Cost of living comparison
compared to
Costa Rica vs. Pennsylvania Cost of Living Summary
Costa Rica is 21.1% cheaper than Pennsylvania.
- Restaurants
-
pay 21.9% less in Costa Rica
- Groceries
-
pay 18.7% less in Costa Rica
- Transportation
-
pay 12.9% more in Costa Rica
- Housing
-
pay 44.7% less in Costa Rica
- Childcare
-
pay 63.4% less in Costa Rica
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 22.6% less in Costa Rica
- Clothing
-
pay 10.9% more in Costa Rica
The cost of transportation and clothing in Costa Rica are more expensive than in Pennsylvania. Expenses including childcare, housing, entertainment and sports, restaurants, and groceries are lower in Costa Rica.
Costa Rica vs. Pennsylvania Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Costa Rica instead of Pennsylvania, you would:
pay 21.9% less for restaurants
|
Pennsylvania
|
Costa Rica
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$18.35
|
$9.77
CRC4,772.77
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$10.53
|
$9.53
CRC4,657.00
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.39
|
$2.00
CRC977.87
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.85
|
$1.57
CRC767.80
|
|
Pennsylvania vs. Costa Rica - Cost of restaurants
pay 18.7% less for groceries
|
Pennsylvania
|
Costa Rica
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.50
|
$2.54
CRC1,240.79
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$7.29
|
$4.50
CRC2,198.95
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$4.21
|
$7.52
CRC3,675.18
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$4.15
|
$2.80
CRC1,365.53
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.39
|
$3.83
CRC1,869.62
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.62
|
$1.78
CRC871.36
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.73
|
$0.62
CRC300.41
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.11
|
$1.65
CRC804.74
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.50
|
$1.24
CRC606.70
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.36
|
$1.28
CRC624.18
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.59
|
$1.10
CRC537.59
|
|
Pennsylvania vs. Costa Rica - Cost of groceries
pay 12.9% more for transportation
|
Pennsylvania
|
Costa Rica
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.27
|
$5.47
CRC2,671.86
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$65.77
|
$54.59
CRC26,665.03
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$32,293.42
|
$36,444.91
CRC17,802,336.11
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$17.76
|
$15.68
CRC7,658.69
|
|
Pennsylvania vs. Costa Rica - Cost of transportation
pay 44.7% less for housing
|
Pennsylvania
|
Costa Rica
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$66.32
|
$49.17
CRC24,020.20
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,401.89
|
$805.28
CRC393,355.72
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,229.68
|
$555.89
CRC271,535.63
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$142.67
|
$63.57
CRC31,052.11
|
|
Pennsylvania vs. Costa Rica - Cost of housing
pay 63.4% less for childcare
|
Pennsylvania
|
Costa Rica
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,240.98
|
$517.09
CRC252,582.05
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$30,464.89
|
$9,552.94
CRC4,666,349.20
|
|
Pennsylvania vs. Costa Rica - Cost of childcare
pay 22.6% less for entertainment and sports
|
Pennsylvania
|
Costa Rica
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$5.29
|
$2.59
CRC1,263.41
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.04
|
$3.84
CRC1,875.13
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$10.28
|
$4.70
CRC2,295.55
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$38.69
|
$58.68
CRC28,663.36
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$14.09
|
$9.11
CRC4,448.49
|
|
Pennsylvania vs. Costa Rica - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 10.9% more for clothing
|
Pennsylvania
|
Costa Rica
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$50.59
|
$58.22
CRC28,437.03
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$43.05
|
$44.70
CRC21,835.84
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$83.26
|
$112.79
CRC55,095.43
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$104.87
|
$93.41
CRC45,626.70
|
|
Pennsylvania 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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