Average salary in Costa Rica 2026: CRC 14,077,498 a year

By the HRPricing editorial teamReviewed October 18, 2026How we research and score

We may earn a commission when you sign up through some links on this page. Commissions never change our scores or the order of our lists. How we make money.

The average annual wage in Costa Rica was CRC 14,077,498 in 2023, according to the OECD's average annual wages series, which reports gross pay per full-time-equivalent employee and showed no later year for Costa Rica on October 18, 2026. That is about CRC 1,173,125 a month, or about $31,038 a year at the US Treasury rate of September 30, 2026 (CRC 453.56 per dollar). INEC and CCSS pages could not be read, so the OECD series is our basis.

Costa Rica's OECD average annual wage is the wage bill divided by full-time-equivalent employees, in current colones.

Average salary (mean)
CRC 14,077,498gross, a year
In US dollars
about $31,038a year
Year
2023 (latest year OECD publishes for Costa Rica)Full-time-equivalent dependent employees, total...
Source
OECD, Average annual wages...
See Deel pricing on Deel’s site
On this page
  1. Reading the CRC 14,077,498 figure
  2. Pay by occupation
  3. Employer charges on an average salary
  4. Adding an EOR fee

Reading the CRC 14,077,498 figure

Three cautions. It is a mean, so high earners lift it above typical pay. It counts employees on a full-time basis, so part-time work does not pull it down. And it is from 2023. There is no region or industry split, and no median in this series.

Pay by occupation

Costa Rica sets minimum wages by occupation and qualification level: the Consejo Nacional de Salarios fixes them and the labor ministry (MTSS) publishes them by decree, normally from January 1. That list is the closest official guide to pay for a given job, such as a driver, but we could not read the 2026 version on the MTSS site, and we do not publish pay by job title. See the Costa Rica minimum wage page.

Employer charges on an average salary

Employer CCSS and Worker Protection Law charges total 26.83% of gross pay in 2026, led by 9.25% for health and maternity, with the pension share up to 5.58% from 5.42% on January 1, according to an EY alert (a secondary source). On the average that is CRC 3,776,992.71, for CRC 17,854,490.71 a year, about $39,365. An INS work-risk policy, priced by activity, comes on top. Our Costa Rica EOR guide covers notice and cesantía.

Adding an EOR fee

An employer of record lists $99 a month (Native Teams; its help center says EUR 99) to $699 (Oyster), checked October 2026. Deel's $599 is about CRC 271,682, roughly 23% of an average month's pay. Compare EOR fees or use the international cost calculator.

See Deel EOR pricing on Deel’s site

Regional comparisons: Colombia and Guatemala.

Frequently asked questions

What is the average salary in Costa Rica?
CRC 14,077,498 a year in 2023, about CRC 1,173,125 a month, the OECD's gross mean wage per full-time-equivalent employee.
What is the average salary in Costa Rica in US dollars?
About $31,038 a year, or about $2,586 a month, at the US Treasury rate of September 30, 2026 (CRC 453.56 per dollar), using the OECD's 2023 figure.
What is the median income in Costa Rica?
We have no verified median. The OECD figure of CRC 14,077,498 (2023) is a mean, which runs above the median; INEC's survey could not be read.
How much does an employee cost an employer in Costa Rica?
Gross pay plus 26.83% in CCSS and Worker Protection Law charges in 2026 (EY alert), or about CRC 17,854,491 a year on the OECD average, plus an INS work-risk policy.
Sources (10)
  1. OECD: Average annual wages (DSD_EARNINGS@AV_AN_WAGE) (checked Oct 18, 2026)
  2. U.S. Department of the Treasury: Treasury Reporting Rates of Exchange (quarter ended Sep 30, 2026, checked Oct 18, 2026)
  3. EY: Costa Rica: increase in employer and worker contributions from January 2026 (checked Oct 16, 2026)
  4. Native Teams: Native Teams pricing (checked Oct 18, 2026)
  5. Oyster: Oyster pricing (checked Oct 16, 2026)
  6. Deel: Deel pricing (checked Oct 16, 2026)
  7. MTSS lista de salarios (fetch failed): MTSS lista de salarios (fetch failed) (checked October 18, 2026)
  8. INEC (fetch failed): INEC (fetch failed) (checked October 18, 2026)
  9. AG Legal, salario mínimo Costa Rica (secondary, from countries.csv): AG Legal, salario mínimo Costa Rica (secondary, from countries.csv) (checked October 18, 2026)
  10. MTSS salary list PDF 2026 and salarios page (fetch failed again): MTSS salary list PDF 2026 and salarios page (fetch failed again) (checked October 18, 2026)

This page is general information, not tax, legal or accounting advice. Rules and rates change, so check the official source linked above before you file or sign a contract. Read our disclaimer.