Many visitors are astounded when they come to Costa Rica and find out just how much more expensive it is than the rest of Central America.
When I first moved here, I was slightly surprised. Lots of prices for food and groceries were similar, if not more, than the United States. But it’s more to the price tag than the tourism industry. The government plays a huge role in determining prices of items here as import taxes are very high.
6 Things More Expensive in Costa Rica
So here’s a list of some things I’ve noticed are more expensive in Costa Rica. Because of this, lots of people who move to Costa Rica brings a bunch of stuff down in their luggage. You can read about what things I bring down to Costa Rica all the time!
Sunglasses and Clothing/Shoes
Sunglasses are necessary where we live, but expensive if you want a good quality one.
We’ve spent more than we care to on sunglasses, since we go through them so much. In Costa Rica, you can find brands like Oakley in surf shops but they’re so expensive! We found one for 140,000 CRC (~$280 USD) and this exact pair was $150 USD on Amazon.
If you go to a clothing store, you’ll notice that prices are quite high, especially for brand name clothing. And it’s not even fancy brands – brands like Roxy, Hurley, Billabong.
Yeison and I rarely buy clothes and shoes in Costa Rica. We always buy clothes and shoes in the US. It’s cheaper, more sales, more variety. Clothes in Costa Rica can be twice as much, if you’re looking for good quality brands.
Electronics
We always buy all our electronics, including cameras and laptops in the US. First, you can’t even get computer towers or laptops with high specs in Costa Rica if you want to customize them. Second, they’re so expensive!
Laptops are consistently around 30% more expensive in Costa Rica and we don’t normally have the latest models either, until like 6 months or a year later. Since we work online, we need solid machines that we can depend on for work, as well as cameras.
Gas
The price of gas has increased a lot in the United States, but gas in Costa Rica has always been a lot. Gas in Costa Rica has always hovered around $5 USD per gallon. Diesel is slightly cheaper.
Video Games
We have a Playstation and Nintendo Switch here at home. When I was still living in the States, I’d bring games down for Yeison all the time.
Video games and consoles are so expensive in Costa Rica. Games can cost up to twice as much as you can find them in the United States, and they hardly go on sale.
I’ve brought down Playstations, the Wii and Nintendo Switch to Costa Rica and all the games and accessories. It’s just not worth purchasing them here.
Cars
Buying a car is a pain here is not the most fun thing to do especially if you are not a Costa Rican. Importing your car is a hassle and buying one, used or new comes with a lot of work.
The majority of Ticos and expats buy used cars because the price tag on new ones are a little through the roof due to all the taxes and fees.
Take this Toyota Landcruiser for example.
The starting price for the basic model is around $78,000 in the United States. The price tag in the picture and the starting price is $128,000!
Sunscreen and mosquito repellent
Unfortunately, as necessary as those items are they are not as cheap as we hope them to be. Luckily, they aren’t outrageously more expensive but even $5 more adds up when you have to buy them fairly often.
A bottle of Hawaiian Tropic SPF 50 is around 9,109 (~$18 USD) colones at the little store by our place where online it is $8 USD.
You can read a list of the different sunscreens you can find in Costa Rica and the ones we recommend. But as always, we recommend buying it well, not in Costa Rica because of the price.
As for mosquito repellent, a bottle of Off! Family care Smooth and Dry costs around 5000 colones ($10 USD) which you can find for …$3 on Amazon. To see which mosquito repellents you should bring, check out our post about the best repellents we tested ourselves.
Conclusion
So there you have it, a few items that are more expensive in Costa Rica than the States.
This list is just to give you an idea of what the cost of living here is like and help you figure out what to pack.
Of course there are things that are cheaper such as tropical fruits, rice, beans, eating at a restaurant, beer, coffee, some home items and more (see what else is cheaper in Costa Rica). It makes sense, depending on if you import the product or produce it here yourself.
If you’re thinking about moving to Costa Rica, these are a few things to think about bringing down. You can’t do anything about the gas or the cars but it is possible for electronics or clothing.
