Cost of living comparison
compared to
Palau vs. Costa Rica Cost of Living Summary
Palau is 16.5% more expensive than Costa Rica overall.
- Restaurants
-
pay 9.0% less in Palau
- Groceries
-
pay 91.8% more in Palau
- Transportation
-
pay 14.3% less in Palau
- Housing
-
pay 51.8% more in Palau
- Childcare
-
pay 70.6% less in Palau
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 24.4% more in Palau
- Clothing
-
pay 41.1% more in Palau
The cost of groceries, housing, clothing, and entertainment and sports in Palau are more expensive than in Costa Rica. Expenses including childcare, transportation, and restaurants are lower in Palau. Notably, groceries is significantly more expensive in Palau.
Palau vs. Costa Rica Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Palau instead of Costa Rica, you would:
pay 9.0% less for restaurants
|
Costa Rica
|
Palau
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$9.77
CRC4,857.39
|
$12.00
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$9.53
CRC4,739.57
|
$10.00
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.00
CRC995.21
|
$1.37
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.57
CRC781.41
|
$1.07
|
|
Costa Rica vs. Palau - Cost of restaurants
pay 91.8% more for groceries
|
Costa Rica
|
Palau
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$2.54
CRC1,262.79
|
$3.44
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$4.50
CRC2,237.94
|
$5.00
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$7.52
CRC3,740.34
|
$9.97
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$2.80
CRC1,389.74
|
$5.97
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$3.83
CRC1,902.77
|
$6.30
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.78
CRC886.81
|
$2.40
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.62
CRC305.74
|
$1.00
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.65
CRC819.01
|
$2.50
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.24
CRC617.46
|
$7.50
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.28
CRC635.24
|
$2.09
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.10
CRC547.12
|
$1.50
|
|
Costa Rica vs. Palau - Cost of groceries
pay 14.3% less for transportation
|
Costa Rica
|
Palau
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$5.47
CRC2,719.23
|
$6.75
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$54.59
CRC27,137.81
|
?? | |
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$36,444.91
CRC18,117,972.89
|
$17,500.00
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$15.68
CRC7,794.48
|
?? | |
Costa Rica vs. Palau - Cost of transportation
pay 51.8% more for housing
|
Costa Rica
|
Palau
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$49.17
CRC24,446.08
|
$129.50
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$805.28
CRC400,329.95
|
$750.00
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$555.89
CRC276,349.98
|
$550.00
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$63.57
CRC31,602.67
|
?? | |
Costa Rica vs. Palau - Cost of housing
pay 70.6% less for childcare
|
Costa Rica
|
Palau
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$517.09
CRC257,060.35
|
$200.00
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$9,552.94
CRC4,749,083.93
|
$1,920.00
|
|
Costa Rica vs. Palau - Cost of childcare
pay 24.4% more for entertainment and sports
|
Costa Rica
|
Palau
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$2.59
CRC1,285.81
|
$1.50
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$3.84
CRC1,908.38
|
$4.08
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$4.70
CRC2,336.25
|
$11.25
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$58.68
CRC29,171.56
|
$55.00
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$9.11
CRC4,527.37
|
?? | |
Costa Rica vs. Palau - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 41.1% more for clothing
|
Costa Rica
|
Palau
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$58.22
CRC28,941.22
|
$62.50
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$44.70
CRC22,222.99
|
$52.50
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$112.79
CRC56,072.28
|
$147.50
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$93.41
CRC46,435.67
|
$195.00
|
|
Costa Rica vs. Palau - 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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