Cost of living comparison
compared to
Iowa vs. Costa Rica Cost of Living Summary
Iowa is 32.1% more expensive than Costa Rica overall.
- Restaurants
-
pay 27.9% more in Iowa
- Groceries
-
pay 9.6% more in Iowa
- Transportation
-
pay 24.9% less in Iowa
- Housing
-
pay 57.2% more in Iowa
- Childcare
-
pay 2.1 times more in Iowa
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 50.6% more in Iowa
- Clothing
-
pay 6.2% less in Iowa
The cost of childcare, housing, entertainment and sports, restaurants, and groceries in Iowa are more expensive than in Costa Rica. Expenses including transportation and clothing are lower in Iowa. Notably, childcare is significantly more expensive in Iowa.
Iowa vs. Costa Rica Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Iowa instead of Costa Rica, you would:
pay 27.9% more for restaurants
|
Costa Rica
|
Iowa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$9.77
CRC4,772.77
|
$15.83
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$9.53
CRC4,657.00
|
$10.57
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.00
CRC977.87
|
$2.46
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.57
CRC767.80
|
$1.82
|
|
Costa Rica vs. Iowa - Cost of restaurants
pay 9.6% more for groceries
|
Costa Rica
|
Iowa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$2.54
CRC1,240.79
|
$2.77
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$4.50
CRC2,198.95
|
$5.89
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$7.52
CRC3,675.18
|
$3.33
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$2.80
CRC1,365.53
|
$3.30
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$3.83
CRC1,869.62
|
$4.57
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.78
CRC871.36
|
$1.96
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.62
CRC300.41
|
$0.65
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.65
CRC804.74
|
$1.93
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.24
CRC606.70
|
$1.93
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.28
CRC624.18
|
$0.99
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.10
CRC537.59
|
$1.30
|
|
Costa Rica vs. Iowa - Cost of groceries
pay 24.9% less for transportation
|
Costa Rica
|
Iowa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$5.47
CRC2,671.86
|
$3.02
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$54.59
CRC26,665.03
|
$38.07
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$36,444.91
CRC17,802,336.11
|
$28,093.10
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$15.68
CRC7,658.69
|
$15.46
|
|
Costa Rica vs. Iowa - Cost of transportation
pay 57.2% more for housing
|
Costa Rica
|
Iowa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$49.17
CRC24,020.20
|
$65.62
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$805.28
CRC393,355.72
|
$1,069.66
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$555.89
CRC271,535.63
|
$852.78
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$63.57
CRC31,052.11
|
$133.13
|
|
Costa Rica vs. Iowa - Cost of housing
pay 2.1 times more for childcare
|
Costa Rica
|
Iowa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$517.09
CRC252,582.05
|
$1,152.45
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$9,552.94
CRC4,666,349.20
|
$18,898.50
|
|
Costa Rica vs. Iowa - Cost of childcare
pay 50.6% more for entertainment and sports
|
Costa Rica
|
Iowa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$2.59
CRC1,263.41
|
$4.44
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$3.84
CRC1,875.13
|
$5.43
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$4.70
CRC2,295.55
|
$8.55
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$58.68
CRC28,663.36
|
$63.76
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$9.11
CRC4,448.49
|
$13.58
|
|
Costa Rica vs. Iowa - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 6.2% less for clothing
|
Costa Rica
|
Iowa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$58.22
CRC28,437.03
|
$55.34
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$44.70
CRC21,835.84
|
$41.65
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$112.79
CRC55,095.43
|
$81.56
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$93.41
CRC45,626.70
|
$106.86
|
|
Costa Rica vs. Iowa - 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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cost of living in Costa Rica vs. United States.
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