Costa Rica vs United Kingdom - Cost of Living Comparison

Costa Rica United Kingdom
🚶 Cost of living one person
$1073
$2017
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Cost of living Family
$2694
$4834
🏠 One person rent
$465
$1222
🏘️ Family rent
$834
$2112
🍽️ Food expenses
$426
$480
🚐 Transport expenses
$63.4
$162
💳 Monthly salary after tax
$874
$3196
💸 GDP per capita
$13199
$45850
😃 Human freedom index
7.98
8.3
❤️ Life expectancy
77
80.7
👮 Corruption perceptions index
54
73
🌐 English speaking %
8.2%
98.3%
🎓 Higher education
76
100
😀 Quality of life
58
92
🏙️ Population
5.21M
67.3M

The average cost of living in Costa Rica ($1073) is 47% less expensive than in the United Kingdom ($2017). Costa Rica ranked 72nd vs 12th for the United Kingdom 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 1.6 months in the United Kingdom. Ranked 65th and 13th best countries to live in the world.

Salary adjustment calculator
the estimated difference in money purchasing power

Cost of living in Costa Rica vs United Kingdom infographic

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Prices in Costa Rica vs the United Kingdom

We calculate prices for Costa Rica and the United Kingdom as a population-weighted mean of 9 and 277 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 United Kingdom
Eating Out
🍱 Lunch Menu
$9.23
$17.8
🥂 Dinner in a Restaurant, for 2
$41.8
$71.2
🥪 Fast food meal, equiv. McDonald's
$8.58
$8.59
🍻 Beer in a Pub, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$2.64
$5.95
 Cappuccino
$3.67
$4.12
🥤 Pepsi / Coke, 0.5 L or 16.9 fl oz
$1.76
$2.15
Rent & Utilities
🏙️ 1 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$541
$1273
🏡 Cheap 1 bedroom apartment, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$337
$974
🏙️ 3 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$957
$2362
🏡 Cheap 3 bedroom apartment, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$664
$1707
🔌 Utility Bill one person, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$45.5
$159
🔌 Utility Bill for a Family, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$70.3
$244
🌐 Internet plan, 50 Mbps+ 1 month unlimited
$41.8
$38.3
🏦 Mortgage Interest Rate for 20 Years
10.22%
4.95%
🏙️ Apartment price to Buy in city Center, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$1780
$7951
🏡 House price to Buy in Suburbs, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$1318
$5209
Transportation
🚌 Local transport ticket
$0.85
$3.46
🎟️ Monthly ticket local transport
$49.8
$89.1
🚕 Taxi Ride, 8 km or 5 mi
$13.7
$18.8
 Gas / Petrol, 1 L or 0.26 gal
$1.5
$2.06
Groceries
🥛 Milk, 1 L or 1 qt
$1.82
$1.37
🍞 Bread, 0.5 kg or 1.1 lb
$2.04
$1.42
🍚 Rice, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.85
$1.85
🥚 Eggs, x12
$3.33
$3.3
🧀 Cheese, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$9.29
$8.84
🐔 Chicken Breast, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$8.2
$8.34
🥩 Round Steak, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$11.9
$12.6
🍏 Apples, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$4.28
$2.66
🍌 Banana, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.25
$1.49
🍊 Oranges, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$2.15
$2.46
🍅 Tomato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$2.28
$2.88
🥔 Potato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$2.29
$1.36
🧅 Onion, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$2.51
$1.38
🌊 Water, 1 L or 1 qt
$1.42
$0.92
🍹 Coca-Cola / Pepsi, 2 L or 67.6 fl oz
$2.97
$2.65
🍾 Wine (mid-priced), 750 mL bottle
$13.7
$10.4
🍺 Beer, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$2
$2.39
🚬 Cigarette pack
$4.38
$16.2
💊 Cold medicince, 1 week
$8.16
$5.8
🧴 Hair Shampoo
$6.96
$4.88
🧻 Toilet paper, 4 rolls
$3.09
$2.58
👄 Toothpaste, 1 tube
$2.92
$2.09
Other
🏋️ Gym Membership, 1 month
$49.5
$45.6
🎫 Cinema Ticket, 1 person
$6.5
$13.3
👩‍⚕️ Doctor's visit
$63.1
$103
💇 Haircut, simple
$12
$14.1
👖 Brand Jeans
$66.8
$81.9
👟 Brand Sneakers
$107
$91.8
👶 Daycare or Preschool, 1 month
$380
$1471
🏫 International Primary School, 1 year
$8305
$18393

Cost of living in other countries

Cost of living

Cities Comparison in Costa Rica vs the United Kingdom

More countries to compare

Cost of Living in Popular cities

In Costa Rica

City Cost of living Population
San Jose
$1136
342K
Limon
$1048
60.7K
Alajuela
$1021
48.3K
Liberia
$987
67.1K
Puntarenas
$884
41.5K
Cartago
$981
22.8K
Heredia
$879
19K
Tamarindo
$1371
8.14K
Santa Teresa
$999
3K

In the United Kingdom

City Cost of living Population
London
$3029
8.91M
Birmingham
$1854
1.14M
Leeds
$1851
789K
Glasgow
$1751
626K
Manchester
$1838
548K
Edinburgh
$1864
488K
Bristol
$2011
472K
Coventry
$1694
363K
Sheffield
$1614
518K
Leicester
$1686
464K
Liverpool
$1669
513K
Cardiff
$1728
361K
Westminster
$2536
255K
Belfast
$1706
334K
York
$1895
208K
Brighton and Hove
$2058
277K
Newcastle upon Tyne
$1623
300K
Derby
$1583
255K
Southampton
$1831
271K
Portsmouth
$1674
248K
Milton Keynes
$2090
207K
Nottingham
$1700
289K
Bradford
$1409
293K
Swindon
$1771
222K
Ipswich
$1622
290K
Bolton
$1313
285K
Aberdeen
$1357
201K
Wolverhampton
$1612
251K
Northampton
$1769
212K
Kingston upon Hull
$1281
260K