Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between New York, NY and Playa Flamingo

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa Flamingo: $1,673 a month against $4,906 in New York, NY, rent and utilities included – about $38,800 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
80

Cost of Living Index in Playa Flamingo
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Playa Flamingo Living Index

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New York, NY

🇺🇸 United States

$4,906

/mo nomad

Playa Flamingo

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,673

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $4,906 per month in New York, NY vs $1,673 in Playa Flamingo, rent included.

New York, NY $4,906
Playa Flamingo $1,673

A couple spends around $7,273 per month in New York, NY vs $2,674 in Playa Flamingo, rent included.

New York, NY $7,273
Playa Flamingo $2,674

A family of three spends $9,641 per month in New York, NY vs $3,675 in Playa Flamingo, rent included.

New York, NY $9,641
Playa Flamingo $3,675

New York, NY costs about 193% more than Playa Flamingo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both New York, NY and Playa Flamingo sit above the global median – New York, NY by 263%, Playa Flamingo by 24%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$26.93 $26.93

$12.16 ₡5,450

121.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$117 $117

$61.9 ₡27.7K

88.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.60 $14.60

$10.10 ₡4,528

44.55%

Cappuccino

$6.54 $6.54

$4.53 ₡2,031

44.37%

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

$3.86 $3.86

$2.66 ₡1,192

45.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.95 $2.95

$1.91 ₡856

54.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.08 $8.08

$3.27 ₡1,468

147.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.85 $9.85

$4.34 ₡1,946

126.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 $1.31

$1.96 ₡879

-33.16%

White Bread (500g)

$4.97 $4.97

$3.06 ₡1,370

62.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$7.70 $7.70

$2.50 ₡1,121

208.00%

Eggs

$6.09 $6.09

$3.02 ₡1,355

101.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.55 $19.55

$10.62 ₡4,759

84.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$17.59 $17.59

$9.88 ₡4,430

78.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.26 $20.26

$11.96 ₡5,359

69.40%

Apples (1kg)

$6.99 $6.99

$5.08 ₡2,275

37.60%

Banana (1kg)

$2.21 $2.21

$1.64 ₡734

34.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.72 $6.72

$4.70 ₡2,107

42.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$7.12 $7.12

$3.96 ₡1,776

79.80%

Potato (1kg)

$4.61 $4.61

$3.72 ₡1,668

23.92%

Onion (1kg)

$4.78 $4.78

$3.72 ₡1,666

28.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.87 $2.87

$1.02 ₡457

181.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.69 $2.69

$3.10 ₡1,389

-13.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$19.14 $19.14

$5.02 ₡2,248

281.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.63 $19.63

$20.19 ₡9,052

-2.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.32 $3.32

$2.77 ₡1,241

19.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.19 $4.19

$3.58 ₡1,605

17.04%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.02 $3.02

$1.30 ₡585

132.31%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$139 $139

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.04 $3.04

$2.50 ₡1,122

21.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.20 $2.20

$1.55 ₡693

41.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.33 $41.33

$8.68 ₡3,891

376.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.13 $1.13

$1.54 ₡692

-26.62%

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

$34.5K $34.5K

$33.5K ₡15.0M

2.94%

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

$25.8K $25.8K

$41.2K ₡18.5M

-37.33%

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

$232 $232

$95.2 ₡42.7K

144.01%

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

$71.0 $71.0

$20.13 ₡9,022

252.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$67.7 $67.7

$58.7 ₡26.3K

15.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$115 $115

$55.8 ₡25.0K

106.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$76.8 $76.8

$10.07 ₡4,514

662.76%

Cinema Ticket

$22.41 $22.41

$7.84 ₡3,514

185.84%

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

$3,606 $3,606

$974 ₡436.7K

270.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$68.7K $68.7K

$9,056 ₡4.1M

658.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$79.3 $79.3

$71.9 ₡32.2K

10.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.4 $51.4

$54.9 ₡24.6K

-6.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 $121

$130 ₡58.4K

-7.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$140 $140

$130 ₡58.3K

8.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,555 $4,555

$1,610 ₡721.5K

183.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,040 $3,040

$629 ₡281.8K

383.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$9,742 $9,742

$2,965 ₡1.3M

228.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$5,331 $5,331

$1,285 ₡575.9K

314.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$18.2K $18.2K

$3,591 ₡1.6M

407.48%

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 Playa Flamingo: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

New York, NY

$3K 62%

Playa Flamingo

$629 37.6% 79.3% $2.4K

Groceries & Markets

New York, NY

$567 11.6%

Playa Flamingo

$384 23% 32.2% $183

Eating Out

New York, NY

$425 8.7%

Playa Flamingo

$225 13.5% 47% $200

Monthly Utilities & Internet

New York, NY

$371 7.6%

Playa Flamingo

$174 10.4% 53.1% $197

Clothing & Footwear

New York, NY

$176 3.6%

Playa Flamingo

$174 10.4% 1.3% $2.3

Getting Around

New York, NY

$165 3.4%

Playa Flamingo

$15 * 0.9% 90.7% $150

Sport & Entertainment

New York, NY

$160 3.3%

Playa Flamingo

$71 4.3% 55.4% $89

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 $1,610 in Playa Flamingo. 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 $62 in Playa Flamingo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $567 vs $384 – making Playa Flamingo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 New York, NY

🇨🇷 Playa Flamingo

🕒 Local time

12:48 12:48 PM

11:48 11:48 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 = 0.897 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 2 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 7, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.897 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of November 7, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 500 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2 EUR).

CRC to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

New York, NY Playa Flamingo 3,550 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

New York, NY
Playa Flamingo

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 Flamingo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

New York, NY costs about 193% more than Playa Flamingo, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. 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 $2,510 in Playa Flamingo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Playa Flamingo, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,610 there versus $4,555 in New York, NY.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $4,906 in New York, NY and $1,673 in Playa Flamingo. That makes Playa Flamingo about 66% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $3,606 per month in New York, NY and $974 in Playa Flamingo. 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 Flamingo, where all-in costs run around $1,673, than in New York, NY at $4,906. In Playa Flamingo 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 Flamingo – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.