Cost of living in Costa Rica
The 1st table below shows possible income scenarios for the year 2006. The average level of English that we teach usually lasts for 6 months. This is why we ask our teachers to stay for 6 months.
Hourly rate: ¢4,000.00
"The next table below is for living with a Costa Rican family in their house. Teachers have told me that you can find this type of living on bulletin boards at the entrances of super markets like Mas X Menos, or Auto Mercado. They can also be found in La Nación, which is the main newspaper in Costa Rica. Also in The Tico Times which comes out once a week on Fridays and is in English. The monthly rental price is for one person from a foreign country. We have two rental prices here in Costa Rica. One for Ticos, and one for Gringos. Accept it, it’s a fact of life here in Costa Rica. The monthly rent below can vary greatly. It depends on the area that you choose to live in. This is an average price, and you can find lower, and you can find higher. It should include a minimum of two meals a day, laundry, (possible ironing), and a bedroom. Most teachers prefer this type of living arrangement for two reasons. The number one reason is that it’s inexpensive, and the number two reason is that you learn Spanish a lot quicker. Here are two web sites you can go to see prices of room rentals and apartements. La Nación
web site: http://www.nacion.com or The Tico Times
web site: http://www.ticotimes.net ."
Living with a family:
"Some teachers like to live on their own, or with a friend that they came to Costa Rica with, or meet here in Costa Rica. More freedom is the main reason along with not having to worry about bothering the extended family if you come home late. Again, you can find less expensive or more expensive one-bedroom apartments. We don’t recommend two bedroom apartments to share with foreigners (unless it’s your buddy that you came with and you are both leaving Costa Rica at the same time)."
"The last table below is for a person who has extra income. If you have some extra income, you can live in the lap of luxury here in Costa Rica. This table includes Cable TV and Internet. You can add ¢80,000.00 per month for a maid to cook, clean, and iron for you. They work 6 days a week at 45 hours a week. You must also pay for their insurance, which is ¢25,000.00 per month. This table also includes if you are a smoker (¢5,000.00 for a carton of cigarettes), or a drinker (¢4,000.00 for a 12 pack of beer, hard liquor for a fifth will cost you from ¢4,000.00 to ¢75,000.00 , depending on your poison). If you go out to a bar, drinks vary in prices from ¢500.00 - ¢1,000.00 for a beer, and drinks around ¢1,000.00 - ¢4,000.00. I list taxis here for the people who stay out past 10:00 p.m. Bus systems shut down from 10:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m. The last figure states weekends. This figure is based on taking a bus to either coast (round trip), a small inexpensive room (2 nights), along with food and drinks for the weekend."
The conversion chart below is to help you convert United States dollars to Costa Rican Colones. "Highlight the chart, (click) File, (click) Print, (when your next window comes up)(click) Selection , (click) print. This way you have a little nifty conversion chart for your wallet or purse. This chart will be good for about a year, give or take a few colones here and there."
The 1st table below shows possible income scenarios for the year 2006. The average level of English that we teach usually lasts for 6 months. This is why we ask our teachers to stay for 6 months.
Hourly rate: ¢4,000.00
"The next table below is for living with a Costa Rican family in their house. Teachers have told me that you can find this type of living on bulletin boards at the entrances of super markets like Mas X Menos, or Auto Mercado. They can also be found in La Nación, which is the main newspaper in Costa Rica. Also in The Tico Times which comes out once a week on Fridays and is in English. The monthly rental price is for one person from a foreign country. We have two rental prices here in Costa Rica. One for Ticos, and one for Gringos. Accept it, it’s a fact of life here in Costa Rica. The monthly rent below can vary greatly. It depends on the area that you choose to live in. This is an average price, and you can find lower, and you can find higher. It should include a minimum of two meals a day, laundry, (possible ironing), and a bedroom. Most teachers prefer this type of living arrangement for two reasons. The number one reason is that it’s inexpensive, and the number two reason is that you learn Spanish a lot quicker. Here are two web sites you can go to see prices of room rentals and apartements. La Nación
web site: http://www.nacion.com or The Tico Times
web site: http://www.ticotimes.net ."
Living with a family:
"Some teachers like to live on their own, or with a friend that they came to Costa Rica with, or meet here in Costa Rica. More freedom is the main reason along with not having to worry about bothering the extended family if you come home late. Again, you can find less expensive or more expensive one-bedroom apartments. We don’t recommend two bedroom apartments to share with foreigners (unless it’s your buddy that you came with and you are both leaving Costa Rica at the same time)."
"The last table below is for a person who has extra income. If you have some extra income, you can live in the lap of luxury here in Costa Rica. This table includes Cable TV and Internet. You can add ¢80,000.00 per month for a maid to cook, clean, and iron for you. They work 6 days a week at 45 hours a week. You must also pay for their insurance, which is ¢25,000.00 per month. This table also includes if you are a smoker (¢5,000.00 for a carton of cigarettes), or a drinker (¢4,000.00 for a 12 pack of beer, hard liquor for a fifth will cost you from ¢4,000.00 to ¢75,000.00 , depending on your poison). If you go out to a bar, drinks vary in prices from ¢500.00 - ¢1,000.00 for a beer, and drinks around ¢1,000.00 - ¢4,000.00. I list taxis here for the people who stay out past 10:00 p.m. Bus systems shut down from 10:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m. The last figure states weekends. This figure is based on taking a bus to either coast (round trip), a small inexpensive room (2 nights), along with food and drinks for the weekend."
The conversion chart below is to help you convert United States dollars to Costa Rican Colones. "Highlight the chart, (click) File, (click) Print, (when your next window comes up)(click) Selection , (click) print. This way you have a little nifty conversion chart for your wallet or purse. This chart will be good for about a year, give or take a few colones here and there."
