Cost of living in Costa Rica
Living the same way in Costa Rica costs about 62% of what it costs in the US, 69% in Canada and 68% in the UK. These are national averages from the World Bank's 2025 price levels for household spending, rent included.
What your spending becomes in Costa Rica
Each row takes a month's spending at home, all in, and shows what living the same way costs in Costa Rica, in your money and in CRC.
| At home, a month | Same life in Costa Rica | In CRC | Compared with home |
|---|---|---|---|
| $3,000 in the US | $1,870 | CRC 944,000 | 38% less |
| CA$4,000 in Canada | CA$2,770 | CRC 998,000 | 31% less |
| £2,500 in the UK | £1,690 | CRC 1,120,000 | 32% less |
Visa income figures for Costa Rica
The monthly income figures for the open remote-work, retirement and freelance routes to Costa Rica, from our routes table.
- Costa Rica retirement residency (pensionado) Retire or live on savings $1,000 a month (about CA$1,400, £760)
- Costa Rica rentista residency Retire or live on savings $2,500 a month (about CA$3,500, £1,900)
- Costa Rica digital nomad visa Keep your job, work remotely $3,000 a month (about CA$4,190, £2,280)
Income is only one requirement, and many routes ask for more per family member. Job-offer and study routes are left out, because their figure is a salary or allowance in Costa Rica, not what you earn now. Conversions use 2025 exchange rates, so check a figure close to your income at today's rate.
Costa Rica and other countries in Latin America
What $3,000 a month in the US becomes in each country, cheapest first. The order is the same from Canada or the UK.
Read these figures with care
- National averages. Capital cities and towns popular with movers usually cost more than the national figure, rent most of all.
- 2025 figures. Prices and exchange rates move. Treat this as a first sort, then price a real flat and a real weekly shop where you'd live.
- The same life, not a cheaper one. The World Bank compares what the same basket of goods and services costs in each country at market exchange rates. Living differently there, for better or worse, changes the sum.
Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators (PPP conversion factor for private consumption, and the official exchange rate), licensed CC BY 4.0. Data updated 2026-10-08. Visa figures from our routes table, checked against official sources. General information, not financial or immigration advice.