If you’ve researched living or moving to Costa Rica, one of the reasons for your move is probably the cost of living in Costa Rica.
As Costa Rica is a top retiree destination for Europeans, Canada and USA, many retirees move here because of the cost of living in Costa Rica. It’s a lot cheaper and they can make their social security check stretch far longer.
For digital nomads, they want to enjoy the great weather, beaches and fun outdoor adventures Costa Rica offers while they are able to work online.
In case you’re thinking about moving to Costa Rica whether temporarily or permanently, you can get an idea of how much living in Costa Rica will cost you.
What is the Cost of Living in Costa Rica?
Below is our personal cost of living in Costa Rica from when we used to live in Playas del Coco, back in 2014. Although our situation has changed and we don’t live there anymore, this will give you a good idea of how much it will cost to live in Costa Rica.
*At this time, we were two adults working work from home full time. No kids, no pets.*
All prices are in USD.
Cost of Living in Costa Rica: Rent
Monthly rent: $400 without utilities
We lived in Las Palmas, a popular neighborhood in Playas del Coco. Our condo was a loft, with one bedroom and one full bathroom. Our loft was quite small, about 400 square feet or 37 sq meters.
Rent was $400 USD a month without any utilities. No security, laundry, water, electricity, Internet or cable.
However, unlike other complexes in Las Palmas, ours didn’t have a pool, laundry or rancho. Most condo complexes in Las Palmas have all those things so we were able to negotiate a bit of a cheaper price back then.
Our place was not really furnished either so we bought nearly everything: bed, washing machine, couch, coffee table, tv set, dining table, chairs, curtains, etc.
Cost of living in Costa Rica for rent varies as it depends on what kind of place you want to live in. You can find very “Tico” style (like local style homes) for cheaper prices like $300-800 USD a month. Those are usually in local neighborhoods/towns and have minimal furnishings.
On the other hand, you can find luxury homes and condos for $1000 USD and up.
Location is important too
It also depends on location. Want to be in walking distance to the beach or right in downtown? It’ll be more expensive. Renting in Tamarindo, Jaco or in the nice neighborhoods of San Jose? Plan to pay a LOT more than if you were to stay in a local town like Atenas or San Ramon. Touristic coastal towns and the nice city neighborhoods are always more expensive.
*When we lived in Jaco for 6 months in 2015, we lived in Costa Linda Condominios and paid $750 USD a month for 2 bedrooms, 2 full bathrooms with security, parking, laundry, Internet, cable and pool. This was a very nice condo in a tower with an elevator. When we lived in Villarreal in 2016, the small town outside Tamarindo, our rent was $375 for a 1 bedroom, 1 full bathroom, non furnished place, no utilities. We always paid 6 months in advance. This was not the nicest apartment. It was very old and needed a A LOT of maintenance.*
Electricity: ~$80
We mainly used one air conditioning unit at night and a bit during the day. Electricity isn’t that cheap in Costa Rica unfortunately. For a 400 square foot place (37 sq meters), it definitely cost more than I expected to run the AC at night in just the bedroom and a couple hours in the living room.
I know some people who left their two or three ACs on all day and night and their bill came out to be four hundred dollars a month. Depending on what your standard of living is and your tolerance to heat, your electricity bill can get much higher than $70 a month.
Water: ~$10
Internet and Phone~$80
Our Internet provider was Tigo and we have 5 mb speed. We do not have cable. If we wanted cable, it would have been $80 with the same speed of Internet as a package.
*Now we have fiber optic with Kolbi and it costs around $80 a month.
Yeison had a contract with ICE for around $25 a month for his iPhone and I have a prepaid SIM card that I normally spend about $10 a month with calls, text and data.
*Now I have a Costa Rican phone number with a paid contract, our bill is around $78 USD for both phone lines with Kolbi.
Groceries: $400
Groceries takes up a big chunk of our monthly budget. We usually did one big shopping trip every week or so. For each big shopping trip we spent approximately $150.
There are many things more expensive in Costa Rica and food is one of them in Playas del Coco, particularly meat. Depending on how big your family is or what you buy, your expenses can skyrocket past $400 a month easily.
We used to shop a lot at Super Luperon and Auto Mercado in Playas del Coco but now in 2021, the Pricemart in Liberia is open so we go there for a lot of things now. If you plan to live in Costa Rica long term, we highly recommend purchasing a Pricemart membership for grocery shopping. (Pricemart is exactly like a Costco in the US and they are found in Liberia and the GAM cities such as San Jose, Alajuela and Heredia).
