Cost of living comparison
Costa Rica vs. Marshall Islands Cost of Living Summary
Costa Rica is 10.6% cheaper than Marshall Islands overall.
- Restaurants
-
pay 8.0% more in Costa Rica
- Groceries
-
pay 45.5% less in Costa Rica
- Transportation
-
pay 12.2% less in Costa Rica
- Housing
-
pay 25.8% less in Costa Rica
- Childcare
-
pay 5.0 times more in Costa Rica
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 4.0% more in Costa Rica
- Clothing
-
pay 80.4% more in Costa Rica
The cost of childcare, clothing, restaurants, and entertainment and sports in Costa Rica are more expensive than in Marshall Islands. Expenses including groceries, housing, and transportation are lower in Costa Rica. Notably, childcare and clothing are significantly more expensive in Costa Rica.
Costa Rica vs. Marshall Islands Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Costa Rica instead of Marshall Islands, you would:
pay 8.0% more for restaurants
|
Marshall Islands
|
Costa Rica
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$10.00
|
$11.15
CRC5,073.49
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$10.50
|
$10.85
CRC4,937.06
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$1.83
|
$2.43
CRC1,106.42
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.00
|
$1.79
CRC813.02
|
|
pay 45.5% less for groceries
|
Marshall Islands
|
Costa Rica
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.40
|
$2.77
CRC1,261.89
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$15.39
|
$4.82
CRC2,192.99
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$8.52
|
$8.37
CRC3,808.87
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$5.19
|
$3.63
CRC1,653.83
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$4.99
|
$4.40
CRC2,002.78
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.99
|
$2.20
CRC1,003.04
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$3.29
|
$0.73
CRC329.98
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$3.95
|
$1.67
CRC758.13
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$5.79
|
$1.43
CRC652.25
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$2.39
|
$1.44
CRC655.18
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$2.49
|
$1.33
CRC603.93
|
|
pay 12.2% less for transportation
|
Marshall Islands
|
Costa Rica
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$6.81
|
$5.78
CRC2,631.55
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass | ?? |
$66.80
CRC30,402.28
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$25,000.00
|
$22,830.95
CRC10M
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) | ?? |
$15.71
CRC7,149.33
|
|
pay 25.8% less for housing
|
Marshall Islands
|
Costa Rica
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$80.00
|
$51.66
CRC23,510.13
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$775.00
|
$834.08
CRC380K
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$875.00
|
$597.43
CRC272K
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$191.13
|
$68.56
CRC31,201.98
|
|
pay 5.0 times more for childcare
|
Marshall Islands
|
Costa Rica
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$150.00
|
$742.27
CRC338K
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$2,640.00
|
$13,434.66
CRC6M
|
|
pay 4.0% more for entertainment and sports
|
Marshall Islands
|
Costa Rica
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$4.50
|
$2.91
CRC1,323.10
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$4.33
|
$4.06
CRC1,847.37
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$6.00
|
$5.29
CRC2,409.48
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$37.50
|
$66.37
CRC30,203.17
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema | ?? |
$7.92
CRC3,603.80
|
|
pay 80.4% more for clothing
|
Marshall Islands
|
Costa Rica
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$70.00
|
$67.50
CRC30,717.09
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$40.00
|
$49.52
CRC22,538.15
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$30.00
|
$122.64
CRC55,811.48
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$50.00
|
$108.52
CRC49,389.03
|
|
We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Sources: MyLifeElsewhere's cost-of-living dataset (prices updated October 2026). How we calculate this
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