Cost of Living Comparison Between Arenal and Playa del Coco Cost of Living Comparison Between Arenal and Playa del Coco

🙂 Solo nomad: Arenal is 10% cheaper than Playa del Coco without rent, and 9.4% cheaper with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: Arenal is 16.1% cheaper than Playa del Coco without rent, and 10.5% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.90 ₡5,151

$15.98 ₡7,557

-31.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.8 ₡28.7K

$79.9 ₡37.8K

-23.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.91 ₡4,684

$9.82 ₡4,643

0.92%

Cappuccino

$3.94 ₡1,863

$7.13 ₡3,370

-44.74%

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

$2.08 ₡982

$2.39 ₡1,129

-12.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.58 ₡749

$1.95 ₡920

-18.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.94 ₡1,391

$3.23 ₡1,525

-8.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.74 ₡2,241

$5.89 ₡2,783

-19.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.04 ₡965

$2.57 ₡1,216

-20.62%

White Bread (500g)

$2.81 ₡1,330

$2.89 ₡1,366

-2.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.23 ₡1,056

$2.14 ₡1,011

4.21%

Eggs

$2.92 ₡1,381

$2.88 ₡1,359

1.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.76 ₡4,617

$8.63 ₡4,081

13.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.23 ₡4,366

$13.08 ₡6,186

-29.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.64 ₡6,450

$13.94 ₡6,589

-2.15%

Apples (1kg)

$4.54 ₡2,145

$4.55 ₡2,153

-0.22%

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 ₡718

$1.47 ₡695

3.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.16 ₡1,965

$4.36 ₡2,060

-4.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.57 ₡1,686

$1.67 ₡791

113.77%

Potato (1kg)

$3.40 ₡1,606

$3.36 ₡1,591

1.19%

Onion (1kg)

$3.24 ₡1,532

$3.05 ₡1,444

6.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.97 ₡461

$0.97 ₡459

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,372

$2.84 ₡1,345

2.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.24 ₡2,477

$4.98 ₡2,356

5.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.14 ₡9,519

$14.71 ₡6,954

36.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.45 ₡1,160

$2.20 ₡1,040

11.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.80 ₡1,324

$2.55 ₡1,205

9.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.94 ₡446

$1.18 ₡557

-20.34%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 ₡856

$3.02 ₡1,430

-40.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.85 ₡872

$1.80 ₡851

2.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.07 ₡3,815

$8.08 ₡3,821

-0.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ₡685

$1.90 ₡901

-23.68%

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

$37.2K ₡17.6M

$38.1K ₡18.0M

-2.31%

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

$32.0K ₡15.1M

$32.4K ₡15.3M

-1.26%

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

$95.6 ₡45.2K

$176 ₡83.2K

-45.72%

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

$25.85 ₡12.2K

$25.89 ₡12.2K

-0.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$59.0 ₡27.9K

$60.6 ₡28.6K

-2.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.4 ₡27.1K

$57.6 ₡27.2K

-0.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.24 ₡11.5K

$24.16 ₡11.4K

0.33%

Cinema Ticket

$10.20 ₡4,822

$9.83 ₡4,646

3.76%

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

$571 ₡270.0K

$522 ₡246.8K

9.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.5K ₡5.9M

$12.7K ₡6.0M

-1.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.5 ₡29.1K

$62.6 ₡29.6K

-1.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.4 ₡24.7K

$52.2 ₡24.7K

0.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$124 ₡58.5K

$126 ₡59.5K

-1.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 ₡50.9K

$109 ₡51.6K

-1.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$773 ₡365.2K

$756 ₡357.3K

2.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$601 ₡283.9K

$607 ₡287.1K

-1.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,497 ₡707.6K

$1,497 ₡707.5K

0.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$946 ₡447.3K

$968 ₡457.8K

-2.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$317 ₡149.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$740 ₡350.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.17

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

Last update for Arenal: February 28, 2026

Last update for Playa del Coco: March 2, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

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

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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