Cost of living comparison
compared to
Costa Rica vs. French Polynesia Cost of Living Summary
Costa Rica is 22.8% cheaper than French Polynesia overall.
- Restaurants
-
pay 35.0% less in Costa Rica
- Groceries
-
pay 12.0% less in Costa Rica
- Transportation
-
pay 4.3% less in Costa Rica
- Housing
-
pay 45.3% less in Costa Rica
- Childcare
-
pay 1.7% more in Costa Rica
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 33.4% less in Costa Rica
- Clothing
-
pay 31.0% less in Costa Rica
Expenses including housing, restaurants, entertainment and sports, clothing, groceries, and transportation are lower in Costa Rica.
Costa Rica vs. French Polynesia Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Costa Rica instead of French Polynesia, you would:
pay 35.0% less for restaurants
|
French Polynesia
|
Costa Rica
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$17.45
CFPF1,778
|
$9.77
CRC4,880.19
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$13.03
CFPF1,327
|
$9.53
CRC4,761.82
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.80
CFPF285
|
$2.00
CRC999.88
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.65
CFPF270
|
$1.57
CRC785.08
|
|
French Polynesia vs. Costa Rica - Cost of restaurants
pay 12.0% less for groceries
|
French Polynesia
|
Costa Rica
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$0.78
CFPF80
|
$2.54
CRC1,268.71
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$13.05
CFPF1,330
|
$4.50
CRC2,248.44
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$6.30
CFPF642
|
$7.52
CRC3,757.90
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$8.38
CFPF854
|
$2.80
CRC1,396.26
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$7.66
CFPF780
|
$3.83
CRC1,911.70
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.37
CFPF241
|
$1.78
CRC890.98
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$1.22
CFPF124
|
$0.62
CRC307.17
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.66
CFPF271
|
$1.65
CRC822.85
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$3.60
CFPF366
|
$1.24
CRC620.36
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.37
CFPF139
|
$1.28
CRC638.23
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.22
CFPF124
|
$1.10
CRC549.69
|
|
French Polynesia vs. Costa Rica - Cost of groceries
pay 4.3% less for transportation
|
French Polynesia
|
Costa Rica
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$5.87
CFPF598
|
$5.47
CRC2,732.00
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass | ?? |
$54.59
CRC27,265.20
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$19,575.51
CFPF1,994,604
|
$36,444.91
CRC18,203,023.60
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$205.54
CFPF20,943
|
$15.68
CRC7,831.07
|
|
French Polynesia vs. Costa Rica - Cost of transportation
pay 45.3% less for housing
|
French Polynesia
|
Costa Rica
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$107.34
CFPF10,937
|
$49.17
CRC24,560.84
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,382.49
CFPF140,865
|
$805.28
CRC402,209.21
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,076.62
CFPF109,700
|
$555.89
CRC277,647.24
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$100.79
CFPF10,269
|
$63.57
CRC31,751.02
|
|
French Polynesia vs. Costa Rica - Cost of housing
pay 1.7% more for childcare
|
French Polynesia
|
Costa Rica
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$489.39
CFPF49,865
|
$517.09
CRC258,267.06
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$9,787.76
CFPF997,302
|
$9,552.94
CRC4,771,377.42
|
|
French Polynesia vs. Costa Rica - Cost of childcare
pay 33.4% less for entertainment and sports
|
French Polynesia
|
Costa Rica
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$4.53
CFPF461
|
$2.59
CRC1,291.85
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$4.37
CFPF446
|
$3.84
CRC1,917.34
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$12.14
CFPF1,237
|
$4.70
CRC2,347.22
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$70.94
CFPF7,228
|
$58.68
CRC29,308.50
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$13.70
CFPF1,396
|
$9.11
CRC4,548.62
|
|
French Polynesia vs. Costa Rica - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 31.0% less for clothing
|
French Polynesia
|
Costa Rica
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$105.95
CFPF10,795
|
$58.22
CRC29,077.08
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$84.22
CFPF8,581
|
$44.70
CRC22,327.31
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$128.36
CFPF13,079
|
$112.79
CRC56,335.50
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$116.57
CFPF11,877
|
$93.41
CRC46,653.65
|
|
French Polynesia vs. Costa Rica - 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
Change currency:
Compare by city
Help us improve these prices
MyLifeElsewhere is a collaborative project. Please enter price information for your location to help assist us in making these comparisons more accurate.
Learn more
ASK THE ELSEWHERE COMMUNITY
Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Costa Rica or French Polynesia. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.