Costa Rica

Compared with Japan, using real observed prices.

Baseline: Japan = 1×

Costa Rica vs

Japan

Overall verdict

Costa Rica is about 1.33× Japan.

Average across 3 categories, 4 items with data

The shape of prices (vs Japan = 1×)

How to read this

The centre line is Japan. A bar running right means Costa Rica is pricier; running left means cheaper. The thin bar behind shows the range from the cheapest to the priciest item in that category.

← Cheaper than

Japan Japan = 1×

Costa Rica is pricier →

🍔 Food & Dining 1 item

×2.00
⛽ Transport 2 items

×1.57
⚡ Utilities 1 item

×0.75

Thin bar shows the range (cheapest to priciest item in the category)

In Costa Rica, Big Mac costs 2.0× what it does in Japan — but Electricity 1kWh (household) costs only 0.7×. What is expensive here is labour, not the goods that carry a world price.

Real prices. Real sources. Real dates.

Big Mac 1 burger ×2.00

Costa Rica ¥958 CRC 2,990

Japan ¥480 JPY 480

Observed 2026-01-01 · The Economist Big Mac Index
Gasoline 1L 1 L ×1.60

Costa Rica ¥271 USD 1.668

Japan ¥169 USD 1.041

Observed 2026-07-20 · GlobalPetrolPrices.com
Diesel 1L 1 L ×1.54

Costa Rica ¥245 USD 1.507

Japan ¥159 USD 0.976

Observed 2026-07-20 · GlobalPetrolPrices.com
Electricity 1kWh (household) 1 kWh ×0.75

Costa Rica ¥27 USD 0.17

Japan ¥36 USD 0.227

Observed 2026-04-01 · GlobalPetrolPrices.com