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

😐 Solo nomad: Playa del Coco is 45.2% more expensive than Cartago without rent, and 15.9% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Playa del Coco is 13.9% more expensive than Cartago without rent, and 34.9% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.01 ₡7,344

$8.09 ₡3,712

97.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$80.8 ₡37.1K

$31.71 ₡14.5K

154.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.24 ₡4,699

$8.87 ₡4,066

15.45%

Cappuccino

$6.81 ₡3,122

$3.79 ₡1,738

79.68%

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

$2.48 ₡1,136

$1.98 ₡908

25.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 ₡852

$1.29 ₡591

44.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 ₡1,465

$2.00 ₡918

59.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.96 ₡2,733

$4.53 ₡2,079

31.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.51 ₡1,153

$2.04 ₡935

23.04%

White Bread (500g)

$2.80 ₡1,284

$2.14 ₡979

30.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.17 ₡997

Eggs

$2.98 ₡1,366

$2.93 ₡1,345

1.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.31 ₡3,813

$8.00 ₡3,670

3.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.80 ₡5,870

$9.22 ₡4,231

38.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.83 ₡6,343

$13.92 ₡6,387

-0.65%

Apples (1kg)

$4.59 ₡2,108

$4.63 ₡2,126

-0.86%

Banana (1kg)

$1.49 ₡685

$1.22 ₡557

22.13%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.19 ₡1,920

$4.04 ₡1,855

3.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.59 ₡732

$2.65 ₡1,215

-40.00%

Potato (1kg)

$3.36 ₡1,540

$1.97 ₡905

70.56%

Onion (1kg)

$3.06 ₡1,402

$1.94 ₡888

57.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.03 ₡474

$1.03 ₡471

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.86 ₡1,311

$1.95 ₡895

46.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.86 ₡2,228

$5.43 ₡2,489

-10.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.76 ₡7,689

$14.92 ₡6,842

12.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.20 ₡1,008

$2.50 ₡1,146

-12.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 ₡1,167

$1.82 ₡835

39.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.18 ₡541

$1.02 ₡467

15.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$70.0 ₡32.1K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 ₡1,372

$1.40 ₡643

113.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.79 ₡820

$1.77 ₡814

1.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.12 ₡3,725

$8.03 ₡3,685

1.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.84 ₡845

$1.39 ₡639

32.37%

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

$37.8K ₡17.3M

$38.0K ₡17.4M

-0.56%

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

$33.0K ₡15.1M

$32.8K ₡15.0M

0.81%

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

$172 ₡78.8K

$47.57 ₡21.8K

261.32%

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

$25.98 ₡11.9K

$25.60 ₡11.7K

1.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$59.4 ₡27.3K

$57.5 ₡26.4K

3.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.8 ₡26.5K

$56.2 ₡25.8K

2.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.89 ₡11.0K

$23.98 ₡11.0K

-0.38%

Cinema Ticket

$9.66 ₡4,431

$6.54 ₡3,002

47.71%

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

$522 ₡239.5K

$494 ₡226.6K

5.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.7K ₡5.8M

$7,231 ₡3.3M

75.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ₡28.6K

0.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.0 ₡23.4K

$51.1 ₡23.5K

-0.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$124 ₡57.0K

$108 ₡49.7K

14.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 ₡49.0K

$79.8 ₡36.6K

33.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$779 ₡357.4K

$759 ₡348.2K

2.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$585 ₡268.5K

$591 ₡271.3K

-1.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,506 ₡691.0K

$735 ₡337.4K

104.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$946 ₡433.8K

$778 ₡357.0K

21.51%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$323 ₡148.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$764 ₡350.4K

$1,295 ₡594.0K

-41.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.17

1.70%

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

Last update for Playa del Coco: April 11, 2026

Last update for Cartago: April 14, 2026

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

Playa del Coco vs other spots: cost of living compared

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