Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Acosta and Playa del Coco

For one person, living costs are similar in Acosta and in Playa del Coco: $1,712 and $1,676 a month, rent and utilities included.

81

Cost of Living Index in Acosta
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Acosta Living Index
84

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Coco
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Playa del Coco Living Index

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Acosta

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,712

/mo nomad

Playa del Coco

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,676

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Acosta and in Playa del Coco

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Acosta and in Playa del Coco actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,712 in Acosta versus $1,676 in Playa del Coco.

Acosta $1,712
Playa del Coco $1,676

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,673 in Acosta versus $2,700 in Playa del Coco.

Acosta $2,673
Playa del Coco $2,700

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,633 in Acosta versus $3,724 in Playa del Coco.

Acosta $3,633
Playa del Coco $3,724

Living in Acosta is roughly 2% more expensive than in Playa del Coco, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Acosta 26% above, Playa del Coco 23% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.26 ₡5,531

$18.46 ₡8,328

-33.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.1 ₡25.8K

$58.1 ₡26.2K

-1.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.80 ₡5,325

$13.36 ₡6,030

-11.68%

Cappuccino

$4.16 ₡1,875

$4.35 ₡1,965

-4.37%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.64 ₡1,193

$2.65 ₡1,197

-0.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 ₡838

$1.60 ₡724

16.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.37 ₡1,521

$3.58 ₡1,613

-5.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.50 ₡2,029

$6.15 ₡2,774

-26.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.40 ₡1,083

$2.30 ₡1,039

4.35%

White Bread (500g)

$2.84 ₡1,283

$2.79 ₡1,260

1.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.68 ₡1,208

$2.44 ₡1,102

9.84%

Eggs

$3.16 ₡1,428

$3.56 ₡1,605

-11.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.58 ₡5,226

$10.56 ₡4,764

9.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.34 ₡5,117

$10.58 ₡4,776

7.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.80 ₡6,677

$16.10 ₡7,264

-8.07%

Apples (1kg)

$4.67 ₡2,107

$5.57 ₡2,516

-16.16%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 ₡790

$1.77 ₡798

-1.13%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.77 ₡1,701

$3.84 ₡1,731

-1.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.89 ₡1,756

$3.58 ₡1,614

8.66%

Potato (1kg)

$3.21 ₡1,450

$3.43 ₡1,548

-6.41%

Onion (1kg)

$2.68 ₡1,208

$3.07 ₡1,386

-12.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.05 ₡474

$1.20 ₡542

-12.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.02 ₡1,362

$2.67 ₡1,206

13.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.50 ₡2,484

$5.81 ₡2,623

-5.34%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.96 ₡8,105

$16.66 ₡7,517

7.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.33 ₡1,053

$2.51 ₡1,131

-7.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.80 ₡1,264

$2.65 ₡1,194

5.66%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.29 ₡580

$1.33 ₡600

-3.01%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.49 ₡1,123

$2.46 ₡1,110

1.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 ₡618

$1.55 ₡701

-11.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.86 ₡4,448

$9.30 ₡4,198

6.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.62 ₡731

$1.58 ₡714

2.53%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$37.4K ₡16.9M

$34.3K ₡15.5M

8.81%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$42.0K ₡19.0M

$41.0K ₡18.5M

2.62%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$100 ₡45.2K

$93.6 ₡42.2K

7.07%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$30.43 ₡13.7K

$29.79 ₡13.4K

2.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.6 ₡23.7K

$58.3 ₡26.3K

-9.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.8 ₡26.5K

$71.1 ₡32.1K

-17.24%

Cinema Ticket

$7.48 ₡3,374

$7.18 ₡3,240

4.18%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$778 ₡350.9K

$756 ₡340.9K

2.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.2K ₡7.8M

$17.0K ₡7.7M

1.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.4 ₡29.1K

$82.1 ₡37.1K

-21.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$63.7 ₡28.7K

$55.6 ₡25.1K

14.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 ₡61.1K

$110 ₡49.6K

23.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$148 ₡66.8K

$116 ₡52.5K

27.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$905 ₡408.5K

$882 ₡397.8K

2.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$640 ₡288.8K

$559 ₡252.1K

14.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,161 ₡975.1K

$1,979 ₡893.1K

9.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,210 ₡545.9K

$1,193 ₡538.1K

1.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,959 ₡883.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$334 ₡150.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,479 ₡667.4K

$772 ₡348.3K

91.62%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Acosta: October 26, 2026

Last update for Playa del Coco: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Acosta

$640 37.4%

Playa del Coco

$559 33.3% 12.7% $81

Groceries & Markets

Acosta

$389 22.7%

Playa del Coco

$384 22.9% 1.2% $4.6

Eating Out

Acosta

$227 13.3%

Playa del Coco

$287 17.1% 26.4% $60

Clothing & Footwear

Acosta

$185 10.8%

Playa del Coco

$164 9.8% 11.5% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Acosta

$183 10.7%

Playa del Coco

$182 10.8% 0.9% $1.6

Sport & Entertainment

Acosta

$74 4.3%

Playa del Coco

$85 5.1% 15.8% $12

Getting Around

Acosta

$14 * 0.9%

Playa del Coco

$16 * 0.9% 7.4% $1.1

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $905 in Acosta and $882 in Playa del Coco. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Acosta pays 92% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $57 in Acosta vs $58 in Playa del Coco. Groceries flip the comparison at $389 vs $384, with Playa del Coco cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Acosta

🇨🇷 Playa del Coco

🕒 Local time

11:48 11:48 AM

Same time as Acosta

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,072

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Acosta Playa del Coco 190 km

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Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Acosta vs Playa del Coco: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Acosta and Playa del Coco differ by about 2% in total monthly costs ($1,712 vs $1,676 including rent). Playa del Coco is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 92% higher in Acosta, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $905 in Acosta versus $882 in Playa del Coco. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $778 in Acosta versus $756 in Playa del Coco. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

All in, you’ll spend $1,712 per month in Acosta versus $1,676 in Playa del Coco – a 2% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Playa del Coco gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

It comes down to priorities – Playa del Coco wins on affordability, Acosta on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.