Costa Rica Saving Money for Smokers & Drinkers

Costa Rica Living – Smokers and Drinkers

In taking a look at the RJ Reynolds Tobacco website, you will see the average price of a pack of cigarettes in the USA is now US$3.76 and people complain about the high price.

However, if you go across the ‘pond,’ you will find that same pack in Great Britain is nearly double the price at about US$7.08… Smoking can seriously damage your wallet!

In the USA, the government takes US$1.74 (46%) in ‘taxes’, 43% is the manufacturer’s cost, 8% is the retailer’s mark up and 3% is the manufacturer’s profit.

Thankfully, in Costa Rica the government is not quite so greedy (but about as efficient) and that exact same pack of Marlboro will cost you only US$1.27 per pack – 66% less than in the US. Many people smoke the local Costa Rican manufactured cigarettes called ‘Derby’ which are priced at only US$1.25



This means that if you are a cigarette smoker in the US who puffs through one pack of Marlboro each day and you decide to live in Costa Rica – You would put an extra US$908.85 in your pocket every year...

If you’re a British ‘puffer’, you will save the equivalent of US$2,091 which should be enough to pay for your roundtrip airfare to Costa Rica for you and your partner!

Talking about saving money, one of the local supermarket chains – ‘Perimercados’ has been fairly aggressive with their promotions and at the moment they are offering three 750 ml bottles of Crawford’s Scotch Whisky for 6,414 colones or US$14.91 which makes it under US$5 per bottle for a bottle of Scotch – Makes you thirsty thinking about it …

As they would say to their friends down the pub in London (they would definitely not use the same words in the USA) – “A bottle of Scotch and pack of fags for much less than a fiver is a bloody good deal!”

It’s a tragic thing that Scotch whisky is so much cheaper in Costa Rica than it is in Scotland however, it makes this Scotsman sigh with relief and satisfaction in knowing there’s yet another reason why we love living in Costa Rica… Cheers!

[custom_script adID=97]

Andrew Makarik

to@welovecostarica.com

Andrew Makarik is the main editor of WeLoveCostaRica, a fan of this sunny country. He is also a loving husband and a has a lovely daughter. By being a devoted family man and the biggest Costa Rica fan, he wants to make more people feel at home there. WeLoveCostaRica unites people and helps them find new home or a new travel destination. This website is a friendly community where everyone can find not only information, but also new friends and travel pals. Andrew is also passionate about IT and programming, so he himself maintains a friendly atmosphere in this cozy environment of WeLoveCostaRica.com.