Cost of living comparison
compared to
Detroit vs. Costa Rica Cost of Living Summary
Detroit is 44.5% more expensive than Costa Rica overall.
- Restaurants
-
pay 38.6% more in Detroit
- Groceries
-
pay 22.8% more in Detroit
- Transportation
-
pay 7.9% less in Detroit
- Housing
-
pay 94.7% more in Detroit
- Childcare
-
pay 2.1 times more in Detroit
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 56.4% more in Detroit
- Clothing
-
pay 6.6% less in Detroit
The cost of childcare, housing, entertainment and sports, restaurants, and groceries in Detroit are more expensive than in Costa Rica. Expenses including transportation and clothing are lower in Detroit. Notably, childcare and housing are significantly more expensive in Detroit.
Detroit vs. Costa Rica Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Detroit instead of Costa Rica, you would:
pay 38.6% more for restaurants
|
Costa Rica
|
Detroit
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$9.77
CRC4,772.77
|
$20.00
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$9.53
CRC4,657.00
|
$10.00
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.00
CRC977.87
|
$2.59
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.57
CRC767.80
|
$1.82
|
|
Costa Rica vs. Detroit - Cost of restaurants
pay 22.8% more for groceries
|
Costa Rica
|
Detroit
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$2.54
CRC1,240.79
|
$3.38
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$4.50
CRC2,198.95
|
$6.06
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$7.52
CRC3,675.18
|
$3.58
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$2.80
CRC1,365.53
|
$3.58
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$3.83
CRC1,869.62
|
$5.25
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.78
CRC871.36
|
$2.08
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.62
CRC300.41
|
$0.55
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.65
CRC804.74
|
$2.65
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.24
CRC606.70
|
$2.80
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.28
CRC624.18
|
$0.98
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.10
CRC537.59
|
$1.13
|
|
Costa Rica vs. Detroit - Cost of groceries
pay 7.9% less for transportation
|
Costa Rica
|
Detroit
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$5.47
CRC2,671.86
|
$3.40
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$54.59
CRC26,665.03
|
$66.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$36,444.91
CRC17,802,336.11
|
$35,699.74
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$15.68
CRC7,658.69
|
$13.68
|
|
Costa Rica vs. Detroit - Cost of transportation
pay 94.7% more for housing
|
Costa Rica
|
Detroit
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$49.17
CRC24,020.20
|
$52.14
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$805.28
CRC393,355.72
|
$1,450.00
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$555.89
CRC271,535.63
|
$1,058.17
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$63.57
CRC31,052.11
|
$192.03
|
|
Costa Rica vs. Detroit - Cost of housing
pay 2.1 times more for childcare
|
Costa Rica
|
Detroit
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$517.09
CRC252,582.05
|
$1,294.79
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$9,552.94
CRC4,666,349.20
|
$16,800.00
|
|
Costa Rica vs. Detroit - Cost of childcare
pay 56.4% more for entertainment and sports
|
Costa Rica
|
Detroit
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$2.59
CRC1,263.41
|
$6.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$3.84
CRC1,875.13
|
$4.86
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$4.70
CRC2,295.55
|
$10.00
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$58.68
CRC28,663.36
|
$43.00
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$9.11
CRC4,448.49
|
$12.50
|
|
Costa Rica vs. Detroit - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 6.6% less for clothing
|
Costa Rica
|
Detroit
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$58.22
CRC28,437.03
|
$59.08
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$44.70
CRC21,835.84
|
$31.00
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$112.79
CRC55,095.43
|
$97.00
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$93.41
CRC45,626.70
|
$109.00
|
|
Costa Rica vs. Detroit - Cost of clothing
The statistics used to build this comparison are calculated using data from users just like you.
We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world.
Learn more about our data sources. Page last updated: December 2025
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