Moving to Spain from Costa Rica
What to Expect
A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from Costa Rica to Spain — from daily expenses to quality of life.
If you moved from Costa Rica to Spain, you would find that Spain is 2.3% cheaper than Costa Rica overall. A CRC34,000,000 salary in Costa Rica would need to be roughly €65,000 in Spain to maintain the same lifestyle. Expect a noticeable climate shift — Madrid averages 68°F vs 77°F in San Jose, making it significantly cooler.
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How your spending power changes when you relocate from Costa Rica to Spain.
What does your salary buy?
CRC34,000,000 → €65,000
To maintain the same standard of living in Spain
Calculate with your salary →The biggest cost differences at a glance
Restaurants
pay 18.1% more
Groceries
pay 24.7% less
Transportation
pay 1.5% less
Housing
pay 17.8% more
Childcare
pay 34.0% less
Entertainment and Sports
pay 11.0% less
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?
Real numbers on people moving from Costa Rica to Spain, and how the trend has changed.
Key Indicator Comparison
How Costa Rica and Spain stack up on safety, healthcare, jobs, and infrastructure.
Is it safe?
per 100,000 people per year
per 100,000 people per year
Spain 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
Spain 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 generally does better on environment, though Spain leads in air pollution deaths.
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
Spain generally does better on infrastructure, though Costa Rica leads in water stress level.
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
Costa Rica generally does better on employment & economy, though Spain leads in gdp per capita.
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
Spain generally does better on family life, though Costa Rica leads in education spending.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), Directorate General of Taxation of Costa Rica (2016), Agencia Tributaria, Spain (2016), The World Factbook (2021). How we calculate this
What's the Climate Like?
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | San Jose | Madrid |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 75°/60°F (24°/16°C) | 55°/40°F (13°/4°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 78°/62°F (26°/17°C) | 73°/53°F (23°/12°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 77°/62°F (25°/16°C) | 86°/64°F (30°/18°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 76°/61°F (24°/16°C) | 58°/44°F (14°/7°C) |
View all months
| Month | San Jose | Madrid |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 74°/60°F (23.4°/15.4°C) | 50°/37°F (9.8°/2.7°C) |
| Feb | 75°/60°F (23.9°/15.3°C) | 54°/39°F (12.0°/3.7°C) |
| Mar | 77°/60°F (25.1°/15.8°C) | 61°/43°F (16.3°/6.2°C) |
| Apr | 78°/62°F (25.7°/16.4°C) | 65°/46°F (18.2°/7.7°C) |
| May | 79°/63°F (26.1°/17.0°C) | 72°/52°F (22.2°/11.3°C) |
| Jun | 78°/62°F (25.7°/16.9°C) | 83°/61°F (28.2°/16.1°C) |
| Jul | 77°/61°F (24.9°/16.3°C) | 90°/66°F (32.1°/19.0°C) |
| Aug | 77°/62°F (25.2°/16.7°C) | 88°/66°F (31.3°/18.8°C) |
| Sep | 78°/62°F (25.8°/16.5°C) | 80°/60°F (26.4°/15.4°C) |
| Oct | 78°/62°F (25.4°/16.4°C) | 67°/51°F (19.4°/10.7°C) |
| Nov | 76°/61°F (24.2°/16.3°C) | 56°/43°F (13.5°/6.2°C) |
| Dec | 74°/60°F (23.4°/15.8°C) | 50°/38°F (10.0°/3.6°C) |
Data:
Instituto Meteorológico Nacional,
Agencia Estatal de Meteorología
Visitor Visa Requirements
Short-stay tourist visa rules between Costa Rica and Spain. To live, work, or study long-term in Spain, you'll need a separate residence or work visa — check Spain's immigration authority.
Costa Rica passport holder visiting Spain
Visa Free
Spain 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 Spain than Costa Rica?
Headline costs are within a few percent between Spain and Costa Rica; rent and dining are where you'll actually feel differences.
How much money do I need to move to Spain?
A safe rule of thumb is 3 months of local expenses plus relocation costs. On a CRC34,000,000 comparable salary, that's around €16,250 in Spain for everyday spending, before flights, shipping, a rental deposit, and visa fees.
Can I work remotely from Spain?
With 39.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people, Spain can support video calls in major cities. The hard part is paperwork — visa category, employer policy on overseas staff, and tax residency in Costa Rica and Spain.
Is Spain safe for expats?
Spain performs significantly better than Costa Rica across all safety metrics. The homicide rate in Spain is 0.7 per 100,000 people, compared to 17.8 in Costa Rica.
How is healthcare in Spain compared to Costa Rica?
Spain generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Costa Rica leads in healthcare spending per person. There are 42.9 doctors per 10,000 people in Spain, compared to 26.9 in Costa Rica. Spain scores 85 on the WHO universal health coverage index (Costa Rica: 81).
What's the weather like in Spain compared to Costa Rica?
The average high temperature in Madrid is 68°F, compared to 77°F in San Jose. Madrid receives around 16.6 in of rainfall per year, while San Jose gets 73.5 in.
What language do they speak in Spain?
The official languages in Spain are Basque, Catalan, Galician and Spanish. In Costa Rica, the official language is Spanish.
