Moving to Italy from Costa Rica
What to Expect
Considering a move from Costa Rica to Italy? Here's how the two compare on cost, climate, safety, and more.
If you moved from Costa Rica to Italy, you would find that Italy is 18.7% more expensive than Costa Rica overall. A CRC33,997,640 salary in Costa Rica would need to be roughly €70,431 in Italy to maintain the same lifestyle, and you’d need to navigate life in Catalan and Italian.
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A breakdown of how everyday costs differ between Costa Rica and Italy.
What does your salary buy?
CRC33,997,640 → €70,431
To maintain the same standard of living in Italy
Calculate with your salary →How key spending categories compare
Restaurants
pay 36.0% more
Groceries
pay 6.6% more
Transportation
pay 12.6% more
Housing
pay 29.8% more
Childcare
pay 4.0% more
Entertainment and Sports
pay 26.4% 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.
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Who Else Is Making This Move?
What the data shows about people moving from Costa Rica to Italy.
Key Indicator Comparison
The numbers behind daily life in Italy compared to Costa Rica.
Is it safe?
per 100,000 people per year
per 100,000 people per year
Italy performs significantly better than Costa Rica across all safety metrics.
How's the healthcare?
annual government + private spending per person
affects wait times and access to care
WHO index from 0–100 measuring essential service access
share of adults with obesity
per 100,000 people — a proxy for mental health support
Italy generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Costa Rica leads in healthcare spending per person.
What about the environment?
deaths attributable to air pollution per 100k people
tonnes of CO₂ emitted per person per year
Costa Rica performs better than Italy across all environment metrics.
Will I have good infrastructure?
fixed broadband subscriptions — key for remote work
higher means greater strain on freshwater supply
annual consumption — reflects grid capacity
share of households with internet
Costa Rica generally does better on infrastructure, though Italy leads in broadband per 100 people.
What are the job prospects?
percentage of the labour force without work
a broad measure of economic output per person
the highest marginal rate on personal income
share of people below the poverty line
Italy generally does better on employment & economy, though Costa Rica leads in top income tax rate.
Is it good for families?
average years of life at birth
deaths per 1,000 live births — lower is better
government spending on education as % of GDP
percentage of adults who can read and write
Italy generally does better on family life, though Costa Rica leads in education spending.
Data: Directorate General of Taxation of Costa Rica, The World Factbook, United Nations SDG Indicators, World Bank
What's the Climate Like?
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | San Jose | Rome |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 75°/60°F (24°/16°C) | 56°/39°F (13°/4°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 78°/62°F (26°/17°C) | 72°/53°F (22°/11°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 77°/62°F (25°/16°C) | 85°/63°F (29°/17°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 76°/61°F (24°/16°C) | 62°/45°F (17°/7°C) |
View all months
| Month | San Jose | Rome |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 74°/60°F (23.4°/15.4°C) | 53°/38°F (11.9°/3.1°C) |
| Feb | 75°/60°F (23.9°/15.3°C) | 55°/38°F (13.0°/3.5°C) |
| Mar | 77°/60°F (25.1°/15.8°C) | 59°/41°F (15.2°/5.2°C) |
| Apr | 78°/62°F (25.7°/16.4°C) | 64°/46°F (17.7°/7.5°C) |
| May | 79°/63°F (26.1°/17.0°C) | 73°/53°F (22.8°/11.6°C) |
| Jun | 78°/62°F (25.7°/16.9°C) | 80°/60°F (26.9°/15.3°C) |
| Jul | 77°/61°F (24.9°/16.3°C) | 87°/64°F (30.3°/18.0°C) |
| Aug | 77°/62°F (25.2°/16.7°C) | 87°/65°F (30.6°/18.3°C) |
| Sep | 78°/62°F (25.8°/16.5°C) | 80°/59°F (26.5°/15.2°C) |
| Oct | 78°/62°F (25.4°/16.4°C) | 71°/52°F (21.4°/11.3°C) |
| Nov | 76°/61°F (24.2°/16.3°C) | 61°/44°F (15.9°/6.9°C) |
| Dec | 74°/60°F (23.4°/15.8°C) | 55°/40°F (12.6°/4.2°C) |
Data:
Instituto Meteorológico Nacional,
Italian Air Force- Department of Meteorology
Visitor Visa Requirements
Short-stay tourist visa rules between Costa Rica and Italy. To live, work, or study long-term in Italy, you'll need a separate residence or work visa — check Italy's immigration authority.
Costa Rica passport holder visiting Italy
Visa Free
Italy 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 Italy than Costa Rica?
On average Italy is around 7% pricier than Costa Rica, with notable variation by city.
How much money do I need to move to Italy?
Budget about €17,608 for 3 months in Italy (based on a CRC33,997,640 comparable annual salary), then add the one-off costs: flights, shipping, a rental deposit, and visa fees.
Can I work remotely from Italy?
Connectivity is usually fine (Italy: 31.5 fixed broadband per 100). What actually decides it is legal: does Italy offer a digital nomad visa, will your employer permit overseas work, and where are you tax-resident?
Is Italy safe for expats?
Italy performs significantly better than Costa Rica across all safety metrics. The homicide rate in Italy is 0.6 per 100,000 people, compared to 17.4 in Costa Rica.
How is healthcare in Italy compared to Costa Rica?
Italy generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Costa Rica leads in healthcare spending per person. There are 42.5 doctors per 10,000 people in Italy, compared to 26.4 in Costa Rica. Italy scores 84 on the WHO universal health coverage index (Costa Rica: 81).
What's the weather like in Italy compared to Costa Rica?
The average high temperature in Rome is 69°F, compared to 77°F in San Jose. Rome receives around 31.7 in of rainfall per year, while San Jose gets 73.5 in.
What language do they speak in Italy?
The official languages in Italy are Catalan and Italian. In Costa Rica, the official language is Spanish.
