Cost of living comparison
compared to
South Carolina vs. Costa Rica Cost of Living Summary
South Carolina is 46.2% more expensive than Costa Rica overall.
- Restaurants
-
pay 45.2% more in South Carolina
- Groceries
-
pay 34.0% more in South Carolina
- Transportation
-
pay 16.9% less in South Carolina
- Housing
-
pay 2.0 times more in South Carolina
- Childcare
-
pay 2.3 times more in South Carolina
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 39.6% more in South Carolina
- Clothing
-
pay 9.5% less in South Carolina
The cost of childcare, housing, restaurants, entertainment and sports, and groceries in South Carolina are more expensive than in Costa Rica. Expenses including transportation and clothing are lower in South Carolina. Notably, childcare and housing are significantly more expensive in South Carolina.
South Carolina vs. Costa Rica Cost Breakdown
If you lived in South Carolina instead of Costa Rica, you would:
pay 45.2% more for restaurants
|
Costa Rica
|
South Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$9.77
CRC4,772.77
|
$19.17
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$9.53
CRC4,657.00
|
$11.16
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.00
CRC977.87
|
$2.65
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.57
CRC767.80
|
$2.13
|
|
Costa Rica vs. South Carolina - Cost of restaurants
pay 34.0% more for groceries
|
Costa Rica
|
South Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$2.54
CRC1,240.79
|
$3.44
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$4.50
CRC2,198.95
|
$5.99
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$7.52
CRC3,675.18
|
$3.54
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$2.80
CRC1,365.53
|
$4.18
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$3.83
CRC1,869.62
|
$5.64
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.78
CRC871.36
|
$2.64
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.62
CRC300.41
|
$0.76
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.65
CRC804.74
|
$2.49
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.24
CRC606.70
|
$2.31
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.28
CRC624.18
|
$1.63
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.10
CRC537.59
|
$1.38
|
|
Costa Rica vs. South Carolina - Cost of groceries
pay 16.9% less for transportation
|
Costa Rica
|
South Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$5.47
CRC2,671.86
|
$2.88
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$54.59
CRC26,665.03
|
$46.17
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$36,444.91
CRC17,802,336.11
|
$33,190.90
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$15.68
CRC7,658.69
|
$16.34
|
|
Costa Rica vs. South Carolina - Cost of transportation
pay 2.0 times more for housing
|
Costa Rica
|
South Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$49.17
CRC24,020.20
|
$66.47
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$805.28
CRC393,355.72
|
$1,589.94
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$555.89
CRC271,535.63
|
$1,366.92
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$63.57
CRC31,052.11
|
$141.20
|
|
Costa Rica vs. South Carolina - Cost of housing
pay 2.3 times more for childcare
|
Costa Rica
|
South Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$517.09
CRC252,582.05
|
$1,346.85
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$9,552.94
CRC4,666,349.20
|
$19,168.15
|
|
Costa Rica vs. South Carolina - Cost of childcare
pay 39.6% more for entertainment and sports
|
Costa Rica
|
South Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$2.59
CRC1,263.41
|
$5.29
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$3.84
CRC1,875.13
|
$5.17
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$4.70
CRC2,295.55
|
$7.67
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$58.68
CRC28,663.36
|
$32.75
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$9.11
CRC4,448.49
|
$12.71
|
|
Costa Rica vs. South Carolina - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 9.5% less for clothing
|
Costa Rica
|
South Carolina
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$58.22
CRC28,437.03
|
$50.06
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$44.70
CRC21,835.84
|
$35.86
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$112.79
CRC55,095.43
|
$84.43
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$93.41
CRC45,626.70
|
$112.81
|
|
Costa Rica vs. South Carolina - 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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