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

🙂 Solo nomad: Cartago is 31.1% cheaper than Playa del Coco without rent, and 13.7% cheaper with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: Cartago is 12.2% cheaper than Playa del Coco without rent, and 25.9% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 ₡3,712

$16.01 ₡7,344

-49.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.71 ₡14.5K

$80.8 ₡37.1K

-60.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.87 ₡4,066

$10.24 ₡4,699

-13.38%

Cappuccino

$3.79 ₡1,738

$6.81 ₡3,122

-44.35%

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

$1.98 ₡908

$2.48 ₡1,136

-20.16%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.29 ₡591

$1.86 ₡852

-30.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.00 ₡918

$3.19 ₡1,465

-37.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 ₡2,079

$5.96 ₡2,733

-23.99%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.04 ₡935

$2.51 ₡1,153

-18.73%

White Bread (500g)

$2.14 ₡979

$2.80 ₡1,284

-23.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.17 ₡997

Eggs

$2.93 ₡1,345

$2.98 ₡1,366

-1.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.00 ₡3,670

$8.31 ₡3,813

-3.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.22 ₡4,231

$12.80 ₡5,870

-27.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.92 ₡6,387

$13.83 ₡6,343

0.65%

Apples (1kg)

$4.63 ₡2,126

$4.59 ₡2,108

0.87%

Banana (1kg)

$1.22 ₡557

$1.49 ₡685

-18.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.04 ₡1,855

$4.19 ₡1,920

-3.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.65 ₡1,215

$1.59 ₡732

66.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.97 ₡905

$3.36 ₡1,540

-41.37%

Onion (1kg)

$1.94 ₡888

$3.06 ₡1,402

-36.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.03 ₡471

$1.03 ₡474

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.95 ₡895

$2.86 ₡1,311

-31.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.43 ₡2,489

$4.86 ₡2,228

11.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.92 ₡6,842

$16.76 ₡7,689

-10.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.50 ₡1,146

$2.20 ₡1,008

13.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.82 ₡835

$2.54 ₡1,167

-28.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.02 ₡467

$1.18 ₡541

-13.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$70.0 ₡32.1K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.40 ₡643

$2.99 ₡1,372

-53.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.77 ₡814

$1.79 ₡820

-1.12%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.03 ₡3,685

$8.12 ₡3,725

-1.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.39 ₡639

$1.84 ₡845

-24.46%

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

$38.0K ₡17.4M

$37.8K ₡17.3M

0.56%

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

$32.8K ₡15.0M

$33.0K ₡15.1M

-0.80%

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

$47.57 ₡21.8K

$172 ₡78.8K

-72.32%

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

$25.60 ₡11.7K

$25.98 ₡11.9K

-1.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.5 ₡26.4K

$59.4 ₡27.3K

-3.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.2 ₡25.8K

$57.8 ₡26.5K

-2.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.98 ₡11.0K

$23.89 ₡11.0K

0.38%

Cinema Ticket

$6.54 ₡3,002

$9.66 ₡4,431

-32.30%

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

$494 ₡226.6K

$522 ₡239.5K

-5.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,231 ₡3.3M

$12.7K ₡5.8M

-43.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ₡28.6K

-0.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.1 ₡23.5K

$51.0 ₡23.4K

0.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 ₡49.7K

$124 ₡57.0K

-12.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.8 ₡36.6K

$107 ₡49.0K

-25.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$759 ₡348.2K

$779 ₡357.4K

-2.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$591 ₡271.3K

$585 ₡268.5K

1.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$735 ₡337.4K

$1,506 ₡691.0K

-51.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$778 ₡357.0K

$946 ₡433.8K

-17.70%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$323 ₡148.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,295 ₡594.0K

$764 ₡350.4K

69.54%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.17

-1.67%

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

Last update for Cartago: April 14, 2026

Last update for Playa del Coco: April 11, 2026

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

Cartago vs other spots: cost of living compared

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