Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Alajuela and Playa del Coco

For one person, living is cheaper in Alajuela: $1,004 a month against $1,676 in Playa del Coco, rent and utilities included – about $8,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

48

Cost of Living Index in Alajuela
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Alajuela Living Index
84

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

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Alajuela

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,004

/mo nomad

Playa del Coco

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,676

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Alajuela 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 Alajuela and in Playa del Coco actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,004 in Alajuela versus $1,676 in Playa del Coco.

Alajuela $1,004
Playa del Coco $1,676

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,609 in Alajuela versus $2,700 in Playa del Coco.

Alajuela $1,609
Playa del Coco $2,700

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,213 in Alajuela versus $3,724 in Playa del Coco.

Alajuela $2,213
Playa del Coco $3,724

Living in Alajuela costs roughly 40% less than in Playa del Coco, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Alajuela is 26% below, Playa del Coco is 23% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.15 ₡5,481

$18.46 ₡8,328

-34.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.06 ₡19.9K

$58.1 ₡26.2K

-24.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.00 ₡4,964

$13.36 ₡6,030

-17.66%

Cappuccino

$4.56 ₡2,055

$4.35 ₡1,965

4.83%

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

$2.42 ₡1,093

$2.65 ₡1,197

-8.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 ₡787

$1.60 ₡724

8.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.89 ₡1,304

$3.58 ₡1,613

-19.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.84 ₡1,733

$6.15 ₡2,774

-37.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.39 ₡1,081

$2.30 ₡1,039

3.91%

White Bread (500g)

$1.13 ₡510

$2.79 ₡1,260

-59.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.17 ₡978

$2.44 ₡1,102

-11.07%

Eggs

$3.48 ₡1,569

$3.56 ₡1,605

-2.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.79 ₡4,869

$10.56 ₡4,764

2.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.46 ₡4,722

$10.58 ₡4,776

-1.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 ₡6,314

$16.10 ₡7,264

-13.11%

Apples (1kg)

$2.14 ₡964

$5.57 ₡2,516

-61.58%

Banana (1kg)

$1.58 ₡712

$1.77 ₡798

-10.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.16 ₡974

$3.84 ₡1,731

-43.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.84 ₡1,735

$3.58 ₡1,614

7.26%

Potato (1kg)

$2.17 ₡978

$3.43 ₡1,548

-36.73%

Onion (1kg)

$2.16 ₡973

$3.07 ₡1,386

-29.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.03 ₡463

$1.20 ₡542

-14.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.01 ₡457

$2.67 ₡1,206

-62.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.47 ₡2,470

$5.81 ₡2,623

-5.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.08 ₡9,059

$16.66 ₡7,517

20.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.40 ₡634

$2.51 ₡1,131

-44.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.02 ₡461

$2.65 ₡1,194

-61.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.77 ₡347

$1.33 ₡600

-42.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$126 ₡56.7K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.76 ₡793

$2.46 ₡1,110

-28.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 ₡705

$1.55 ₡701

0.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.09 ₡3,650

$9.30 ₡4,198

-13.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡685

$1.58 ₡714

-3.80%

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

$34.0K ₡15.4M

$34.3K ₡15.5M

-0.86%

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

$28.2K ₡12.7M

$41.0K ₡18.5M

-31.07%

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

$79.8 ₡36.0K

$93.6 ₡42.2K

-14.71%

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

$30.12 ₡13.6K

$29.79 ₡13.4K

1.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$60.1 ₡27.1K

$58.3 ₡26.3K

3.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.1 ₡32.1K

Cinema Ticket

$7.72 ₡3,484

$7.18 ₡3,240

7.52%

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

$993 ₡448.2K

$756 ₡340.9K

31.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K ₡7.6M

$17.0K ₡7.7M

-0.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.7 ₡31.9K

$82.1 ₡37.1K

-13.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.0 ₡25.2K

$55.6 ₡25.1K

0.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$130 ₡58.8K

$110 ₡49.6K

18.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.2 ₡32.6K

$116 ₡52.5K

-37.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$760 ₡342.9K

$882 ₡397.8K

-13.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$559 ₡252.1K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,426 ₡643.6K

$1,979 ₡893.1K

-27.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,193 ₡538.1K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$334 ₡150.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,112 ₡953.2K

$772 ₡348.3K

173.70%

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 Alajuela: 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.

Groceries & Markets

Alajuela

$309 30.7%

Playa del Coco

$384 22.9% 24.4% $75

Eating Out

Alajuela

$224 22.3%

Playa del Coco

$287 17.1% 28.4% $64

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Alajuela

$170 16.9%

Playa del Coco

$182 10.8% 6.8% $12

Clothing & Footwear

Alajuela

$148 14.8%

Playa del Coco

$164 9.8% 10.6% $16

Getting Around

Alajuela

$138 13.8%

Playa del Coco

$16 * 0.9% 88.8% $123

Sport & Entertainment

Alajuela

$15 * 1.5%

Playa del Coco

$85 5.1% 453% $70

Accommodation & Living

Alajuela

- * 0%

Playa del Coco

$559 33.3%

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 $760 in Alajuela and $882 in Playa del Coco. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Alajuela pays about 2.7 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $44 in Alajuela vs $58 in Playa del Coco for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $309 vs $384 per month, with Alajuela cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Alajuela

🇨🇷 Playa del Coco

🕒 Local time

14:33 2:33 PM

Same time as Alajuela

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

50,000

💱 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

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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

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

Alajuela is about 40% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, leisure, and eating out. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Alajuela is about 2.7 times higher, 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: $760 in Alajuela versus $882 in Playa del Coco. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 24% higher in Playa del Coco. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,004 per month in Alajuela versus $1,676 in Playa del Coco – Alajuela is about 40% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $1,004 in Alajuela versus $1,676 in Playa del Coco, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Alajuela but tight or insufficient in Playa del Coco. The gap between the two cities makes Alajuela the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.