Prices also vary depending on where you are in the country. All these prices are pertaining to Playas del Coco/Guanacaste region and could be cheaper in San Jose or other places.
If you’re curious to see what our monthly budget is like, we have a cost breakdown of how we live in Costa Rica for $1500 a month.
Montwella M Stewart says
We live in Atenas which in the Central Valley and really love it. We live like the Ticos on less than $1000 per month. We pay $320 a month for rent which includes all utilities except cooking gas. I shop at the local market for fruits, veggies, and meats. For other products like paper products, coffee, shampoo ect. I shop at Pali or Maxi Pali, I rarely buy imported items so for the 2 of us I spend about $300-$400 a month for groceries. I pay $8.00 a month for cooking gas. We eat out a couple of times a month at a soda or local restaurant which cost about 6,000 to 8,000 colones that’s $12-14 usd. So it depends on how you want to live, we wash and hang up clothes no dryer, no air conditioner but the temp is always nice. I brought my electronics and small appliances from the states. For transportation we use an Uber to town which cost about $1.80 each way, when going to bigger cities like Alajuana or San Jose we take the Tico bus for under $2. The weather is always good because we are in the mountains in the Central Valley. I would say decide how you want to live and do your homework. It can be expensive if you want to live like you are in the US with a lot of modern conviences, avoid touristy areas. The beach is 2 hours away by bus. Personally I love it, waiting on residency which can take so over a year.
Gringorio says
We just got back from Costa Rica days ago. We went to Atenas and looked at properties with an agent. The daily high temperatures were in the mid 90’s every day we were there. Maybe climate change is catching up with Atenas? We found the streets and roads area around Atenas scary to walk on and difficult to drive due to the roads being very narrow, rough, steep, with lots of traffic and some dangerous intersection. We damaged a tire driving around town on our rental car and had to buy a new one. The properties we saw were nice, but if they had a view or were in a gated community the prices were as high as homes in the central United States. We love visiting CR but don’t think we want to live here.
M. E. Little says
We are moving to Atenas from the southern US in 3 weeks. When we visited for 2 weeks last month, they said it was unusually hot and that March is the hottest part of their summer. When the wet season starts, it will cool off some.
I know what you mean about the roads – we’ve abandoned the idea of getting a car, as I’d be terrified to drive. But taxis are very inexpensive. The sidewalks require more attention than walking on most sidewalks in our highly litigious country, we are just aware and careful. We want to find out what time the stores open so we can take care of our shopping and other walking around downtown in the morning. Going around lunchtime is too hot.
We’ve found an incredible house to rent from a lovely family that lives next door. We weren’t looking for a view – and becoming part of their family is so much better. We weren’t and aren’t expecting infrastructure to be like here. This isn’t some backwater, and it seems to me that they’re making a lot of progress, but it’s not a first-world country. We want a simpler, more connected and genuine life. The people there are wonderful. We’re learning Spanish and don’t want to be Ugly Americans.
God luck finding a place you like. I understand that Grecia is nice, a little larger and a little cooler than Atenas.
Tabra Tunoa says
I am an American living in Bali and in the process of moving to Costa Rica. I have lived a total of some 4 to 5 years in Costa Rica and have chosen it to retire. I love Costa Rica and know it has problems, but it doesn’t have Trump as a president and I love the fresh organic fruits that we are growing on our property, and I like most of the people just fine – not all of course. No way I would live in Nicaragua – not safe. Panama is fine, but I personally like Costa Rica the best.
GraftonReed says
Costa Rica…I lived there for a year in 2007-8. Way overpriced. Don’t waste your time or money. First, the food is really really boring. Actually pretty lousy. What this article says about taxes is true. There is like a 50% tax duty on all import items…..which is virtually all consumer goods. Costa Rica is poorly run governmental country and is unable to collect taxes the normal way at point of purchase, because everybody scams and fudges revenue…..so they have to do this lame and ineffective system of high taxing imports at point of entry. It makes all consumer goods more expensive there than here in the USA. Also, Costa Rica’s litter like crazy. Trash and paper everywhere…..kinda pathetic. They drive like crazy. There is a lot of petty theft and stealing. They have open sewers that go into the sea and pollute waters people swim in. You pay American prices and higher, and don’t get American quality. Stay away. Better options and a real bang for your buck in Central America are Nicaragua or Panama. Costa Rica really does screw tourist and overcharges them on everything….including local flights……locals get a cheaper price. Can you imagine that he in the USA if we had higher priced airfares for tourists or foreign born individuals. Who operates like that? Wow! Though Nic is having some civil unrest at the moment. I’m sure it will subside.
