Value of 1998 Costa Rican Colones today

₡100 in 1998
₡463.06 in 2025

The cumulative inflation rate in Costa Rica between 1998 and today has been 363.06%, meaning that prices are 4.63 times higher than they were in 1998. In practical terms, the purchasing power of ₡100 in 1998 is equivalent to ₡463.06 in today's colones. The average annual inflation rate over this period has been 5.84%.

Inflation timeline in Costa Rica (1998 - 2025)

The chart below shows how the value of ₡100 changes over time when adjusted for inflation, based on Consumer Price Index (CPI) data. All values are equivalent in terms of purchasing power, indicating how much money would be needed each year to buy the same goods or services.

All calculations are performed in Costa Rican colones with six-decimal precision, though displayed values are rounded to two decimals for readability. Inflation figures are sourced from official government and international reports released monthly. To convert historical amounts into today's colones, we use the most recent CPI data available and extrapolate it to estimate the CPI for today.

The following table contains relevant indicators:

Indicator Value
Cumulative inflation 1998-2024 367.75%
Cumulative inflation 1998-today 363.06%
Avg. Annual inflation 1998-2024 6.11%
CPI 1998 25.18
CPI 2024 117.78
CPI 2025-10 (latest official data) 116.64
CPI today 116.59

How to calculate today's value of money after inflation?

There are several ways to calculate the time value of money. Depending on the data available, results can be obtained by using the Consumer Price Index (CPI) formula or the compound interest formula.

Using the CPI formula

When we have both the start and end years, we can use the following formula:

Valuet =Value0 ×
CPIt/CPI0

To obtain the values equivalent in buying power between 1998 and 2024, use the corresponding CPI values:

Value2024
=Value1998 ×
CPI2024/CPI1998
=₡ 100 ×
117.78/25.18
₡467.75

To obtain the equivalent value today (present value), plug in the CPI for today, which is estimated as 116.59:

Valuetoday
=Value1998 ×
CPItoday/CPI1998
=₡ 100 ×
116.59/25.18
₡463.06

Alternative: Using the compound interest formula

Given that money changes with time as a result of an inflation rate that acts as compound interest, we can use the following formula: FV = PV × (1 + i)n, where:

  • FV: Future Value
  • PV: Present Value
  • i: Interest rate (inflation)
  • n: Number of times the interest is compounded (i.e. # of years)

In this case, the future value represents the final amount obtained after applying the inflation rate to our initial value. In other words, it indicates how much are ₡100 worth today. There are 26 years between 1998 and 2024 and the average inflation rate was 6.1133%. Therefore, we can resolve the formula like this:

Value2024
=PV × (1 + i)n
=₡100 × (1 + 0.061133)26
₡467.75

Costa Rica inflation - Conversion table

Initial Value Equivalent value
₡1 colon in 1998 ₡4.68 colones in 2024
₡5 colones in 1998 ₡23.39 colones in 2024
₡10 colones in 1998 ₡46.78 colones in 2024
₡50 colones in 1998 ₡233.88 colones in 2024
₡100 colones in 1998 ₡467.75 colones in 2024
₡500 colones in 1998 ₡2,338.75 colones in 2024
₡1,000 colones in 1998 ₡4,677.51 colones in 2024
₡5,000 colones in 1998 ₡23,387.53 colones in 2024
₡10,000 colones in 1998 ₡46,775.06 colones in 2024
₡50,000 colones in 1998 ₡233,875.3 colones in 2024
₡100,000 colones in 1998 ₡467,750.6 colones in 2024
₡500,000 colones in 1998 ₡2,338,753.01 colones in 2024
₡1,000,000 colones in 1998 ₡4,677,506.02 colones in 2024
Cumulative inflation From 1998 363.06%
Avg. annual inflation From 1998 5.84%
CPI 1998 25.18
CPI today 116.59

Value of Colon over time (by year)

Period Value
1998 100
1999 110.05
2000 122.11
2001 135.85
2002 148.31
2003 162.32
2004 182.31
2005 207.46
2006 231.26
2007 252.9
2008 286.85
2009 309.35
2010 326.86
2011 342.81
2012 358.22
2013 376.96
2014 393.99
2015 397.15
2016 397.08
2017 403.54
2018 412.5
2019 421.15
2020 424.2
2021 431.53
2022 467.23
2023 469.69
2024 467.75
2025-10 463.23
Today 463.06

All available years

Today's value of Costa Rican colones by year:

1976 | 1977 | 1978 | 1979 | 1980 | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 | 1984 | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 |

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