Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Coco and Arenal Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Coco and Arenal

🙂 Solo nomad: Playa del Coco is 1% cheaper than Arenal without rent, and 8.6% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Playa del Coco is 14.3% more expensive than Arenal without rent, and 12.9% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.08 ₡7,973

$11.06 ₡5,483

45.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.4 ₡39.4K

$59.8 ₡29.6K

32.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.10 ₡5,008

$9.71 ₡4,812

4.02%

Cappuccino

$7.14 ₡3,539

$3.77 ₡1,868

89.39%

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

$2.39 ₡1,187

$2.03 ₡1,008

17.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.92 ₡950

$1.59 ₡788

20.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.33 ₡1,649

$2.93 ₡1,453

13.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.10 ₡3,026

$4.59 ₡2,278

32.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.59 ₡1,285

$1.99 ₡989

30.15%

White Bread (500g)

$2.90 ₡1,438

$2.90 ₡1,437

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.15 ₡1,066

$2.13 ₡1,057

0.94%

Eggs

$3.01 ₡1,492

$2.90 ₡1,436

3.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.20 ₡4,066

$10.02 ₡4,967

-18.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.71 ₡6,299

$9.17 ₡4,549

38.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.71 ₡6,798

$13.61 ₡6,746

0.73%

Apples (1kg)

$4.54 ₡2,249

$4.46 ₡2,213

1.79%

Banana (1kg)

$1.49 ₡741

$1.44 ₡713

3.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.38 ₡2,172

$4.16 ₡2,063

5.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.60 ₡793

$3.60 ₡1,785

-55.56%

Potato (1kg)

$3.32 ₡1,646

$3.41 ₡1,690

-2.64%

Onion (1kg)

$2.96 ₡1,467

$3.19 ₡1,582

-7.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.02 ₡503

$1.03 ₡511

-0.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.94 ₡1,458

$2.85 ₡1,414

3.16%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.86 ₡2,412

$5.39 ₡2,675

-9.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.11 ₡6,997

$17.89 ₡8,871

-21.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.20 ₡1,089

$2.40 ₡1,188

-8.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.61 ₡1,296

$2.88 ₡1,430

-9.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 ₡582

$0.96 ₡476

21.87%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.93 ₡1,453

$1.88 ₡932

55.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.85 ₡917

$1.78 ₡881

3.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.12 ₡4,028

$8.00 ₡3,965

1.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.89 ₡939

$1.41 ₡698

34.04%

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

$37.1K ₡18.4M

$38.1K ₡18.9M

-2.60%

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

$32.4K ₡16.1M

$32.2K ₡16.0M

0.81%

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

$174 ₡86.4K

$95.5 ₡47.3K

82.49%

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

$25.86 ₡12.8K

$26.38 ₡13.1K

-1.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$59.0 ₡29.2K

$58.9 ₡29.2K

0.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.5 ₡28.0K

$57.9 ₡28.7K

-2.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.91 ₡11.9K

$24.25 ₡12.0K

-1.40%

Cinema Ticket

$10.14 ₡5,027

$9.80 ₡4,856

3.47%

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

$519 ₡257.3K

$568 ₡281.8K

-8.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.7K ₡6.3M

0.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.3 ₡30.4K

$62.6 ₡31.0K

-2.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.4 ₡25.5K

$52.1 ₡25.8K

-1.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$127 ₡62.8K

$125 ₡62.1K

1.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 ₡52.9K

$107 ₡53.2K

-0.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$752 ₡372.7K

$760 ₡377.0K

-1.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$598 ₡296.3K

$608 ₡301.5K

-1.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,489 ₡738.2K

$1,507 ₡747.0K

-1.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$981 ₡486.2K

$976 ₡483.8K

0.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$306 ₡151.5K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$708 ₡350.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.17

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

Last update for Playa del Coco: January 12, 2026

Last update for Arenal: January 11, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Similar cities

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

Uluwatu, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

Canggu, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

Zagreb

🇭🇷 Croatia

Krakow

🇵🇱 Poland

Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

Vilnius

🇱🇹 Lithuania