Country topic
Cost of living in Costa Rica
Prices overall are about 0.59 of United States prices at market exchange rates (World Bank price level index, 2025: 59.06 where the United States is 100). This is an economy-wide average, not a budget. [Cost of living C1] Four one-bedroom adverts in and around Heredia, seen on 10 October 2026, asked CRC 210,000 to 400,000 a month, about US$461 to US$878 at the Banco Central selling rate of CRC 455.60 per dollar. These are asking rents on individual adverts, not a city average. We found no dated, sourced prices for electricity, internet, groceries, transport or leisure, so those are unknown. [C2] [C3] [C4] [C5] [C6]
What we found
The research, with its sources.
Research information, not advice. Rules change, so check the source before you act on one.
- Prices overall are about 0.59 of United States prices at market exchange rates (World Bank price level index, 2025: 59.06 where the United States is 100). This is an economy-wide average, not a budget. [Cost of living C1]
- Four one-bedroom adverts in and around Heredia, seen on 10 October 2026, asked CRC 210,000 to 400,000 a month, about US$461 to US$878 at the Banco Central selling rate of CRC 455.60 per dollar. These are asking rents on individual adverts, not a city average. We found no dated, sourced prices for electricity, internet, groceries, transport or leisure, so those are unknown. [C2] [C3] [C4] [C5] [C6]
- What the rent includes differs: a furnished 70 m² flat in Heredia Centro asked CRC 315,000 with cable and internet included; an unfurnished 70 m² flat in Mercedes Norte asked CRC 250,000 with no utilities; a 40 m² flat in San Francisco asked CRC 210,000 with internet and water included and a one-month deposit; a furnished 48 m² condominium flat in Ulloa asked CRC 400,000 with internet, water, electricity and the fee included, with limits, and a one-month deposit. [C2] [C3] [C4] [C5]
- One furnished 40 m² one-bedroom in a gated Escazú condominium asked US$1,300 a month, about CRC 592,280 at the same rate; it is priced in dollars, so its colón cost moves with the exchange rate, and the advert shows no date. One furnished two-bedroom in Tamarindo asked CRC 425,000 with water and internet included and a one-month deposit. Neither is a city average. [C7] [C8] [C6]
- The Banco Central's selling rate was CRC 455.60 per US dollar on 10 October 2026 (the buying rate was CRC 449.86). Costa Rican rules convert dollar thresholds, such as the about US$3,000 a month income test for the digital nomad stay, at the selling rate, so the colón amount moves with the exchange rate. To be safe, have more than US$3,100 a month. [C6] [C9]
- The digital nomad stay requires health insurance covering the whole stay with at least US$50,000 of medical cover. Residents must enrol with the national fund (CCSS) once residence is approved; a May 2026 press report puts the fund's rates for self-employed workers at 7.05% to 19.11% of reported income, depending on the band. We found no rate for residents with foreign income and no private insurance prices, so those costs are unknown. [C10] [C11] [C12]
- Smartraveller's archived page says private clinics and hospitals are well equipped but very expensive, that you will likely pay up front, and that you may need medical evacuation. Canada's government says private clinics are mainly in San José and usually want payment upfront. [C13] [C14]
- Setting up a digital nomad stay costs a US$100 application fee (the receiving bank charges US$15) and, once approved, US$90 for the identity document (DIMEX) plus a guarantee deposit. The deposit's amount is set in a separate decree and we did not find it, so it is unknown. [C10] [C15]
The Fernshore Index
How the Index grades the cost of living.
Each grade is against a published measure, with its source and the date we checked it. It is research information, not advice. Where we have no figure, the row says Unknown.
Cost of living
55 of 100Mixed
Price level 0.591 of United States prices (2025).
Source: Price level index (GDP), Costa Rica. Checked 15 October 2026.
The country
More on Costa Rica.
Topics
More about Costa Rica.
Questions about Cost of living in Costa Rica.
How much does it cost to live in Costa Rica?
