Cost of living comparison
compared to
Costa Rica vs. New Zealand Cost of Living Summary
Costa Rica is 9.1% cheaper than New Zealand overall.
- Restaurants
-
pay 13.8% less in Costa Rica
- Groceries
-
pay 10.4% more in Costa Rica
- Transportation
-
pay 0.4% less in Costa Rica
- Housing
-
pay 21.1% less in Costa Rica
- Childcare
-
pay 23.8% less in Costa Rica
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 16.4% less in Costa Rica
- Clothing
-
pay 1.6% more in Costa Rica
The cost of groceries and clothing in Costa Rica are more expensive than in New Zealand. Expenses including childcare, housing, entertainment and sports, restaurants, and transportation are lower in Costa Rica.
Costa Rica vs. New Zealand Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Costa Rica instead of New Zealand, you would:
pay 13.8% less for restaurants
|
New Zealand
|
Costa Rica
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$14.45
NZ$25.19
|
$9.77
CRC4,857.39
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$9.14
NZ$15.93
|
$9.53
CRC4,739.57
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.11
NZ$3.68
|
$2.00
CRC995.21
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.02
NZ$3.52
|
$1.57
CRC781.41
|
|
New Zealand vs. Costa Rica - Cost of restaurants
pay 10.4% more for groceries
|
New Zealand
|
Costa Rica
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$1.74
NZ$3.03
|
$2.54
CRC1,262.79
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$3.88
NZ$6.77
|
$4.50
CRC2,237.94
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$6.34
NZ$11.05
|
$7.52
CRC3,740.34
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$5.96
NZ$10.39
|
$2.80
CRC1,389.74
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$4.01
NZ$6.99
|
$3.83
CRC1,902.77
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.18
NZ$2.06
|
$1.78
CRC886.81
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.95
NZ$1.66
|
$0.62
CRC305.74
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.29
NZ$2.26
|
$1.65
CRC819.01
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.11
NZ$3.68
|
$1.24
CRC617.46
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.85
NZ$1.48
|
$1.28
CRC635.24
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.80
NZ$1.39
|
$1.10
CRC547.12
|
|
New Zealand vs. Costa Rica - Cost of groceries
pay 0.4% less for transportation
|
New Zealand
|
Costa Rica
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$6.08
NZ$10.60
|
$5.47
CRC2,719.23
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$74.52
NZ$129.96
|
$54.59
CRC27,137.81
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$24,777.66
NZ$43,211.84
|
$36,444.91
CRC18,117,972.89
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$17.81
NZ$31.06
|
$15.68
CRC7,794.48
|
|
New Zealand vs. Costa Rica - Cost of transportation
pay 21.1% less for housing
|
New Zealand
|
Costa Rica
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$50.00
NZ$87.19
|
$49.17
CRC24,446.08
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$978.36
NZ$1,706.24
|
$805.28
CRC400,329.95
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$810.06
NZ$1,412.73
|
$555.89
CRC276,349.98
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$95.66
NZ$166.83
|
$63.57
CRC31,602.67
|
|
New Zealand vs. Costa Rica - Cost of housing
pay 23.8% less for childcare
|
New Zealand
|
Costa Rica
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$635.34
NZ$1,108.03
|
$517.09
CRC257,060.35
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$13,463.91
NZ$23,480.84
|
$9,552.94
CRC4,749,083.93
|
|
New Zealand vs. Costa Rica - Cost of childcare
pay 16.4% less for entertainment and sports
|
New Zealand
|
Costa Rica
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$6.04
NZ$10.54
|
$2.59
CRC1,285.81
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$3.35
NZ$5.85
|
$3.84
CRC1,908.38
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$23.12
NZ$40.33
|
$4.70
CRC2,336.25
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$37.72
NZ$65.79
|
$58.68
CRC29,171.56
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$10.72
NZ$18.69
|
$9.11
CRC4,527.37
|
|
New Zealand vs. Costa Rica - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 1.6% more for clothing
|
New Zealand
|
Costa Rica
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$65.22
NZ$113.75
|
$58.22
CRC28,941.22
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$39.23
NZ$68.42
|
$44.70
CRC22,222.99
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$90.28
NZ$157.45
|
$112.79
CRC56,072.28
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$119.43
NZ$208.28
|
$93.41
CRC46,435.67
|
|
New Zealand 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
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