica vs Spain

We calculate prices for Costa Rica and Spain as a population-weighted mean of 9 and 153 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 Spain
Eating Out
🍱 Lunch Menu
$9.34
$15.7
🥂 Dinner in a Restaurant, for 2
$48.6
$55.1
🥪 Fast food meal, equiv. McDonald's
$9.33
$11.1
🍻 Beer in a Pub, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$2.58
$3.85
 Cappuccino
$4.15
$2.66
🥤 Pepsi / Coke, 0.5 L or 16.9 fl oz
$2.05
$2.53
Rent & Utilities
🏙️ 1 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$687
$949
🏡 Cheap 1 bedroom apartment, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$440
$732
🏙️ 3 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$1117
$1639
🏡 Cheap 3 bedroom apartment, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$770
$1218
🔌 Utility Bill one person, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$60
$91.5
🔌 Utility Bill for a Family, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$93
$141
🌐 Internet plan, 50 Mbps+ 1 month unlimited
$47.1
$32.3
🏦 Mortgage Interest Rate for 20 Years
10.13%
3.39%
🏙️ Apartment price to Buy in city Center, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$2715
$4581
🏡 House price to Buy in Suburbs, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$1648
$3115
Transportation
🚌 Local transport ticket
$1.01
$1.86
🎟️ Monthly ticket local transport
$51.7
$35.7
🚕 Taxi Ride, 8 km or 5 mi
$15.8
$17.1
 Gas / Petrol, 1 L or 0.26 gal
$1.44
$1.76
Groceries
🥛 Milk, 1 L or 1 qt
$2.11
$1.2
🍞 Bread, 0.5 kg or 1.1 lb
$2.39
$1.5
🍚 Rice, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$2.14
$1.54
🥚 Eggs, x12
$2.96
$3.21
🧀 Cheese, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$11.2
$15
🐔 Chicken Breast, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$8.31
$8.63
🥩 Round Steak, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$12.6
$16.1
🍏 Apples, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$4.1
$2.51
🍌 Banana, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.43
$2.13
🍊 Oranges, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$3.79
$2.03
🍅 Tomato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$2.96
$2.67
🥔 Potato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$3.06
$1.85
🧅 Onion, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$2.95
$2.02
🌊 Water, 1 L or 1 qt
$1.7
$0.52
🍹 Coca-Cola / Pepsi, 2 L or 67.6 fl oz
$3.15
$2.35
🍾 Wine (mid-priced), 750 mL bottle
$16.5
$6.9
🍺 Beer, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$2.27
$1.3
🚬 Cigarette pack
$5.02
$6.36
💊 Cold medicince, 1 week
$8.13
$9.28
🧴 Hair Shampoo
$8.94
$3.49
🧻 Toilet paper, 4 rolls
$3.06
$2.06
👄 Toothpaste, 1 tube
$3.78
$2.33
Other
🏋️ Gym Membership, 1 month
$53.5
$48.5
🎫 Cinema Ticket, 1 person
$8.85
$9.89
👩‍⚕️ Doctor's visit
$94.8
$71.8
💇 Haircut, simple
$16.8
$15.6
👖 Brand Jeans
$57.7
$86.9
👟 Brand Sneakers
$123
$93.6
👶 Daycare or Preschool, 1 month
$562
$510
🏫 International Primary School, 1 year
$11369
$9657

Cost of living in other countries

Cost of living

Cities Comparison in Costa Rica vs Spain

More countries to compare

Cost of Living in Popular cities

In Costa Rica

City Cost of living Population
San Jose
$1398
342K
Limon
$1288
71.5K
Alajuela
$1303
44.4K
Liberia
$953
65.9K
Cartago
$1241
22.8K
Puntarenas
$821
41.5K
Heredia
$1335
16.7K
Tamarindo
$1714
7.13K
Santa Teresa
$1236
3K

In Spain

City Cost of living Population
Madrid
$2015
3.42M
Barcelona
$2087
1.7M
Valencia
$1703
826K
Tenerife
$1705
955K
Seville
$1393
687K
Zaragoza
$1457
687K
Murcia
$1305
673K
Malaga
$1617
592K
Palma de Mallorca
$1930
432K
Bilbao
$1660
348K
Alicante
$1461
359K
Valladolid
$1367
301K
Las Palmas
$1484
380K
Cordoba
$1233
323K
Vigo
$1302
294K
Vitoria-Gasteiz
$1685
258K
Terrassa
$1590
229K
Gijon
$1389
269K
L'Hospitalet de Llobregat
$1746
280K
San Sebastian
$1673
189K
Sabadell
$1637
222K
Badalona
$2170
227K
Granada
$1334
233K
A Coruna
$1352
249K
Oviedo
$1300
187K
Pamplona
$1585
208K
Elche
$1277
243K
Cartagena
$1206
220K
Santa Cruz de Tenerife
$1567
211K
Burgos
$1343
177K