Gas and Car Maintenance: $150
*Yeison and I work from home so we were not driving to and from work everyday.*
Back then, we didn’t go out much. We walked to the beach and would only drive if we were going outside of Playas del Coco like to other beaches or Liberia. That helped keep our gas costs down a lot. Additionally, we had a 4 door small sedan with a V4 engine so it didn’t spend too much.
Something to note is that gas costs considerably more in Costa Rica than in the United States. However, diesel is readily available and cheaper than gas so in 2017, we switched our car to a diesel car. We drive a lot more now since we live about 10 kilometers from the beach so we have to drive to surf.
Cars are extremely expensive in Costa Rica so a lot of foreigners purchase used cars instead of brand new cars.
Going out: $150
Yeison and I aren’t huge partiers so we never spent much money on going out. We don’t smoke so no money for cigarettes or marijuana. Yeison does like to drink beer, sometimes whiskey but that’s about it as I don’t drink or smoke.
A lot of people, especially our age, go out on weekends or weeknights to party and drink but we have always preferred small hang outs with friends. And instead of partying, we liked to go to the beach, fish, walk, swim, have a barbecue, etc.
As for eating out, Yeison and I didn’t eat out too much in Coco. We went out on the weekends sometimes and then a few times a week to maybe Subway or one of the local restaurants or bakeries. I love to cook and preferred to cook than eat out to be honest.
If you like fine dining and partying, you can end up spending a good several hundreds of dollars a month.
Misc
Yeison and I barely do any clothes shopping in Costa Rica. We usually buy clothes online and have our friends bring them from the States. Clothes is also expensive in Costa Rica so this could increase your expenses greatly if you go shopping often. Sometimes we’ll get a pair of flip flops or beach clothes when there is a sale or if we really need it.
We used to go to the movies maybe once a month, since the closest theater to us was in Liberia. Playa Hermosa has a nice theater too but it’s very small and usually only plays 2 movies so we only went there once.
Then we had other expenses like taxes, haircuts, gifts, travel, etc.
Our Cost of Living in Costa Rica
Back then, our cost of living in Costa Rica was pretty good, around $2000 USD a month. We lived in a nice little condo close to the beach. We lived simply but still had fun going out with friends, throwing barbecues and going to different beaches nearby.
Nowadays, our budget is quite different because we bought a property and have two dogs. So it’s a bit more than before as we have more expenses.
And if you talk to other foreigners living in Costa Rica, you’ll notice monthly expenses vary a lot. It honestly depends on your lifestyle. Do you want an ocean view luxury home? A big car? Do you leave your air conditioning on all day? Or just need the basics? Have kids or pets? It really depends!
When it comes down to it, it all depends on your standard of living in Costa Rica.
You don’t need to be making hundreds of thousands a year to have a good life in Costa Rica. Just like any other country, there are pros and cons. And just like other countries, there are things more expensive in Costa Rica and things cheaper in Costa Rica.
What your cost of living in Costa Rica will be really depends on location and lifestyle. But we hope this post gives you at least an idea of what your budget may be if you plan to live here temporarily or permanently.
Jay says
Very well done breakdown of cost of living in Costa Rica. We heard good things about Costa Rica, even better that you shared this info with us. You can pretty much have a luxurious life outside of North America and it is really cheap. thanks for sharing.
Sammi says
Thanks Jay! Yes you really can. Costa Rica also teaches you to simplify your life and you find that you can be happy without so much stuff. It’s not how nice your car is or the latest fashions that matter but appreciating the life you have and being grateful 🙂
Samuel says
Hi Sammi
Would a 2000$/month gross wage worth an expat to make the move to CR as an independent worker (with a working/sponsor VISA of course)
Thanks.
Sammi says
Hi Samuel! It depends on where you live since it’s more expensive in some places than others. It also depends on your standard of living. Most expats spend well over 2000 a month because they have a big car, keep buying American brands, leave the AC on all the time, things like that. If you live simpler, don’t have a car and live somewhere that you don’t need AC, you can live well on $2000.
Samuel says
Hi Samni. Thanks for the prompt response
I guess I would have an active but simple living, I’m fine with that. As long as comfortable
My doubt goes for the wage as an independent worker, ie, taxes, Caja etc. are on my own. So, would $2000/month gross be short or enough to have a comfortable living ?
Sammi says
Are you applying for residency or will you be purely on a work visa? If you are getting your residency, you have to pay $40 a month for the government health insurance (CAJA) but this will cover everything like appointments and medicines. I’m not sure how much taxes are for workers, you will have to hire an accountant to do that for you (most Ticos do). But I’d say 2000 gross would be enough to have a simple but pretty comfortable living. When I say simple I mean no car or minimal driving, eating out 1-2 times a week, one AC day and night, buying local brands, etc. If you’re planning on living in Coco, expect prices to be a bit higher there than other parts of the country like the Central Valley too.
