Moving to Costa Rica from Spain
What to Expect
A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from Spain to Costa Rica — from daily expenses to quality of life.
If you moved from Spain to Costa Rica, you would find that Costa Rica is 4.6% more expensive than Spain overall. A €64,304 salary in Spain would need to be roughly CRC32,277,814 in Costa Rica to maintain the same lifestyle. Expect a noticeable climate shift — San Jose averages 77°F vs 68°F in Madrid, making it significantly warmer.
How Far Will Your Money Go?
How your spending power changes when you relocate from Spain to Costa Rica.
What does your salary buy?
€64,304 → CRC32,277,814
To maintain the same standard of living in Costa Rica
Calculate with your salary →The biggest cost differences at a glance
Restaurants
pay 18.6% less
Groceries
pay 26.0% more
Transportation
pay 7.2% more
Housing
pay 6.5% less
Childcare
pay 13.7% more
Entertainment and Sports
pay 7.6% 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?
Real numbers on people moving from Spain to Costa Rica, and how the trend has changed.
Who's moving to Costa Rica?
Top countries of origin for Costa Rica's foreign-born residents.
- 350,854
- 28,214
- 25,530
- 16,682
- 15,209
- 13,711
- · · ·
-
13.2,595
Spain
Key Indicator Comparison
How Spain and Costa Rica 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 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
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
Spain generally does better on environment, though Costa Rica leads in co₂ emissions per capita.
Will I have good infrastructure?
fixed broadband subscriptions — key for remote work
higher means greater strain on freshwater supply
annual consumption — reflects grid capacity
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
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.
Data: Agencia Tributaria, Spain, 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 | Madrid | San Jose |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 55°/40°F (13°/4°C) | 75°/60°F (24°/16°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 73°/53°F (23°/12°C) | 78°/62°F (26°/17°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 86°/64°F (30°/18°C) | 77°/62°F (25°/16°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 58°/44°F (14°/7°C) | 76°/61°F (24°/16°C) |
View all months
| Month | Madrid | San Jose |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 50°/37°F (9.8°/2.7°C) | 74°/60°F (23.4°/15.4°C) |
| Feb | 54°/39°F (12.0°/3.7°C) | 75°/60°F (23.9°/15.3°C) |
| Mar | 61°/43°F (16.3°/6.2°C) | 77°/60°F (25.1°/15.8°C) |
| Apr | 65°/46°F (18.2°/7.7°C) | 78°/62°F (25.7°/16.4°C) |
| May | 72°/52°F (22.2°/11.3°C) | 79°/63°F (26.1°/17.0°C) |
| Jun | 83°/61°F (28.2°/16.1°C) | 78°/62°F (25.7°/16.9°C) |
| Jul | 90°/66°F (32.1°/19.0°C) | 77°/61°F (24.9°/16.3°C) |
| Aug | 88°/66°F (31.3°/18.8°C) | 77°/62°F (25.2°/16.7°C) |
| Sep | 80°/60°F (26.4°/15.4°C) | 78°/62°F (25.8°/16.5°C) |
| Oct | 67°/51°F (19.4°/10.7°C) | 78°/62°F (25.4°/16.4°C) |
| Nov | 56°/43°F (13.5°/6.2°C) | 76°/61°F (24.2°/16.3°C) |
| Dec | 50°/38°F (10.0°/3.6°C) | 74°/60°F (23.4°/15.8°C) |
Data:
Agencia Estatal de Meteorología,
Instituto Meteorológico Nacional
Visitor Visa Requirements
Short-stay tourist visa rules between Spain and Costa Rica. To live, work, or study long-term in Costa Rica, you'll need a separate residence or work visa — check Costa Rica's immigration authority.
Spain passport holder visiting Costa Rica
Visa Free
Costa Rica passport holder visiting Spain
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 Costa Rica than Spain?
Generally yes: Costa Rica runs about 5% cheaper than Spain on average, though it depends heavily on the city.
How much money do I need to move to Costa Rica?
A safe rule of thumb is 3 months of local expenses plus relocation costs. On a €64,304 comparable salary, that's around CRC8,069,454 in Costa Rica for everyday spending, before flights, shipping, deposits, and visa fees.
Can I work remotely from Costa Rica?
With 21.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people, Costa Rica can support video calls in major cities. The hard part is paperwork — visa category, employer policy on overseas staff, and tax residency in Spain and Costa Rica.
Is Costa Rica safe for expats?
Spain performs better than Costa Rica across all safety metrics. The homicide rate in Costa Rica is 17.4 per 100,000 people, compared to 0.7 in Spain.
How is healthcare in Costa Rica compared to Spain?
Spain generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Costa Rica leads in healthcare spending per person. There are 26.4 doctors per 10,000 people in Costa Rica, compared to 44.8 in Spain. Costa Rica scores 81 on the WHO universal health coverage index (Spain: 85).
What's the weather like in Costa Rica compared to Spain?
The average high temperature in San Jose is 77°F, compared to 68°F in Madrid. San Jose receives around 73.5 in of rainfall per year, while Madrid gets 16.6 in.
What language do they speak in Costa Rica?
The official language in Costa Rica is Spanish. In Spain, the official languages are Basque, Catalan, Galician and Spanish.
