Costa Rica
PPP-adjusted average annual wage
$44,431 2024
Costa Rica reports a 2024 average annual wage of 44430.678 USD PPP in constant 2025 prices. Consumer price data for 2024 shows an overall index of 61.3 against the United States benchmark. Wage and price datasets remain separate observations that must not be combined into a single composite score for analysis.
1-Year Change
0.0%
vs 2023
5-Year Change
+4.9%
vs 2019
Overall Price Level
61.3
2024 · United States = 100
Wage data: 2024 · Price data: 2024
Wage History
Track PPP-adjusted average annual wages in constant prices over time.
PPP-adjusted annual wage (USD)
USD PPP, constant 2025 prices
Wage Key Facts
Latest Wage
$44,431
Latest Year
2024
1-Year Change
0.0%
5-Year Change
+4.9%
10-Year Change
+21.9%
Historical Peak
$46,398
Peak Year
2020
Change From Peak
−4.2%
What the Wage Trend Shows
The latest reported average annual wage reached 44430.678 USD PPP in 2024. This figure represents the most current observation available within the dataset for Costa Rica.
Long-term growth totaled 97.56 percent from the 1991 starting point to the present. The historical peak occurred in 2020 at 46398.019 USD PPP before declining slightly.
Consumer Price Levels
Compare eight consumer price categories with the United States benchmark of 100.
United States = 100
What Prices Look Like
Highest: Food
Food has the highest relative price level among the available categories, at 107 (United States = 100).
Lowest: Housing
Housing is the lowest at 30.5, −69.5 index points against the United States benchmark.
Overall vs United States
The overall price level is 61.3, below the United States benchmark (−38.7 index points).
Wage and Price Snapshot
Read the latest wage record and the selected price benchmark together, without merging their years.
Overall consumption prices stood at 61.3 in 2024, creating a -38.7 gap from the United States. Food was the sole category exceeding the benchmark with a value of 107.
Housing costs registered at 30.5, marking a substantial -69.5 difference from the United States. Transport prices reached 86.3, sitting 13.7 points below the reference level.
Health services measured 67 against the benchmark, indicating a -33 gap for Costa Rica. Recreation and restaurants also trailed the United States by 20.8 and 26.2 points respectively.
- Latest wage recordWage year 2024
- $44,431
- Price category coveragePrice year 2024
- 8 of 8
- Relative to United States7 below, 0 at 100
- 1 above
Compare Costa Rica
See how Costa Rica's wages and price levels compare with other OECD economies.
Latvia$44,7092025+0.6%higher
Portugal$44,9372025+1.1%higher
Czechia$43,6072025−1.9%lower
Estonia$41,0192025−7.7%lower
Chile$40,6262023−8.6%lower
Poland$49,0742025+10.5%higher
Hungary$39,1452025−11.9%lower
Japan$50,1832025+12.9%higher
Slovakia$37,8322025−14.9%lower
Italy$53,8642025+21.2%higher
Greece$32,4122025−27.1%lower
Türkiye$57,2752024+28.9%higherSimilar Economies
How to Read This Country Page
Three boundaries keep wage and price comparisons from being misread.
- Wage basis
- The annual wage is expressed in USD PPP at constant 2025 prices. It is an average, not a median wage, local-currency amount, or take-home figure.
- Years stay separate
- The latest wage year and the price year do not have to match. Price controls read only 2022, 2023, or 2024 and never substitute another year.
- Price benchmark
- 100 represents the United States price level. A value of 120 is reported here as 20 index points above that benchmark.
Data Coverage and Limits
See which years are actually present before comparing wage and price records.
Wage observations span 33 years from 1991 through 2024 in the current dataset. This temporal coverage includes 34 distinct reported values for analytical purposes.
The earliest recorded wage value was 22489.713 USD PPP in 1991. Subsequent measurements track changes through to the latest 2024 observation of 44430.678.
Continuous reporting provides a multi-decade view of average annual wage movements. Each yearly entry serves as an independent data point without interpolation between periods.
- Wage observations
- 34
- Wage coverage
- 1991-2024
- Price categories · 2024
- 8 of 8
- Price categories · 2023
- 0 of 8
- Price categories · 2022
- 0 of 8
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the average annual wage in Costa Rica?
The average annual wage in Costa Rica was 44430.678 USD PPP in 2024. This measurement uses constant 2025 prices adjusted for purchasing power parity. It reflects the latest available observation in the dataset.
How has the average wage changed in Costa Rica?
Average wages increased by 21.87 percent over the ten years preceding 2024. A longer view shows 97.56 percent growth since 1991. However, the 2024 level remains 4.24 percent below the 2020 historical peak.
What are consumer price levels like in Costa Rica?
Consumer price levels for 2024 show an overall index of 61.3 relative to the United States. Food was the only category above the benchmark at 107. Housing showed the largest gap at -69.5 points below the United States.
Have wages in Costa Rica grown over the long term?
Yes, long-term wage growth reached 97.56 percent between 1991 and 2024. Despite this expansion, the current level sits below the historical maximum. The 2020 peak of 46398.019 USD PPP exceeds the 2024 value.
Wage data
OECD Average Annual Wages
Price data
OECD Comparative Price Levels
Reported coverage
Wages through 2024 · Prices through 2024