Escape Hunter says
1,500 $ is quite a good budget for Costa Rica. With 500 $ you could live in an Eastern European country or in some parts of Southeast Asia.
400 $ rental costs per months without utilities? It doesn’t sound cheap.
Sammi says
Well it’s quite cheap compared to North America! I was paying twice as much for ONE room in a small 3 bedroom apartment in Seattle not including utilities or parking. 400 including a pool, security, private parking is well worth it here for us!
wendy says
HI Sammie- We are living in Redmond and are tired about the expenses and we are looking to move elsewhere at least for a few years to try and save some money. It is becoming insane here!
Sammi says
Oh yeah Redmond is an expensive place, Seattle in general is getting super expensive!
Constance - Foreign Sanctuary says
Great post for anyone who is planning on moving to Costa Rica or traveling there for an extended amount of time. You guys are gonna love Taiwan when you visit – the food here is so cheap, public transportation is cheap and convenient, but accommodation prices are higher than they were in the past!
Sammi says
Thanks Constance! Oh I know I can’t wait!! Food is so cheap there compared to here. And way better!! haha
wendy says
I heard Taiwan is a pretty expensive place to live? If a couple wants to spend maybe 3 months there how much would you need for a month for a comfortable living environment?
Thank you
Jen Seligmann says
It’s interesting to read about the cot of living in other parts of the world. My rent alone here in Sydney for a moderate sized two bedroom apartment is over $1500 per month. So it really puts it into perspective for me reading that your total expenses for a month is the same as my rent alone. What it comes down to for me is where you are happy and I am happy here so that’s all that matter to me.
Sammi says
Exactly ! As long as you are surrounded by loved ones, that’s all that matters no matter where you are in the world!
Bianca @itsallbee says
Costa Rica seems to be happening right now. Great post! Might be checking out Costa Rica soon.
Sammi says
Thanks! It’s worth a visit 🙂
Alli says
So many people these days seem to be shacking up in Costa Rica! From reading other blogs to TV shows now (International House Hunters) Costa Rica seems very inviting to move to! How amazing to do the majority of your transportation from A to B via bike, and being close to the beach while at it! *swoon!*
Sammi says
Haha International House Hunters came to a house right next door to a hotel I was working at. The house is huge but what they didn’t show was all the water problems they have in that area. It’s paradise here but it doesn’t come without its own problems! I love being able to ride my bike everywhere and feel safe doing it since I ride on the path next to the beach, it’s pretty awesome!
Alexandra C. says
Wow. I had no idea so many people were flocking to Costa Rica. This is so interesting. I am sure it would be such a nice place to live. I have been wanting to visit for a while. The cost of living is so reasonable compared to what we pay here in the US. And we live in the Midwest! -Alexandra
Sammi says
It is much less than the US for sure! I was amazed at how much rent increased the past couple years when I was out of the country. Even in my hometown which is not a big city it has gotten much more!
Anu @ Country Hopping Couple says
This is really informative and detailed post on cost of living in Costa Rica. After living in 3 expensive European countries over the last 6 years, I really do think Costa Rica is not just a great place for travellers, but for people to settle in. No wonder the retirees chose to move therer. I wish I could move and live there!
Sammi says
Definitely! Even though CR is a bit more expensive than the rest of the C. American countries, they are the most developed and have a great health care system. And compared to Europe or North America, it’s much less expensive.
Muriel says
I’m a huge fan of Costa Rica so it’s really interesting to see how much things costs when you live there vs. when you just visit. I’m from Panama originally and I remember the standard of living is slightly higher than CR but still, like you said, you can survive on very little and live well. Also, this makes me want to pack my bags RIGHT NOW.
Sammi says
I think PC is much higher than CR, even in the touristic areas. But PC is way more developed so makes sense. Things are definitely different living vs traveling and most people don’t understand that and are in for a huge shock when they move here!
Amy says
Maybe it’s because I’m a detail person, but I love reading posts like this – it’s so great to get a breakdown on how other people are able to live and make things work. Thanks for sharing the details. Maybe I shouldn’t be, but I’m kind of surprised by the cost of the internet. That’s pretty high!
Sammi says
I love breakdowns too, it’s always interesting to see what’s expensive and what’s cheap in different countries. Internet here is expensive and it sucks 🙁