Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Guanacaste and New York, NY

For one person, living is cheaper in Guanacaste: $1,543 a month against $4,906 in New York, NY, rent and utilities included – about $40,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

74

Cost of Living Index in Guanacaste
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Guanacaste Living Index
234

Cost of Living Index in New York, NY
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New York, NY Living Index

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Guanacaste

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,543

/mo nomad

New York, NY

🇺🇸 United States

$4,906

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Guanacaste and in New York, NY

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

A single person spends $1,543 per month in Guanacaste vs $4,906 in New York, NY, rent included.

Guanacaste $1,543
New York, NY $4,906

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Guanacaste vs $7,273 in New York, NY, rent included.

Guanacaste $2,413
New York, NY $7,273

A family of three spends $3,283 per month in Guanacaste vs $9,641 in New York, NY, rent included.

Guanacaste $3,283
New York, NY $9,641

Guanacaste is about 69% cheaper than New York, NY, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Guanacaste and New York, NY sit above the global median – Guanacaste by 14%, New York, NY by 263%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 ₡4,910

$26.93 $26.93

-59.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.54 ₡21.4K

$117 $117

-59.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.59 ₡5,209

$14.60 $14.60

-20.62%

Cappuccino

$4.56 ₡2,051

$6.54 $6.54

-30.28%

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

$2.76 ₡1,243

$3.86 $3.86

-28.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 ₡835

$2.95 $2.95

-36.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.09 ₡1,388

$8.08 $8.08

-61.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.52 ₡2,034

$9.85 $9.85

-54.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.08 ₡935

$1.31 $1.31

58.78%

White Bread (500g)

$3.14 ₡1,413

$4.97 $4.97

-36.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.41 ₡1,084

$7.70 $7.70

-68.70%

Eggs

$3.41 ₡1,535

$6.09 $6.09

-44.01%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.47 ₡2,461

$19.55 $19.55

-72.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.32 ₡1,944

$17.59 $17.59

-75.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.84 ₡4,873

$20.26 $20.26

-46.50%

Apples (1kg)

$2.70 ₡1,213

$6.99 $6.99

-61.37%

Banana (1kg)

$1.59 ₡717

$2.21 $2.21

-28.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.37 ₡1,967

$6.72 $6.72

-34.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.58 ₡709

$7.12 $7.12

-77.81%

Potato (1kg)

$3.91 ₡1,757

$4.61 $4.61

-15.18%

Onion (1kg)

$2.17 ₡974

$4.78 $4.78

-54.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.92 ₡415

$2.87 $2.87

-67.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.12 ₡1,404

$2.69 $2.69

15.99%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.42 ₡1,987

$19.14 $19.14

-76.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.66 ₡8,841

$19.63 $19.63

0.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.85 ₡1,282

$3.32 $3.32

-14.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 ₡1,201

$4.19 $4.19

-36.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.34 ₡603

$3.02 $3.02

-55.63%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$139 $139

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.38 ₡1,069

$3.04 $3.04

-21.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 ₡698

$2.20 $2.20

-29.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.96 ₡4,027

$41.33 $41.33

-78.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡685

$1.13 $1.13

34.51%

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

$33.4K ₡15.0M

$34.5K $34.5K

-3.08%

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

$42.0K ₡18.9M

$25.8K $25.8K

62.58%

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

$93.4 ₡42.0K

$232 $232

-59.82%

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

$35.79 ₡16.1K

$71.0 $71.0

-49.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.18 ₡14.9K

$67.7 $67.7

-50.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.6 ₡30.8K

$115 $115

-40.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$76.8 $76.8

Cinema Ticket

$7.75 ₡3,483

$22.41 $22.41

-65.42%

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

$992 ₡446.2K

$3,606 $3,606

-72.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.1K ₡7.7M

$68.7K $68.7K

-75.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.8 ₡29.1K

$79.3 $79.3

-18.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.61 ₡19.6K

$51.4 $51.4

-15.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.4 ₡39.3K

$121 $121

-27.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.0 ₡34.6K

$140 $140

-45.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡354.2K

$4,555 $4,555

-82.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$627 ₡282.1K

$3,040 $3,040

-79.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,933 ₡869.2K

$9,742 $9,742

-80.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,255 ₡564.1K

$5,331 $5,331

-76.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$18.2K $18.2K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,685 $6,685

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,096 $5,096

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

6.89

25.11%

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

Last update for Guanacaste: November 1, 2026

Last update for New York, NY: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Guanacaste

$627 40.7%

New York, NY

$3K 62% 385% $2.4K

Groceries & Markets

Guanacaste

$311 20.1%

New York, NY

$567 11.6% 82.6% $257

Eating Out

Guanacaste

$220 14.3%

New York, NY

$425 8.7% 93.4% $205

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Guanacaste

$162 10.5%

New York, NY

$371 7.6% 129% $209

Clothing & Footwear

Guanacaste

$123 8%

New York, NY

$176 3.6% 43.8% $54

Sport & Entertainment

Guanacaste

$84 5.5%

New York, NY

$160 3.3% 90.5% $76

Getting Around

Guanacaste

$16 * 1%

New York, NY

$165 3.4% 967% $150

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $788 in Guanacaste versus $4,555 in New York, NY. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $48 in Guanacaste versus $117 in New York, NY. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $311 vs $567 – making Guanacaste the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Guanacaste

🇺🇸 New York, NY

🕒 Local time

13:14 1:14 PM

14:14 2:14 PM

1 h ahead of Guanacaste

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,823

8,804,190

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to CRC – Costa Rican Colón Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 450 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 505 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Guanacaste New York, NY 3,570 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Guanacaste
New York, NY

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

Guanacaste vs New York, NY: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – New York, NY is pricier by about 218%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,314 per month in Guanacaste and $7,358 in New York, NY. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Guanacaste, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $788 there versus $4,555 in New York, NY.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,543 in Guanacaste and $4,906 in New York, NY. That makes Guanacaste about 69% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $992 per month in Guanacaste and $3,606 in New York, NY. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,500 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,543 in Guanacaste and $4,906 in New York, NY. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Guanacaste – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.