Result: ₡100 in 1998 → ₡486.61 in 2024
The Costa Rican Colon has lost 79% its value since 1998
Updated: September 11, 2025₡100 in 1998 is equivalent in purchasing power to about ₡486.61 today, an increase of ₡386.61 over 26 years. The colon had an average inflation rate of 6.27% per year between 1998 and today, producing a cumulative price increase of 386.61%.
This means that today's prices are 4.87 times as high as average prices since 1998, according to the OECD and the World Bank consumer price index for Costa Rica. A colon today only buys 20.550% of what it could buy back then.
The inflation rate in 1998 was 11.66%. The current inflation rate compared to the end of last year is now 4.27%. If this number holds, ₡100 today will be equivalent in buying power to ₡104.27 next year.
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| Cumulative price change | 386.61% |
| Average inflation rate | 6.27% |
| Converted amount ₡100 base | ₡486.61 |
| Price difference ₡100 base | ₡386.61 |
| CPI in 1998 | 25.179 |
| CPI in 2024 | 122.524 |
| Inflation in 1998 | 11.66% |
| Inflation in 2024 | 4.27% |
| ₡100 in 1998 | ₡486.61 in 2024 |
Buying power of ₡100 in 1998
This chart shows a calculation of buying power equivalence for ₡100 in 1998 (price index tracking began in 1959).
For example, if you started with ₡100, you would need to end with ₡486.61 in order to "adjust" for inflation (sometimes refered to as "beating inflation").
When ₡100 is equivalent to ₡486.61 over time, that means that the "real value" of a single Costa Rican colon decreases over time. In other words, a colon will pay for fewer items at the store.
This effect explains how inflation erodes the value of a colon over time. By calculating the value in 1998 dollars, the chart below shows how ₡100 is worth less over 26 years.
According to the OECD and the World Bank, each of these CRC amounts below is equal in terms of what it could buy at the time:
This conversion table shows various other 1998 amounts in today's colones, based on the 386.61% change in prices:
| Initial value | Equivalent value |
|---|---|
| ₡1 colon in 1998 | ₡4.87 colones today |
| ₡5 colones in 1998 | ₡24.33 colones today |
| ₡10 colones in 1998 | ₡48.66 colones today |
| ₡50 colones in 1998 | ₡243.30 colones today |
| ₡100 colones in 1998 | ₡486.61 colones today |
| ₡500 colones in 1998 | ₡2,433.03 colones today |
| ₡1,000 colones in 1998 | ₡4,866.07 colones today |
| ₡5,000 colones in 1998 | ₡24,330.33 colones today |
| ₡10,000 colones in 1998 | ₡48,660.65 colones today |
| ₡50,000 colones in 1998 | ₡243,303.27 colones today |
| ₡100,000 colones in 1998 | ₡486,606.53 colones today |
| ₡500,000 colones in 1998 | ₡2,433,032.66 colones today |
| ₡1,000,000 colones in 1998 | ₡4,866,065.32 colones today |
How to calculate inflation rate for ₡100 since 1998
Our calculations use the following inflation rate formula to calculate the change in value between 1998 and today:
CPI today CPI in 1998
×
1998 CRC value
=
Today's value
Then plug in historical CPI values. The Costa Rican CPI was 25.17923 in the year 1998 and 122.52377796243464 in 2024:
122.5237779624346425.17923
×
₡100
=
₡486.61
₡100 in 1998 has the same "purchasing power" or "buying power" as ₡486.61 in 2024.
To get the total inflation rate for the 26 years between 1998 and 2024, we use the following formula:
CPI in 2024 - CPI in 1998CPI in 1998
×
100
=
Cumulative inflation rate (26 years)
Plugging in the values to this equation, we get:
122.52377796243464 - 25.1792325.17923
×
100
=
387%
Data source & citation
You may use the following MLA citation for this page: “Value of 1998 Costa Rican Colones today | Costa Rica Inflation Calculator.” Official Inflation Data, Alioth Finance, 14 Dec. 2025, https://www.officialdata.org/costa-rica/inflation/1998.
Special thanks to QuickChart for their chart image API, which is used for chart downloads.
| Cumulative price change | 386.61% |
| Average inflation rate | 6.27% |
| Converted amount ₡100 base | ₡486.61 |
| Price difference ₡100 base | ₡386.61 |
| CPI in 1998 | 25.179 |
| CPI in 2024 | 122.524 |
| Inflation in 1998 | 11.66% |
| Inflation in 2024 | 4.27% |
| ₡100 in 1998 | ₡486.61 in 2024 |