Racq says
You’re definitely from Nicaragua…Why did you go to Costa Rica if your happiness was in Nicaragua with your people?
KC says
A lot of these posts were in 2013 & 2014. There were some pretty serious predictions about where the economy was headed and impending social upheaval.
So, what is it like in 2018? Did things get better or worse?
After reading some of the comments here, I’m leaning toward not visiting CR at all, much less choosing it as a new home, and going elsewhere like Nicaragua or Equador.
Doug says
Went to Costa in July 2018, going back in March. it’s cleaner than Nica and way more stable, the cost of things is high in some places but extremely cheap if you know where to look. beach towns are going to be pricey in any american looking stores. Fact is, plan, and know before you go, and it’s a great place, there no more theft there than in some big american cities, and depending on your build and how you allow yourself to be perceived, you wont have any trouble.
cinthia morales says
Its not Costa Rica family that imported items are so expensive, How much do you think they have to pay for the stuff, I am sure it wasnt cheap. Besides Costa Rica life should be lived simple, just nature and you. If you are living there Why wouldnt you use the time to find yourself In nature.
Paul Brainerd says
I lived in Costa Rica for a year in 2007-08. What a ripoff place. If I had to do it over again, knowing what I know now, I would have chosen Nicaragua or Panama. Costa Rica has an archaic system of 100 percent import tax, and import almost all goods, so everything doubles in price. They tax this way because they don’t have a reliable tax system in place to collect excise tax like here in the US. The locals would scam and do sales under the table or in all cash without documentation.The double the price import tax, is a doomed system that punishes the local people and and makes autos, electronic merchandise and durable goods out of reach for most of them. Turns off tourist too. Restaurants (non local Tico food) are more expensive that US, and the quality of preparation, service, and food is poor. (meat is tough, whole chickens are boney with no meat, desserts are served two and three days old…..not freshly made). I say this……Costa Rica will have a rude awakening in the near future….tourism will decline, GDP will go negative and the economy will crash. Ticos also litter everywhere and dump sewage into the beaches we swim in. So Costa Rica…….good luck……..you’ll need it.
Casey @ A Cruising Couple says
Great post guys! We just paid $8,500 for our Jeep Wrangler, and I don’t even want to know what it would have cost us in the States. It’s an automatic, but still…it’s crazy! Also super expensive: good quality wine 😉 We are bringing back about 30 bottles of wine from Italy and Greece because it’s almost a third of the price of what you would pay in Costa Rica…if you could even find it! You’ll have to come visit us at our new house so we can work on the wine project together.
Sammi says
You guys got a car! Awesome. Yea it is expensive when it comes to cars but it’s definitely the best way to get around when you’re living here
Haha yes!! The wine project. Dang 30 bottles… you should set aside a few for our wine project lol. Good wine is definitely really expensive/doesn’t exist in Costa Rica, we usually get the cheap box wine for like $7 haha.
Steve says
After reading all these comments, I have a couple of questions, Why are you people living here if you think it is so expensive and so horrible. We are living in Playas Del Coco and totally love it, no stress, don’t worry about gas prices, we have a golf cart. We have an awesome contractor who can do anything and very inexpensive.
There are some down sides but not near as many as living in the states. We lived in Oregon and we loved Oregon but not as much as Costa Rica. Maybe you guys are just saying this to discourage people from moving here because it’s so awesome. Whatever, We love it!!!!!!!!!!!
Steve and Karen
yeison says
Glad you like it have a great time 🙂