Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between New York, NY and Guanacaste

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.

234

Cost of Living Index in New York, NY
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New York, NY Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Guanacaste
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Guanacaste Living Index

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New York, NY

🇺🇸 United States

$4,906

/mo nomad

Guanacaste

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,543

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

New York, NY costs about 218% more than Guanacaste, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$26.93 $26.93

$10.92 ₡4,910

146.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$117 $117

$47.54 ₡21.4K

145.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.60 $14.60

$11.59 ₡5,209

25.97%

Cappuccino

$6.54 $6.54

$4.56 ₡2,051

43.42%

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

$3.86 $3.86

$2.76 ₡1,243

39.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.95 $2.95

$1.86 ₡835

58.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.08 $8.08

$3.09 ₡1,388

161.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.85 $9.85

$4.52 ₡2,034

117.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 $1.31

$2.08 ₡935

-37.02%

White Bread (500g)

$4.97 $4.97

$3.14 ₡1,413

58.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$7.70 $7.70

$2.41 ₡1,084

219.50%

Eggs

$6.09 $6.09

$3.41 ₡1,535

78.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.55 $19.55

$5.47 ₡2,461

257.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$17.59 $17.59

$4.32 ₡1,944

307.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.26 $20.26

$10.84 ₡4,873

86.90%

Apples (1kg)

$6.99 $6.99

$2.70 ₡1,213

158.89%

Banana (1kg)

$2.21 $2.21

$1.59 ₡717

38.99%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.72 $6.72

$4.37 ₡1,967

53.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$7.12 $7.12

$1.58 ₡709

350.63%

Potato (1kg)

$4.61 $4.61

$3.91 ₡1,757

17.90%

Onion (1kg)

$4.78 $4.78

$2.17 ₡974

120.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.87 $2.87

$0.92 ₡415

211.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.69 $2.69

$3.12 ₡1,404

-13.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$19.14 $19.14

$4.42 ₡1,987

333.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.63 $19.63

$19.66 ₡8,841

-0.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.32 $3.32

$2.85 ₡1,282

16.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.19 $4.19

$2.67 ₡1,201

56.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.02 $3.02

$1.34 ₡603

125.37%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$139 $139

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.04 $3.04

$2.38 ₡1,069

27.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.20 $2.20

$1.55 ₡698

41.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.33 $41.33

$8.96 ₡4,027

361.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.13 $1.13

$1.52 ₡685

-25.66%

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

$34.5K $34.5K

$33.4K ₡15.0M

3.18%

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

$25.8K $25.8K

$42.0K ₡18.9M

-38.49%

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

$232 $232

$93.4 ₡42.0K

148.88%

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

$71.0 $71.0

$35.79 ₡16.1K

98.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$67.7 $67.7

$33.18 ₡14.9K

103.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$115 $115

$68.6 ₡30.8K

68.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$76.8 $76.8

Cinema Ticket

$22.41 $22.41

$7.75 ₡3,483

189.16%

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

$3,606 $3,606

$992 ₡446.2K

263.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$68.7K $68.7K

$17.1K ₡7.7M

302.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$79.3 $79.3

$64.8 ₡29.1K

22.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.4 $51.4

$43.61 ₡19.6K

17.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 $121

$87.4 ₡39.3K

38.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$140 $140

$77.0 ₡34.6K

82.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,555 $4,555

$788 ₡354.2K

478.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,040 $3,040

$627 ₡282.1K

384.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$9,742 $9,742

$1,933 ₡869.2K

404.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$5,331 $5,331

$1,255 ₡564.1K

324.91%

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 %)

6.89

8.62

-20.07%

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

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

Last update for Guanacaste: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

New York, NY

$3K 62%

Guanacaste

$627 40.7% 79.4% $2.4K

Groceries & Markets

New York, NY

$567 11.6%

Guanacaste

$311 20.1% 45.2% $257

Eating Out

New York, NY

$425 8.7%

Guanacaste

$220 14.3% 48.3% $205

Monthly Utilities & Internet

New York, NY

$371 7.6%

Guanacaste

$162 10.5% 56.2% $209

Clothing & Footwear

New York, NY

$176 3.6%

Guanacaste

$123 8% 30.4% $54

Getting Around

New York, NY

$165 3.4%

Guanacaste

$16 * 1% 90.6% $150

Sport & Entertainment

New York, NY

$160 3.3%

Guanacaste

$84 5.5% 47.5% $76

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $4,555 in New York, NY versus $788 in Guanacaste. 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 $117 in New York, NY versus $48 in Guanacaste. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $567 vs $311 – making Guanacaste the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 New York, NY

🇨🇷 Guanacaste

🕒 Local time

14:14 2:14 PM

13:14 1:14 PM

1 h behind New York, NY

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,804,190

1,823

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

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

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).

CRC to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

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

From you

New York, NY
Guanacaste

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

New York, NY vs Guanacaste: 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 $7,358 per month in New York, NY and $2,314 in Guanacaste. 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 $4,906 in New York, NY and $1,543 in Guanacaste. That makes Guanacaste about 69% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $3,606 per month in New York, NY and $992 in Guanacaste. 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 $4,906 in New York, NY and $1,543 in Guanacaste. 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.