Cost of living comparison
compared to
Costa Rica vs. San Diego Cost of Living Summary
Costa Rica is 36.6% cheaper than San Diego.
- Restaurants
-
pay 40.2% less in Costa Rica
- Groceries
-
pay 20.6% less in Costa Rica
- Transportation
-
pay 3.6% less in Costa Rica
- Housing
-
pay 65.2% less in Costa Rica
- Childcare
-
pay 68.7% less in Costa Rica
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 46.2% less in Costa Rica
- Clothing
-
pay 11.7% less in Costa Rica
Expenses including childcare, housing, entertainment and sports, restaurants, groceries, and clothing are lower in Costa Rica.
Costa Rica vs. San Diego Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Costa Rica instead of San Diego, you would:
pay 40.2% less for restaurants
|
San Diego
|
Costa Rica
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$21.00
|
$9.77
CRC4,772.77
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$15.00
|
$9.53
CRC4,657.00
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$3.03
|
$2.00
CRC977.87
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.50
|
$1.57
CRC767.80
|
|
San Diego vs. Costa Rica - Cost of restaurants
pay 20.6% less for groceries
|
San Diego
|
Costa Rica
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$4.57
|
$2.54
CRC1,240.79
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$7.36
|
$4.50
CRC2,198.95
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$4.78
|
$7.52
CRC3,675.18
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$5.84
|
$2.80
CRC1,365.53
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$6.07
|
$3.83
CRC1,869.62
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.22
|
$1.78
CRC871.36
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.78
|
$0.62
CRC300.41
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.91
|
$1.65
CRC804.74
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.26
|
$1.24
CRC606.70
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.42
|
$1.28
CRC624.18
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.12
|
$1.10
CRC537.59
|
|
San Diego vs. Costa Rica - Cost of groceries
pay 3.6% less for transportation
|
San Diego
|
Costa Rica
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.76
|
$5.47
CRC2,671.86
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$72.00
|
$54.59
CRC26,665.03
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$31,965.00
|
$36,444.91
CRC17,802,336.11
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$19.40
|
$15.68
CRC7,658.69
|
|
San Diego vs. Costa Rica - Cost of transportation
pay 65.2% less for housing
|
San Diego
|
Costa Rica
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$82.19
|
$49.17
CRC24,020.20
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$3,033.00
|
$805.28
CRC393,355.72
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$2,538.64
|
$555.89
CRC271,535.63
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$205.84
|
$63.57
CRC31,052.11
|
|
San Diego vs. Costa Rica - Cost of housing
pay 68.7% less for childcare
|
San Diego
|
Costa Rica
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,750.00
|
$517.09
CRC252,582.05
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$28,750.00
|
$9,552.94
CRC4,666,349.20
|
|
San Diego vs. Costa Rica - Cost of childcare
pay 46.2% less for entertainment and sports
|
San Diego
|
Costa Rica
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$8.00
|
$2.59
CRC1,263.41
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.90
|
$3.84
CRC1,875.13
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$12.00
|
$4.70
CRC2,295.55
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$73.21
|
$58.68
CRC28,663.36
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$17.50
|
$9.11
CRC4,448.49
|
|
San Diego vs. Costa Rica - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 11.7% less for clothing
|
San Diego
|
Costa Rica
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$60.72
|
$58.22
CRC28,437.03
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$58.44
|
$44.70
CRC21,835.84
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$105.68
|
$112.79
CRC55,095.43
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$126.25
|
$93.41
CRC45,626.70
|
|
San Diego 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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