North America · San José
Cost of living in Costa Rica
Costa Rica is 39% cheaper than the US, ranking #63 of 203 countries we cover for cost of living. The local currency is CRC (₡).
World Bank data through 2024 · last reviewed 2026-06.
What drives the cost here
Price levels by category, where the world average = 100. Above 100 is pricier than the global norm; below it is cheaper.
In Costa Rica, health is the priciest category relative to the world (129), while housing & utilities is the most affordable (67).
Category price levels: World Bank ICP 2021 (world average = 100) · source
What your money is worth here
A $100,000 US lifestyle would cost roughly $60,500 in Costa Rica.
Quality of life
80/100 · #85 of 198Beyond cost — health, safety, and connectivity. The score is a transparent, equal-weight composite of the verified metrics below (see methodology).
About Costa Rica
Although explored by the Spanish early in the 16th century, initial attempts at colonizing Costa Rica proved unsuccessful due to a combination of factors, including disease from mosquito-infested swamps, brutal heat, resistance from Indigenous populations, and pirate raids. It was not until 1563 that a permanent settlement of Cartago was established in the cooler, fertile central highlands. The area remained a colony for some two-and-a-half centuries. In 1821, Costa Rica was one of several Central American provinces that jointly declared independence from Spain.
Read the full background
Two years later it joined the United Provinces of Central America, but this federation disintegrated in 1838, at which time Costa Rica proclaimed its sovereignty and independence. Since the late 19th century, only two brief periods of violence have marred the country's democratic development. General Federico TINOCO Granados led a coup in 1917, but the threat of US intervention pushed him to resign in 1919. In 1948, landowner Jose FIGUERES Ferrer raised his own army and rebelled against the government. The brief civil war ended with an agreement to allow FIGUERES to remain in power for 18 months, then step down in favor of the previously elected Otilio ULATE. FIGUERES was later elected twice in his own right, in 1953 and 1970. Costa Rica experienced destabilizing waves of refugees from Central American civil wars in the 1970s and 1980s, but peace in the region has since helped the economy rebound. Although it still maintains a large agricultural sector, Costa Rica has expanded its economy to include strong technology and tourism industries.
Background from the CIA World Factbook (public domain), archived 2026-06-03.
Frequently asked
Is Costa Rica expensive to live in?
Costa Rica is 39% cheaper than the US, ranking #63 of the 203 countries we track. Its most expensive category relative to the world is health; housing & utilities costs the least.
How much money do you need to live in Costa Rica?
A lifestyle that costs $100,000 in the United States would cost roughly $60,500 in Costa Rica, going by overall price levels. The salary translator turns your own figure into a local equivalent.
Is Costa Rica cheaper than the United States?
Yes. Its overall price level is 60.7, against 100 for the United States.
What is the quality of life in Costa Rica?
Costa Rica scores 80 out of 100 on our quality-of-life index (#85 of 198), a composite of life expectancy, safety, health, and connectivity, with life expectancy around 81 years.
Every number, sourced.
We cite the exact source and year for each figure. Derived values are computed at build time, never hand-entered.
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