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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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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