Moving to California from Costa Rica
What to Expect
Everything you need to know before relocating from Costa Rica to California — costs, safety, healthcare, and practical first steps.
If you moved from Costa Rica to California, you would find that California is 73.7% more expensive than Costa Rica overall. A CRC34,000,000 salary in Costa Rica would need to be roughly $129,000 in California to maintain the same lifestyle, and you’d need to navigate life in English.
Planning this move? Get up to 5 free, no-obligation quotes from vetted international movers. Get free quotes ↓Is California cheaper than Costa Rica?
Where you'll feel the difference day-to-day
Restaurants
pay 51.1% more
Groceries
pay 23.1% more
Transportation
pay 14.7% more
Housing
pay 2.9 times more
Childcare
pay 2.3 times more
Entertainment and Sports
pay 61.3% more
Data: MyLifeElsewhere's crowdsourced cost of living database, with prices submitted and updated by users worldwide. Exchange rates are refreshed regularly from public sources.
What salary do you need in California?
What does your salary buy?
CRC34,000,000 → $129,000
To maintain the same standard of living in California
Calculate with your salary →Get free moving quotes to California
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Who Else Is Making This Move?
How many people actually move from Costa Rica to California, based on official data.
people moved from Costa Rica to United States · OECD (latest data available)
Who's moving to United States?
Top countries of origin for United States's foreign-born residents.
- 10,853,105
- 2,723,764
- 2,184,110
- 2,061,178
- 1,829,251
- 1,410,659
- · · ·
-
67.96,903
Costa Rica
Key Indicator Comparison
Key indicators for anyone considering a move from Costa Rica to California.
How's the healthcare?
share of adults with obesity
California performs significantly better than Costa Rica across all health & wellbeing metrics.
Will I have good infrastructure?
share of households with internet
California performs significantly better than Costa Rica across all infrastructure metrics.
What are the job prospects?
percentage of the labour force without work
a broad measure of economic output per person
share of people below the poverty line
California performs significantly better than Costa Rica across all employment & economy metrics.
Is it good for families?
average years of life at birth
Costa Rica performs better than California across all family life metrics.
Sources: World Bank (2024–2025), US Census Bureau (American Community Survey) (2023), World Health Organization (2024), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (PLACES) (2022), Bureau of Labor Statistics (2025), Bureau of Economic Analysis (2024), OECD Regional Demography (2020). How we calculate this
Weather in California vs Costa Rica
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | San Jose | Los Angeles |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 75°/60°F (24°/16°C) | 69°/49°F (21°/10°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 78°/62°F (26°/17°C) | 75°/57°F (24°/14°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 77°/62°F (25°/16°C) | 83°/64°F (29°/18°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 76°/61°F (24°/16°C) | 73°/53°F (23°/12°C) |
View all months
| Month | San Jose | Los Angeles |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 74°/60°F (23.4°/15.4°C) | 68°/48°F (20.1°/8.8°C) |
| Feb | 75°/60°F (23.9°/15.3°C) | 69°/49°F (20.3°/9.6°C) |
| Mar | 77°/60°F (25.1°/15.8°C) | 70°/51°F (21.2°/10.6°C) |
| Apr | 78°/62°F (25.7°/16.4°C) | 73°/53°F (22.6°/11.9°C) |
| May | 79°/63°F (26.1°/17.0°C) | 74°/57°F (23.6°/13.9°C) |
| Jun | 78°/62°F (25.7°/16.9°C) | 78°/60°F (25.6°/15.7°C) |
| Jul | 77°/61°F (24.9°/16.3°C) | 83°/64°F (28.4°/17.6°C) |
| Aug | 77°/62°F (25.2°/16.7°C) | 84°/64°F (29.1°/17.8°C) |
| Sep | 78°/62°F (25.8°/16.5°C) | 83°/63°F (28.4°/17.3°C) |
| Oct | 78°/62°F (25.4°/16.4°C) | 78°/59°F (25.8°/14.8°C) |
| Nov | 76°/61°F (24.2°/16.3°C) | 73°/52°F (22.7°/11.1°C) |
| Dec | 74°/60°F (23.4°/15.8°C) | 68°/47°F (19.8°/8.6°C) |
Data:
Instituto Meteorológico Nacional,
National Weather Service
Can you move from Costa Rica to California?
Short-stay tourist visa rules between Costa Rica and United States. To live, work, or study long-term in United States, you'll need a separate residence or work visa — check United States's immigration authority.
Costa Rica passport holder visiting United States
Visa Required
United States passport holder visiting Costa Rica
Visa FreeData: Henley Passport Index. Check with the destination country's embassy for the most current requirements.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in California than Costa Rica?
No — California is on average about 74% more expensive than Costa Rica. City-level variation matters.
How much money do I need to move to California?
Plan for at least 3 months of living expenses — roughly $32,250 in California on a CRC34,000,000 comparable salary — plus one-off moving costs (flights, shipping, a rental deposit, and visa fees).
Can I work remotely from California?
Usually fine from major cities in California. The harder questions are legal — digital nomad visa eligibility, your employer's overseas-work policy, and tax residency in both countries.
How is healthcare in California compared to Costa Rica?
California performs significantly better than Costa Rica across all health & wellbeing metrics.
What's the weather like in California compared to Costa Rica?
The average high temperature in Los Angeles is 75°F, compared to 77°F in San Jose. Los Angeles receives around 14.9 in of rainfall per year, while San Jose gets 73.5 in.
What language do they speak in California?
The official language in California is English. In Costa Rica, the official language is Spanish.
