Costa Rica News – Everybody complains about the food prices in Costa Rica, and they should.
Costa Rica’s food prices are more expensive than all other Latin American countries, based on a study by the State of the Nation Program. But with the gasoline prices the highest in the region as well this was to be expected.
In fact, our food costs outweigh the regional average by 22 percent. Pharmaceuticals, services and fuel are also much too high considering the rest of the region. Pharmaceuticals are 17% higher and fuel is 9% higher than our neighbors.
Almost everything costs more in Costa Rica. Private health care is 53% higher, private education is 31% higher and haircuts are 28% higher.
The only things that we save on are telephone service (-64%), electricity (-36%), sugar (-10%) and water (-9%).
The assessment was based on the International Comparison Program, Global Competitiveness Index and the Big Mac Index and is part of a system meant to monitor human development.
