Costa Rica vs Türkiye

Compare PPP-adjusted average wages, long-term wage trends and consumer price levels using consistent OECD data.

Country A

Country B

Wage data: 2024 · Price data: 2024

Comparison Overview

Costa Rica

Average wage (2024)

$44,431

1-year change: 0.0%
5-year change: +4.9%

Overall price level (2024)

61.3 (United States = 100)

Türkiye's latest PPP-adjusted average wage is approximately 28.9% higher than Costa Rica's.

Türkiye

Average wage (2024)

$57,275

1-year change: +19.0%
5-year change: +61.0%

Overall price level (2024)

32 (United States = 100)

Türkiye has the higher latest average wage of the two, by 28.9% on a PPP-adjusted basis. Over five years Türkiye shows the stronger change (+61.0% against +4.9%). Overall consumer prices are higher in Costa Rica, at 61.3 against 32 on the United States = 100 scale — a gap of +29.3 index points. Both wage figures are for 2024 and the price levels for 2024, so the two economies are read at the same point in each series.

Wage History

See how PPP-adjusted average annual wages have changed in both economies.

PPP-adjusted annual wage (USD)

Costa RicaTürkiye

USD PPP, constant 2025 prices

Wage Key Facts

Metric	Costa Rica	Türkiye
Latest wage	$44,431	$57,275
Latest year	2024	2024
1-year change	0.0%	+19.0%
5-year change	+4.9%	+61.0%
10-year change	+21.9%	+96.2%
Historical peak	$46,398	$57,275
Peak year	2020	2024
Change from peak	−4.2%	0.0%

How the Wage Trends Compare

Current Position

Türkiye records the higher figure: $57,275 against $44,431, a gap of 28.9%. A difference of that size is one of the wider ones in this dataset, and it holds after the PPP adjustment has already removed price level differences between the two.

Both figures are for 2024, so this is a like-for-like comparison of the same year rather than of two different latest points.

Both use the same basis: PPP-adjusted US dollars at constant prices. That conversion strips out the price level differences between the two economies, which is what makes the two figures comparable at all — neither is a local-currency salary, and neither is what an employer in that country would write on a contract.

Recent Momentum

Türkiye had the stronger latest year (+19.0% against 0.0%).

Both moved up in the latest year, which leaves the ordering between them unchanged.

Widening the window to five years, the stronger of the two is Türkiye: +61.0% against +4.9%.

This is where the two separate: Costa Rica's latest year runs against its own five-year direction, while Türkiye's does not. Short-term and medium-term signals agree for one and conflict for the other.

Long-Term Direction

Across ten years both series are up — +21.9% for Costa Rica and +96.2% for Türkiye. Over this horizon the two share a direction, and the difference between them is one of pace.

Türkiye is at its historical peak in the latest year, while Costa Rica sits 4.2% from its high of 2020. One has recovered its previous ground and the other has not.

The gap has been widening rather than closing over the five-year window: the economy that already reported the higher wage is also the one growing faster.

Consumer Price Level Comparison

Compare eight consumer price categories with the United States benchmark of 100.

United States = 100
Missing values are shown as -

All differences are shown in index points. United States = 100.

Category	Costa Rica	Türkiye	Difference (CRI − TUR)	CRI vs U.S.	TUR vs U.S.
Overall	61.3	32	+29.3	−38.7	−68.0
Food	107	64	+43.0	+7.0	−36.0
Clothing	78.4	63.5	+14.9	−21.6	−36.5
Housing	30.5	16.8	+13.7	−69.5	−83.2
Health	67	14.5	+52.5	−33.0	−85.5
Transport	86.3	79.9	+6.4	−13.7	−20.1
Recreation	79.2	53.1	+26.1	−20.8	−46.9
Restaurants & Accommodation	73.8	55.1	+18.7	−26.2	−44.9

Overall
Costa Rica61.3
Türkiye32
Difference+29.3
CRI vs U.S.−38.7
TUR vs U.S.−68.0
Food
Costa Rica107
Türkiye64
Difference+43.0
CRI vs U.S.+7.0
TUR vs U.S.−36.0
Clothing
Costa Rica78.4
Türkiye63.5
Difference+14.9
CRI vs U.S.−21.6
TUR vs U.S.−36.5
Housing
Costa Rica30.5
Türkiye16.8
Difference+13.7
CRI vs U.S.−69.5
TUR vs U.S.−83.2
Health
Costa Rica67
Türkiye14.5
Difference+52.5
CRI vs U.S.−33.0
TUR vs U.S.−85.5
Transport
Costa Rica86.3
Türkiye79.9
Difference+6.4
CRI vs U.S.−13.7
TUR vs U.S.−20.1
Recreation
Costa Rica79.2
Türkiye53.1
Difference+26.1
CRI vs U.S.−20.8
TUR vs U.S.−46.9
Restaurants & Accommodation
Costa Rica73.8
Türkiye55.1
Difference+18.7
CRI vs U.S.−26.2
TUR vs U.S.−44.9

Costa Rica and Türkiye in Detail

Current Wage Position

Costa Rica reports a PPP-adjusted average annual wage of $44,431 for 2024, and Türkiye $57,275 for 2024. That puts Türkiye ahead by 28.9%.

Both figures are PPP-adjusted: converted using purchasing power parities rather than market exchange rates, and expressed in constant prices so different years stay comparable.

This matters for reading the gap. A market-rate conversion would move with currency markets and would not reflect what the money buys in each economy. These figures are built to compare purchasing power, not to tell you what a currency transfer would be worth.

Recent Wage Momentum

In the latest reported year Costa Rica changed by 0.0% and Türkiye by +19.0%. A single year is a narrow window, so it is worth reading alongside the five-year figure rather than on its own.

Over five years, Türkiye records the larger change at +61.0%, against +4.9% for Costa Rica. That is the difference in how far each series has travelled over the medium term, in real PPP-adjusted terms.

Short-term and five-year movement point the same way for both economies, so neither is currently being pulled against its own medium-term direction.

Long-Term Wage Direction

Across ten years the changes are +21.9% for Costa Rica and +96.2% for Türkiye. This is the longest horizon the data covers, and it is the one least affected by any single year's movement.

Costa Rica reached its highest recorded value of $46,398 in 2020, and the latest figure sits 4.2% from that high.

Türkiye peaked at $57,275 in 2024, leaving its latest value 0.0% away from that point.

Both long-term series move the same way, so the difference between these two economies is one of degree over ten years rather than of direction.

Consumer Price Profile

Against the United States benchmark of 100, overall consumption sits at 61.3 in Costa Rica and 32 in Türkiye — +29.3 index points apart.

The categories that separate them most are Health (+52.5) and Food (+43.0).

Transport is where they are nearest, at 86.3 and 79.9.

Across the categories with data, Costa Rica is the more expensive of the two more often than not.

How to Interpret the Comparison

These are average wages, not median wages, and not take-home pay. An average is pulled by the whole distribution, so it does not describe a typical individual, occupation, city or employer in either economy.

The wage figures are already PPP-adjusted and in constant prices. They are not local-currency salaries and not amounts convertible at a market exchange rate.

The price levels are relative indices against United States = 100. They describe how price levels compare, not what a household actually spends.

Wages and price levels should not be combined into a verdict on which country is better. This page is for understanding how the two wage trends and price structures differ — nothing further follows from it.