Costa Rica vs Switzerland - Cost of Living Comparison

Updated:

Livingcost

Costa Rica Switzerland
🚶 Cost of living one person
$1195
$2978
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Cost of living Family
$2964
$7532
🏠 One person rent
$547
$1679
🏘️ Family rent
$932
$3087
🍽️ Food expenses
$455
$905
🚐 Transport expenses
$64.7
$137
💳 Monthly salary after tax
$956
$6579
💸 GDP per capita
$16595
$99995
😃 Human freedom index
8.04
9.01
❤️ Life expectancy
77.3
83.5
👮 Corruption perceptions index
55
82
🌐 English speaking %
8.2%
61.3%
🎓 Higher education
75
99
😀 Quality of life
56
100
🏙️ Population
5.04M
8.9M

The average cost of living in Costa Rica ($1195) is 60% less expensive than in Switzerland ($2978). Costa Rica ranked 52nd vs 4th for Switzerland 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 2.2 months in Switzerland. Ranked 65th and 1st best countries to live in the world.

Salary adjustment calculator
the estimated difference in money purchasing power

Cost of living in Costa Rica vs Switzerland infographic

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Prices in Costa Rica vs Switzerland

We calculate prices for Costa Rica and Switzerland as a population-weighted mean of 9 and 50 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 Switzerland
Eating Out
🍱 Lunch Menu
$9.45
$27.8
🥂 Dinner in a Restaurant, for 2
$47
$98.4
🥪 Fast food meal, equiv. McDonald's
$8.97
$18
🍻 Beer in a Pub, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$2.84
$8.46
 Cappuccino
$4.13
$5.95
🥤 Pepsi / Coke, 0.5 L or 16.9 fl oz
$1.84
$4.97
Rent & Utilities
🏙️ 1 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$597
$1719
🏡 Cheap 1 bedroom apartment, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$411
$1400
🏙️ 3 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$1066
$3301
🏡 Cheap 3 bedroom apartment, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$737
$2658
🔌 Utility Bill one person, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$55.6
$159
🔌 Utility Bill for a Family, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$85.4
$245
🌐 Internet plan, 50 Mbps+ 1 month unlimited
$43.6
$56.1
🏦 Mortgage Interest Rate for 20 Years
11.25%
2.47%
🏙️ Apartment price to Buy in city Center, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$2170
$13868
🏡 House price to Buy in Suburbs, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$1570
$9046
Transportation
🚌 Local transport ticket
$0.93
$4.2
🎟️ Monthly ticket local transport
$50
$95.2
🚕 Taxi Ride, 8 km or 5 mi
$14.7
$41.8
 Gas / Petrol, 1 L or 0.26 gal
$1.43
$2.17
Groceries
🥛 Milk, 1 L or 1 qt
$1.95
$2.07
🍞 Bread, 0.5 kg or 1.1 lb
$2.29
$3.73
🍚 Rice, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.95
$4.1
🥚 Eggs, x12
$3.2
$7.71
🧀 Cheese, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$10.2
$23.5
🐔 Chicken Breast, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$8.53
$28
🥩 Round Steak, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$12.8
$46.1
🍏 Apples, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$3.95
$3.76
🍌 Banana, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.31
$2.4
🍊 Oranges, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$3.22
$3.07
🍅 Tomato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$2.68
$5.8
🥔 Potato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$2.52
$2.69
🧅 Onion, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$2.46
$2.49
🌊 Water, 1 L or 1 qt
$1.57
$0.77
🍹 Coca-Cola / Pepsi, 2 L or 67.6 fl oz
$3.05
$3.17
🍾 Wine (mid-priced), 750 mL bottle
$15.5
$15.6
🍺 Beer, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$2.2
$2.48
🚬 Cigarette pack
$4.86
$10.5
💊 Cold medicince, 1 week
$8.11
$18.5
🧴 Hair Shampoo
$7
$5.71
🧻 Toilet paper, 4 rolls
$2.76
$4.11
👄 Toothpaste, 1 tube
$3.9
$4.25
Other
🏋️ Gym Membership, 1 month
$51.8
$89.4
🎫 Cinema Ticket, 1 person
$8.05
$22.4
👩‍⚕️ Doctor's visit
$66.7
$144
💇 Haircut, simple
$12.8
$42.8
👖 Brand Jeans
$69.5
$124
👟 Brand Sneakers
$118
$144
👶 Daycare or Preschool, 1 month
$481
$2627
🏫 International Primary School, 1 year
$12191
$21218

Cost of living in other countries

Cost of living

Cities Comparison in Costa Rica vs Switzerland

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 Switzerland

City Cost of living Population
Zurich
$3392
447K
Geneva
$3322
204K
Basel
$2741
174K
Lausanne
$2890
141K
Bern
$2512
135K
Winterthur
$3184
110K
Lucerne
$3068
81.7K
St. Gallen
$2618
75.8K
Lugano
$2763
63.2K
Biel/Bienne
$2517
55.2K
Koniz
$2592
41.8K
Thun
$2646
43.7K
Vernier
$3120
34.8K
Uster
$3057
36.8K
Lancy
$3094
31.9K
Fribourg
$2738
38.4K
Chur
$2197
35K
Schaffhausen
$2629
36.6K
Altstetten
$3139
36.3K
Bellinzona
$3009
43.8K
Neuchatel
$2424
33.5K
Yverdon-les-Bains
$2940
30.2K
Dubendorf
$3129
28K
Sion
$2052
34.7K
Montreux
$3257
26K
La Chaux-de-Fonds
$2373
39K
Emmen
$3020
29.3K
Kriens
$2989
27K
Meyrin
$3090
24.1K
Frauenfeld
$2647
25.4K