Cost of living comparison
compared to
Vanuatu vs. Costa Rica Cost of Living Summary
Vanuatu is 59.3% more expensive than Costa Rica overall.
- Restaurants
-
pay 19.6% more in Vanuatu
- Groceries
-
pay 55.9% more in Vanuatu
- Transportation
-
pay 7.2% less in Vanuatu
- Housing
-
pay 3.9 times more in Vanuatu
- Childcare
-
pay 4.7% less in Vanuatu
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 56.5% more in Vanuatu
- Clothing
-
pay 3.4% more in Vanuatu
The cost of housing, entertainment and sports, groceries, restaurants, and clothing in Vanuatu are more expensive than in Costa Rica. Expenses including transportation and childcare are lower in Vanuatu. Notably, housing is significantly more expensive in Vanuatu.
Vanuatu vs. Costa Rica Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Vanuatu instead of Costa Rica, you would:
pay 19.6% more for restaurants
|
Costa Rica
|
Vanuatu
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$9.77
CRC4,857.39
|
$12.52
VUV1,530
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$9.53
CRC4,739.57
|
$9.56
VUV1,168
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.00
CRC995.21
|
$2.55
VUV311
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.57
CRC781.41
|
$1.93
VUV236
|
|
Costa Rica vs. Vanuatu - Cost of restaurants
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pay 55.9% more for groceries
|
Costa Rica
|
Vanuatu
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$2.54
CRC1,262.79
|
$2.54
VUV310
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$4.50
CRC2,237.94
|
$10.02
VUV1,224
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$7.52
CRC3,740.34
|
$9.06
VUV1,107
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$2.80
CRC1,389.74
|
$5.26
VUV642
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$3.83
CRC1,902.77
|
$8.33
VUV1,018
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.78
CRC886.81
|
$2.11
VUV258
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.62
CRC305.74
|
$0.88
VUV108
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.65
CRC819.01
|
$2.73
VUV333
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.24
CRC617.46
|
$2.46
VUV301
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.28
CRC635.24
|
$1.96
VUV240
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.10
CRC547.12
|
$0.95
VUV117
|
|
Costa Rica vs. Vanuatu - Cost of groceries
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pay 7.2% less for transportation
|
Costa Rica
|
Vanuatu
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$5.47
CRC2,719.23
|
$7.11
VUV869
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$54.59
CRC27,137.81
|
$66.78
VUV8,158
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$36,444.91
CRC18,117,972.89
|
$22,956.84
VUV2,804,408
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$15.68
CRC7,794.48
|
$8.77
VUV1,071
|
|
Costa Rica vs. Vanuatu - Cost of transportation
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pay 3.9 times more for housing
|
Costa Rica
|
Vanuatu
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$49.17
CRC24,446.08
|
$226.79
VUV27,704
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$805.28
CRC400,329.95
|
$1,906.11
VUV232,851
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$555.89
CRC276,349.98
|
$1,278.71
VUV156,207
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$63.57
CRC31,602.67
|
$406.43
VUV49,650
|
|
Costa Rica vs. Vanuatu - Cost of housing
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pay 4.7% less for childcare
|
Costa Rica
|
Vanuatu
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$517.09
CRC257,060.35
|
$617.75
VUV75,464
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$9,552.94
CRC4,749,083.93
|
$6,795.22
VUV830,105
|
|
Costa Rica vs. Vanuatu - Cost of childcare
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pay 56.5% more for entertainment and sports
|
Costa Rica
|
Vanuatu
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$2.59
CRC1,285.81
|
$4.81
VUV588
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$3.84
CRC1,908.38
|
$5.70
VUV696
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$4.70
CRC2,336.25
|
$9.18
VUV1,122
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$58.68
CRC29,171.56
|
$67.52
VUV8,248
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$9.11
CRC4,527.37
|
$12.52
VUV1,530
|
|
Costa Rica vs. Vanuatu - Cost of entertainment and sports
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pay 3.4% more for clothing
|
Costa Rica
|
Vanuatu
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$58.22
CRC28,941.22
|
$33.39
VUV4,079
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$44.70
CRC22,222.99
|
$66.78
VUV8,158
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$112.79
CRC56,072.28
|
?? | |
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$93.41
CRC46,435.67
|
?? | |
Costa Rica vs. Vanuatu - Cost of clothing
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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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