Cost of living comparison
Costa Rica is 49.4% cheaper than Switzerland.
If you lived in Costa Rica instead of Switzerland, you would:
pay 59.0% less for restaurants
Switzerland
|
Costa Rica
|
||
---|---|---|---|
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$26.06
CHF23.84
|
$9.42
₡4,732
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$16.57
CHF15.16
|
$8.16
₡4,102
|
|
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$4.36
CHF3.99
|
$1.73
₡868
|
|
Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$3.85
CHF3.53
|
$1.50
₡756
|
|
pay 35.3% less for groceries
Switzerland
|
Costa Rica
|
||
---|---|---|---|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.23
CHF2.96
|
$1.87
₡940
|
|
Local cheese (8 oz) |
$14.05
CHF12.85
|
$4.15
₡2,086
|
|
Milk (1 gallon) |
$6.73
CHF6.16
|
$6.45
₡3,242
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$6.47
CHF5.92
|
$2.63
₡1,322
|
|
Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$11.61
CHF10.62
|
$3.92
₡1,969
|
|
Apples (1 lb) |
$1.92
CHF1.75
|
$1.85
₡928
|
|
Bananas (1 lb) |
$1.29
CHF1.18
|
$0.66
₡332
|
|
Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.50
CHF1.38
|
$1.26
₡631
|
|
Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.00
CHF1.83
|
$0.97
₡485
|
|
Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.16
CHF1.06
|
$0.92
₡464
|
|
Onions (1 lb) |
$1.15
CHF1.05
|
$1.08
₡543
|
|
pay 44.2% less for transportation
Switzerland
|
Costa Rica
|
||
---|---|---|---|
Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$7.86
CHF7.19
|
$5.58
₡2,806
|
|
Monthly public transit pass |
$101.99
CHF93.30
|
$44.09
₡22,156
|
|
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$34,369.68
CHF31,444.06
|
$25,829.98
₡12,980,676
|
|
Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$39.48
CHF36.12
|
$13.39
₡6,727
|
|
pay 44.6% less for housing
Switzerland
|
Costa Rica
|
||
---|---|---|---|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$58.09
CHF53.14
|
$53.15
₡26,708
|
|
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,527.18
CHF1,397.18
|
$813.71
₡408,925
|
|
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,267.40
CHF1,159.52
|
$522.16
₡262,410
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$182.90
CHF167.33
|
$64.83
₡32,580
|
|
pay 77.2% less for childcare
Switzerland
|
Costa Rica
|
||
---|---|---|---|
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$2,253.56
CHF2,061.74
|
$366.72
₡184,291
|
|
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$28,390.10
CHF25,973.48
|
$8,358.53
₡4,200,519
|
|
pay 50.7% less for entertainment and sports
Switzerland
|
Costa Rica
|
||
---|---|---|---|
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$6.80
CHF6.22
|
$2.88
₡1,448
|
|
Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.05
CHF4.62
|
$2.93
₡1,470
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$9.54
CHF8.73
|
$4.48
₡2,253
|
|
Monthly membership at local gym |
$88.43
CHF80.90
|
$55.95
₡28,118
|
|
Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$20.14
CHF18.43
|
$7.18
₡3,607
|
|
pay 34.5% less for clothing
Switzerland
|
Costa Rica
|
||
---|---|---|---|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$111.16
CHF101.69
|
$66.61
₡33,473
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$56.12
CHF51.35
|
$44.99
₡22,612
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$131.83
CHF120.61
|
$101.09
₡50,804
|
|
Men's business shoes (leather) |
$170.76
CHF156.23
|
$77.50
₡38,946
|
|
Change currency:
ASK THE ELSEWHERE COMMUNITY
Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Costa Rica or Switzerland. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.