Cost of living comparison
Massachusetts is 2.0 times more expensive than Costa Rica.
If you lived in Massachusetts instead of Costa Rica, you would:
pay 64.2% more for restaurants
Costa Rica
|
Massachusetts
|
||
---|---|---|---|
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$9.42
₡4,774
|
$21.36
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$8.16
₡4,138
|
$10.01
|
|
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$1.73
₡876
|
$2.73
|
|
Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.50
₡763
|
$2.24
|
|
pay 54.0% more for groceries
Costa Rica
|
Massachusetts
|
||
---|---|---|---|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$1.87
₡949
|
$3.46
|
|
Local cheese (8 oz) |
$4.15
₡2,105
|
$8.18
|
|
Milk (1 gallon) |
$6.45
₡3,271
|
$4.13
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$2.63
₡1,334
|
$3.94
|
|
Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$3.92
₡1,986
|
$4.94
|
|
Apples (1 lb) |
$1.85
₡937
|
$2.44
|
|
Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.66
₡335
|
$0.81
|
|
Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.26
₡637
|
$2.16
|
|
Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$0.97
₡489
|
$2.40
|
|
Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.92
₡469
|
$1.47
|
|
Onions (1 lb) |
$1.08
₡548
|
$1.50
|
|
pay 8.4% more for transportation
Costa Rica
|
Massachusetts
|
||
---|---|---|---|
Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$5.58
₡2,831
|
$3.63
|
|
Monthly public transit pass |
$44.09
₡22,353
|
$61.20
|
|
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$25,829.98
₡13,095,893
|
$27,045.17
|
|
Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$13.39
₡6,787
|
$16.77
|
|
pay 2.4 times more for housing
Costa Rica
|
Massachusetts
|
||
---|---|---|---|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$53.15
₡26,945
|
$80.36
|
|
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$813.71
₡412,555
|
$1,973.24
|
|
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$522.16
₡264,739
|
$1,612.24
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$64.83
₡32,869
|
$166.10
|
|
pay 4.7 times more for childcare
Costa Rica
|
Massachusetts
|
||
---|---|---|---|
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$366.72
₡185,927
|
$2,203.13
|
|
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$8,358.53
₡4,237,803
|
$28,357.14
|
|
pay 78.7% more for entertainment and sports
Costa Rica
|
Massachusetts
|
||
---|---|---|---|
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$2.88
₡1,461
|
$6.15
|
|
Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$2.93
₡1,483
|
$4.74
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$4.48
₡2,273
|
$10.90
|
|
Monthly membership at local gym |
$55.95
₡28,367
|
$53.06
|
|
Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$7.18
₡3,639
|
$12.93
|
|
pay 5.5% less for clothing
Costa Rica
|
Massachusetts
|
||
---|---|---|---|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$66.61
₡33,770
|
$45.25
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$44.99
₡22,812
|
$40.58
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$101.09
₡51,254
|
$80.00
|
|
Men's business shoes (leather) |
$77.50
₡39,292
|
$109.30
|
|
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