Costa Rica

Compared with South Africa, using real observed prices.

Baseline: South Africa = 1×

Costa Rica vs

South Africa

Overall verdict

Costa Rica is about 1.13× South Africa.

Average across 3 categories, 4 items with data

The shape of prices (vs South Africa = 1×)

How to read this

The centre line is South Africa. 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

South Africa South Africa = 1×

Costa Rica is pricier →

🍔 Food & Dining 1 item

×1.80
⛽ Transport 2 items

×0.98
⚡ Utilities 1 item

×0.81

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

In Costa Rica, Big Mac costs 1.8× what it does in South Africa — but Electricity 1kWh (household) costs only 0.8×. What is expensive here is labour, not the goods that carry a world price.

Real prices. Real sources. Real dates.

Big Mac 1 burger ×1.80

Costa Rica ZAR 98.75 CRC 2,990

South Africa ZAR 54.90 ZAR 54.9

Observed 2026-01-01 · The Economist Big Mac Index
Gasoline 1L 1 L ×1.07

Costa Rica ZAR 27.41 USD 1.668

South Africa ZAR 25.62 USD 1.559

Observed 2026-07-20 · GlobalPetrolPrices.com
Diesel 1L 1 L ×0.90

Costa Rica ZAR 24.77 USD 1.507

South Africa ZAR 27.44 USD 1.67

Observed 2026-07-20 · GlobalPetrolPrices.com
Electricity 1kWh (household) 1 kWh ×0.81

Costa Rica ZAR 2.85 USD 0.17

South Africa ZAR 3.51 USD 0.209

Observed 2026-04-01 · GlobalPetrolPrices.com