Travel budget and cost of living in Costa Rica how much does a trip cost?
Are you planning to go to Costa Rica and need to budget for your trip? On this page you can see sample prices. This enables you to get to grips with actual prices and the cost of living in Costa Rica. Then, why not use our free tool to calculate your Costa Rica travel budget.
Travel budget in Costa Rica
Costa Rica: calculate your travel budget
Costa Rica: sample budgets by traveller type
These example budgets assume a 2-week holiday in Costa Rica for 2 people.
Low budget
(backpacker)
Daily budget:
- $ 39 for 2 ppl.
- $ 18 per person
- $ 4.3 per person
- Free activities
Total budget:
$ 1153* (549528 CRC)
Average budget
(traveller)
Daily budget:
- $ 113 for 2 ppl.
- $ 34 per person
- $ 13 per person
- $ 7.5 per person
Total budget:
$ 3073* (1464526 CRC)
High budget
(tourist)
Daily budget:
- $ 242 for 2 ppl.
- $ 55 per person
- $ 29 per person
- $ 16 per person
Total budget:
$ 6128* (2921072 CRC)
* Estimated local budget for 2 people for 2 weeks. This represents an average across the country (budget may vary depending on the city or region visited).
Cost of living in Costa Rica in 2023
Cost of living: Costa Rica VS United States
On average, the cost of living in Costa Rica in 2023 is 14% less than in the United States (USA).
The graphic below shows the percentage of variation between prices United States in in the United States (USA) and United States by types of expenses:
Explore each type of expense in detail:
Cost of living in Costa Rica by city
See the table below for the variation in the cost of living in different cities in Costa Rica compared to the national average.
Cities | /Costa Rica | View Details |
---|---|---|
Quepos | 20% more | Travel budget and cost of living in Quepos |
Nicoya | 20% more | Travel budget and cost of living in Nicoya |
Tamarindo | 11% more | Travel budget and cost of living in Tamarindo |
Tilaran | 9% more | Travel budget and cost of living in Tilaran |
Cartago | 0% less | Travel budget and cost of living in Cartago |
San Jose | 2% less | Travel budget and cost of living in San Jose |
Puerto Limón | 15% less | Travel budget and cost of living in Puerto Limón |
Puntarenas | 19% less | Travel budget and cost of living in Puntarenas |
Local prices in Costa Rica by expense type
Costa Rica: Restaurant budget

($ 6.2 to $ 22)
53% less than in the United States (USA)


($ 17 to $ 55)
27% less than in the United States (USA)


($ 8.7 to $ 12)
8% less than in the United States (USA)


($ 1.9 to $ 6.2)
53% less than in the United States (USA)


($ 1.6 to $ 4.8)
19% less than in the United States (USA)


($ 2 to $ 6.2)
34% less than in the United States (USA)


($ 1.6 to $ 3.3)
20% less than in the United States (USA)


($ 1.3 to $ 2.7)
18% less than in the United States (USA)

Costa Rica: Hotel and accommodation budget

($ 35 to $ 49)
66% less than in the United States (USA)


($ 48 to $ 190)
40% less than in the United States (USA)


($ 78 to $ 292)
35% less than in the United States (USA)


($ 193 to $ 658)
9% more than in the United States (USA)


($ 494 to $ 842)
4% less than in the United States (USA)


($ 39 to $ 93)
55% less than in the United States (USA)


($ 77 to $ 433)
20% less than in the United States (USA)


($ 76 to $ 423)
18% less than in the United States (USA)


($ 69 to $ 196)
59% less than in the United States (USA)


($ 107 to $ 533)
6% more than in the United States (USA)

Costa Rica: Supermarket food budget

($ 1.3 to $ 2.6)
73% more than in the United States (USA)


($ 1.1 to $ 5.3)
36% less than in the United States (USA)


($ 1.3 to $ 3.2)
57% less than in the United States (USA)


($ 1.9 to $ 5.9)
30% less than in the United States (USA)


($ 4.2 to $ 15)
31% less than in the United States (USA)


($ 1.9 to $ 8.4)
24% less than in the United States (USA)


($ 1.3 to $ 4.5)
51% less than in the United States (USA)


($ 1.3 to $ 4.4)
20% less than in the United States (USA)


($ 1.3 to $ 4.2)
4% more than in the United States (USA)

Costa Rica: Public and private transport budget

($ 0.7 to $ 1.3)
62% less than in the United States (USA)


($ 1.3 to $ 2.3)
10% less than in the United States (USA)


($ 1.3 to $ 2.2)
50% more than in the United States (USA)


($ 1.3 to $ 2.3)
58% less than in the United States (USA)


($ 11 to $ 174)
26% less than in the United States (USA)

Costa Rica: Leisure activity budget

($ 6.2 to $ 10.4)
48% less than in the United States (USA)


($ 22 to $ 64)
68% more than in the United States (USA)

Costa Rica: Budget for clothes and price of cigarettes

($ 4.4 to $ 6.2)
51% less than in the United States (USA)


($ 42 to $ 114)
38% more than in the United States (USA)


($ 33 to $ 85)
17% more than in the United States (USA)

Plane ticket budget

(fair price: $ 431)

(fair price: $ 379)

(fair price: $ 695)

(fair price: $ 562)

(fair price: $ 591)

(fair price: $ 809)
About the information on the cost of living in Costa Rica
The information about the cost of living in Costa Rica shown on this page comes from multiple sources, including : Numbeo, Easyvoyage and Hotels.com.
Information about cost of living in Costa Rica updated on 18-09-2023.
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