Prices overall are about 0.59 of United States prices (World Bank, 2025), an average rather than a budget. One-bedroom adverts in Heredia asked CRC 210,000 to 400,000 a month on 10 October 2026. We found no dated figures for groceries, utilities, transport or insurance, so those are unknown.
How much is rent in Heredia and Escazú?
Four Heredia one-bedroom adverts seen on 10 October 2026 asked CRC 210,000 to 400,000 a month (about US$461 to US$878), with different bills included. One Escazú condominium advert asked US$1,300 a month. These are single adverts, not city averages, and Escazú's has no date.
Do I need health insurance to live in Costa Rica, and what does it cost?
The digital nomad stay requires insurance covering the whole stay with at least US$50,000 of medical cover. Residents must enrol with the national fund (CCSS); a May 2026 press report puts self-employed rates at 7.05% to 19.11% of income. We found no private insurance prices, so that cost is unknown.
What does a private clinic cost, and how do I pay?
We found no dated price list. Smartraveller's archived page says private clinics and hospitals are well equipped but very expensive, that you will likely pay up front, and that you may need medical evacuation. Canada says private clinics are mainly in San José and usually want payment upfront.
What are the up-front costs of moving to Costa Rica on a digital nomad stay?
The application fee is US$100 (the receiving bank charges US$15), and US$90 for the identity document once approved, plus a guarantee deposit whose amount is unknown. Rent adverts we saw ask a one-month deposit. Dollar amounts convert at the Banco Central selling rate, CRC 455.60 per dollar on 10 October 2026.
Sources
Where each figure comes from.
Every figure on this page links to the page we read, with the date we checked it.
- [CR C1] Price level index (GDP), Costa Rica, World Bank. Checked 15 October 2026. 2025: 59.06 (United States = 100), read from the World Bank API on 15 October 2026.
- [Cost of living C1] Price level index (GDP), Costa Rica, World Bank. Checked 15 October 2026.
- [C2] Furnished one-bedroom flat near the UNA, Heredia Centro, AlquilaCR (private rental portal). Checked 10 October 2026.
- [C3] Unfurnished one-bedroom flat, Mercedes Norte, Heredia, AlquilaCR (private rental portal). Checked 10 October 2026.
- [C4] Unfurnished one-bedroom flat, San Francisco de Heredia, AlquilaCR (private rental portal). Checked 10 October 2026.
- [C5] New furnished one-bedroom flat in a condominium, Ulloa, Heredia, AlquilaCR (private rental portal). Checked 10 October 2026.
- [C6] Reference selling rate of the US dollar, 8 to 10 October 2026, Banco Central de Costa Rica. Checked 10 October 2026.
- [C7] Furnished one-bedroom flat in a gated condominium, San Rafael de Escazú, Condos.cr (private property portal). Checked 10 October 2026.
- [C8] Furnished two-bedroom flat, Tamarindo (Linderos area), AlquilaCR (private rental portal). Checked 10 October 2026.
- [C9] Regulation to Law 10008 (Decree 43619-H-MGP-TUR): digital nomads, articles 4 and 5, Procuraduría General de la República, SINALEVI (official legislation database). Checked 15 October 2026.
- [C10] Digital nomads: remote worker and service provider stay (requirements, fees, procedure), Dirección General de Migración y Extranjería (DGME), Internet Archive copy. Checked 15 October 2026.
- [C11] Foreigners Regulation (Reglamento de Extranjería, Decree 37112), articles 31, 32, 99 and 100, Procuraduría General de la República, SINALEVI (official legislation database). Checked 15 October 2026.
- [C12] CCSS studies changes to contributions for self-employed workers with higher incomes, CRHoy (Costa Rican news site, not official). Checked 10 October 2026.
- [C13] Costa Rica travel advice and advisories (Smartraveller, archived copy), Australian Government, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (Smartraveller), Internet Archive copy. Checked 11 October 2026.
- [C14] Costa Rica travel advice and advisories, Government of Canada (travel.gc.ca). Checked 10 October 2026.
- [C15] Law 10008: attracting international remote workers and service providers (digital nomads), Procuraduría General de la República, SINALEVI (official legislation database). Checked 15 October 2026.