Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between New York, NY and Jaco Beach

For one person, living is cheaper in Jaco Beach: $1,447 a month against $4,906 in New York, NY, rent and utilities included – about $41,500 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
69

Cost of Living Index in Jaco Beach
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Jaco Beach Living Index

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New York, NY

🇺🇸 United States

$4,906

/mo nomad

Jaco Beach

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,447

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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 Jaco Beach actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $4,906 in New York, NY versus $1,447 in Jaco Beach.

New York, NY $4,906
Jaco Beach $1,447

Estimated couple costs with rent: $7,273 in New York, NY versus $2,307 in Jaco Beach.

New York, NY $7,273
Jaco Beach $2,307

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $9,641 in New York, NY versus $3,167 in Jaco Beach.

New York, NY $9,641
Jaco Beach $3,167

Living in New York, NY is roughly 239% more expensive than in Jaco Beach, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: New York, NY 263% above, Jaco Beach 7% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$26.93 $26.93

$11.77 ₡5,290

128.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$117 $117

$44.47 ₡20.0K

162.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.60 $14.60

$9.85 ₡4,430

48.22%

Cappuccino

$6.54 $6.54

$3.96 ₡1,782

65.15%

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

$3.86 $3.86

$2.31 ₡1,038

67.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.95 $2.95

$1.87 ₡839

57.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.08 $8.08

$3.21 ₡1,443

151.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.85 $9.85

$4.33 ₡1,945

127.48%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 $1.31

$1.91 ₡858

-31.41%

White Bread (500g)

$4.97 $4.97

$2.19 ₡986

126.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$7.70 $7.70

$2.45 ₡1,103

214.29%

Eggs

$6.09 $6.09

$2.67 ₡1,202

128.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.55 $19.55

$10.87 ₡4,885

79.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$17.59 $17.59

$8.83 ₡3,972

99.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.26 $20.26

$11.97 ₡5,382

69.26%

Apples (1kg)

$6.99 $6.99

$4.90 ₡2,204

42.65%

Banana (1kg)

$2.21 $2.21

$1.63 ₡731

35.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.72 $6.72

$4.63 ₡2,082

45.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$7.12 $7.12

$3.60 ₡1,618

97.78%

Potato (1kg)

$4.61 $4.61

$1.49 ₡672

209.40%

Onion (1kg)

$4.78 $4.78

$1.41 ₡636

239.01%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.87 $2.87

$0.94 ₡421

205.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.69 $2.69

$1.95 ₡875

37.95%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$19.14 $19.14

$5.80 ₡2,610

230.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.63 $19.63

$13.89 ₡6,243

41.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.32 $3.32

$2.55 ₡1,145

30.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.19 $4.19

$2.22 ₡999

88.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.02 $3.02

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$139 $139

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.04 $3.04

$2.24 ₡1,006

35.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.20 $2.20

$1.79 ₡805

22.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.33 $41.33

$7.84 ₡3,523

427.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.13 $1.13

$1.58 ₡708

-28.48%

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

$34.5K $34.5K

$34.0K ₡15.3M

1.22%

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

$25.8K $25.8K

$42.9K ₡19.3M

-39.76%

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

$232 $232

$77.6 ₡34.9K

199.54%

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

$71.0 $71.0

$23.96 ₡10.8K

196.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$67.7 $67.7

$47.25 ₡21.2K

43.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$115 $115

$52.6 ₡23.6K

119.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$76.8 $76.8

Cinema Ticket

$22.41 $22.41

$7.90 ₡3,551

183.67%

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

$3,606 $3,606

$494 ₡221.9K

630.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$68.7K $68.7K

$7,305 ₡3.3M

840.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$79.3 $79.3

$24.54 ₡11.0K

222.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.4 $51.4

$56.2 ₡25.2K

-8.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 $121

$128 ₡57.7K

-5.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$140 $140

$132 ₡59.4K

6.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,555 $4,555

$743 ₡334.2K

512.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,040 $3,040

$528 ₡237.5K

475.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$9,742 $9,742

$1,933 ₡869.3K

403.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$5,331 $5,331

$1,109 ₡498.8K

380.56%

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

$396 ₡178.0K

1187.56%

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 Jaco Beach: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

New York, NY

$3K 62%

Jaco Beach

$528 36.5% 82.6% $2.5K

Groceries & Markets

New York, NY

$567 11.6%

Jaco Beach

$324 22.4% 42.8% $243

Eating Out

New York, NY

$425 8.7%

Jaco Beach

$213 14.7% 50% $212

Monthly Utilities & Internet

New York, NY

$371 7.6%

Jaco Beach

$149 10.3% 59.9% $222

Clothing & Footwear

New York, NY

$176 3.6%

Jaco Beach

$154 10.6% 13% $23

Getting Around

New York, NY

$165 3.4%

Jaco Beach

$11 * 0.8% 93.2% $154

Sport & Entertainment

New York, NY

$160 3.3%

Jaco Beach

$68 4.7% 57.3% $92

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 $4,555 in New York, NY and $743 in Jaco Beach. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

New York, NY pays about 13 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $117 in New York, NY vs $44 in Jaco Beach for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $567 vs $324 per month, with Jaco Beach cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 New York, NY

🇨🇷 Jaco Beach

🕒 Local time

04:54 4:54 AM

03:54 3:54 AM

1 h behind New York, NY

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,804,190

💱 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 →

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New York, NY Jaco Beach 3,600 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

New York, NY
Jaco Beach

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 Jaco Beach: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Jaco Beach is about 71% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in New York, NY is about 13 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: $4,555 in New York, NY versus $743 in Jaco Beach. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $3,606 in New York, NY versus $494 in Jaco Beach. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Jaco Beach – a meal for two runs $44 versus $117 in New York, NY. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

For families, Jaco Beach is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in New York, NY, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

It comes down to priorities – Jaco Beach wins on affordability, New York, NY on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.