Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between New York, NY and Playa del Coco

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Coco: $1,748 a month against $4,906 in New York, NY, rent and utilities included – about $37,900 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
83

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Coco
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Playa del Coco Living Index

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New York, NY

🇺🇸 United States

$4,906

/mo nomad

Playa del Coco

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,748

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in New York, NY and in Playa del Coco

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 Playa del Coco actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $4,906 per month in New York, NY vs $1,748 in Playa del Coco, rent included.

New York, NY $4,906
Playa del Coco $1,748

A couple spends around $7,273 per month in New York, NY vs $2,758 in Playa del Coco, rent included.

New York, NY $7,273
Playa del Coco $2,758

A family of three spends $9,641 per month in New York, NY vs $3,768 in Playa del Coco, rent included.

New York, NY $9,641
Playa del Coco $3,768

New York, NY costs about 181% more than Playa del Coco, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both New York, NY and Playa del Coco sit above the global median – New York, NY by 263%, Playa del Coco by 29%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$26.93 $26.93

$18.08 ₡8,130

48.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$117 $117

$59.1 ₡26.6K

97.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.60 $14.60

$11.74 ₡5,278

24.36%

Cappuccino

$6.54 $6.54

$4.26 ₡1,917

53.52%

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

$3.86 $3.86

$2.62 ₡1,178

47.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.95 $2.95

$1.63 ₡732

80.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.08 $8.08

$3.60 ₡1,618

124.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.85 $9.85

$6.13 ₡2,754

60.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 $1.31

$2.44 ₡1,096

-46.31%

White Bread (500g)

$4.97 $4.97

$2.83 ₡1,272

75.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$7.70 $7.70

$2.44 ₡1,095

215.57%

Eggs

$6.09 $6.09

$3.52 ₡1,584

73.01%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.55 $19.55

$10.88 ₡4,894

79.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$17.59 $17.59

$10.22 ₡4,596

72.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.26 $20.26

$14.18 ₡6,378

42.88%

Apples (1kg)

$6.99 $6.99

$5.05 ₡2,270

38.42%

Banana (1kg)

$2.21 $2.21

$1.64 ₡736

34.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.72 $6.72

$3.28 ₡1,476

104.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$7.12 $7.12

$3.50 ₡1,572

103.43%

Potato (1kg)

$4.61 $4.61

$3.03 ₡1,364

52.15%

Onion (1kg)

$4.78 $4.78

$3.23 ₡1,454

47.99%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.87 $2.87

$1.09 ₡491

163.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.69 $2.69

$2.67 ₡1,200

0.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$19.14 $19.14

$5.55 ₡2,494

244.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.63 $19.63

$16.77 ₡7,542

17.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.32 $3.32

$2.66 ₡1,195

24.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.19 $4.19

$2.65 ₡1,193

58.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.02 $3.02

$1.35 ₡605

123.70%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$139 $139

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.04 $3.04

$2.49 ₡1,121

22.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.20 $2.20

$1.61 ₡723

36.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.33 $41.33

$8.84 ₡3,973

367.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.13 $1.13

$1.51 ₡680

-25.17%

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

$34.5K $34.5K

$33.8K ₡15.2M

1.80%

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

$25.8K $25.8K

$41.1K ₡18.5M

-37.18%

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

$232 $232

$94.3 ₡42.4K

146.32%

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

$71.0 $71.0

$30.28 ₡13.6K

134.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$67.7 $67.7

$59.1 ₡26.6K

14.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$115 $115

$66.8 ₡30.0K

72.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$76.8 $76.8

Cinema Ticket

$22.41 $22.41

$7.80 ₡3,507

187.31%

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

$3,606 $3,606

$843 ₡379.3K

327.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$68.7K $68.7K

$16.9K ₡7.6M

305.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$79.3 $79.3

$72.6 ₡32.7K

9.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.4 $51.4

$56.3 ₡25.3K

-8.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 $121

$129 ₡57.9K

-5.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$140 $140

$131 ₡58.8K

7.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,555 $4,555

$793 ₡356.6K

474.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,040 $3,040

$640 ₡287.8K

375.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$9,742 $9,742

$1,908 ₡858.1K

410.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$5,331 $5,331

$1,257 ₡565.0K

324.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$18.2K $18.2K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,685 $6,685

$329 ₡148.1K

1930.26%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,096 $5,096

$757 ₡340.6K

572.78%

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 Playa del Coco: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

New York, NY

$3K 62%

Playa del Coco

$640 36.6% 78.9% $2.4K

Groceries & Markets

New York, NY

$567 11.6%

Playa del Coco

$373 21.3% 34.3% $195

Eating Out

New York, NY

$425 8.7%

Playa del Coco

$278 15.9% 34.5% $147

Monthly Utilities & Internet

New York, NY

$371 7.6%

Playa del Coco

$184 10.5% 50.5% $187

Clothing & Footwear

New York, NY

$176 3.6%

Playa del Coco

$175 10% 1% $1.7

Getting Around

New York, NY

$165 3.4%

Playa del Coco

$16 * 0.9% 90.4% $150

Sport & Entertainment

New York, NY

$160 3.3%

Playa del Coco

$82 4.7% 48.6% $78

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 $793 in Playa del Coco. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in New York, NY are about 6.7 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $117 in New York, NY versus $59 in Playa del Coco. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $567 vs $373 – making Playa del Coco the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 New York, NY

🇨🇷 Playa del Coco

🕒 Local time

10:03 10:03 AM

09:03 9:03 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 →

On the map

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Between locations

New York, NY Playa del Coco 3,530 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

New York, NY
Playa del Coco

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 Playa del Coco: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

New York, NY costs about 181% more than Playa del Coco, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $7,358 per month in New York, NY and $2,621 in Playa del Coco. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Playa del Coco, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $793 there versus $4,555 in New York, NY.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $4,906 in New York, NY and $1,748 in Playa del Coco. That makes Playa del Coco about 64% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $3,606 per month in New York, NY and $843 in Playa del Coco. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Coco, where all-in costs run around $1,748, than in New York, NY at $4,906. In Playa del Coco it covers expenses comfortably, while in New York, NY it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

If budget matters most, go with Playa del Coco. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, New York, NY makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.