Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Coco and Grecia

For one person, living is cheaper in Grecia: $1,506 a month against $1,676 in Playa del Coco, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 less a year. The total is higher in Playa del Coco despite lower rent and utilities.

84

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Coco
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Playa del Coco Living Index
73

Cost of Living Index in Grecia
Learn more

Grecia Living Index

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Playa del Coco

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,676

/mo nomad

Grecia

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,506

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Coco and in Grecia

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Playa del Coco and in Grecia actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,676 in Playa del Coco versus $1,506 in Grecia.

Playa del Coco $1,676
Grecia $1,506

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,700 in Playa del Coco versus $2,101 in Grecia.

Playa del Coco $2,700
Grecia $2,101

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,724 in Playa del Coco versus $2,696 in Grecia.

Playa del Coco $3,724
Grecia $2,696

Living in Playa del Coco is roughly 11% more expensive than in Grecia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Playa del Coco 23% above, Grecia 11% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.46 ₡8,332

$10.27 ₡4,635

79.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$58.1 ₡26.2K

$53.5 ₡24.2K

8.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.36 ₡6,032

$11.68 ₡5,273

14.38%

Cappuccino

$4.35 ₡1,966

$3.22 ₡1,451

35.09%

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

$2.65 ₡1,197

$1.80 ₡814

47.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 ₡724

$1.86 ₡842

-13.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.58 ₡1,614

$2.62 ₡1,183

36.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.15 ₡2,776

$2.90 ₡1,310

112.07%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.30 ₡1,040

$2.03 ₡918

13.30%

White Bread (500g)

$2.79 ₡1,260

$1.13 ₡509

146.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.44 ₡1,103

$2.49 ₡1,122

-2.01%

Eggs

$3.56 ₡1,606

$3.55 ₡1,602

0.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.56 ₡4,766

$7.50 ₡3,384

40.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.58 ₡4,778

$6.51 ₡2,939

62.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.10 ₡7,267

$14.26 ₡6,437

12.90%

Apples (1kg)

$5.57 ₡2,517

$2.48 ₡1,122

124.60%

Banana (1kg)

$1.77 ₡798

$1.59 ₡718

11.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.84 ₡1,732

$1.35 ₡611

184.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.58 ₡1,615

$1.72 ₡775

108.14%

Potato (1kg)

$3.43 ₡1,549

$1.78 ₡803

92.70%

Onion (1kg)

$3.07 ₡1,387

$1.57 ₡708

95.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.20 ₡543

$0.96 ₡432

25.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.67 ₡1,207

$2.22 ₡1,002

20.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.81 ₡2,624

$6.03 ₡2,724

-3.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.66 ₡7,521

$12.47 ₡5,631

33.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.51 ₡1,132

$2.12 ₡956

18.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.65 ₡1,195

$1.56 ₡703

69.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.33 ₡600

$1.84 ₡830

-27.72%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.46 ₡1,110

$2.02 ₡913

21.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 ₡701

$1.57 ₡707

-1.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.30 ₡4,200

$8.48 ₡3,828

9.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.58 ₡714

$1.59 ₡716

-0.63%

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

$34.3K ₡15.5M

$34.4K ₡15.5M

-0.10%

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

$41.0K ₡18.5M

$41.3K ₡18.6M

-0.71%

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

$93.6 ₡42.3K

$86.2 ₡38.9K

8.55%

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

$29.79 ₡13.4K

$26.86 ₡12.1K

10.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.3 ₡26.3K

$59.1 ₡26.7K

-1.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.1 ₡32.1K

$50.2 ₡22.7K

41.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.97 ₡5,402

Cinema Ticket

$7.18 ₡3,241

$7.56 ₡3,415

-5.03%

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

$756 ₡341.1K

$985 ₡444.6K

-23.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.0K ₡7.7M

$17.5K ₡7.9M

-2.75%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$82.1 ₡37.1K

$70.3 ₡31.7K

16.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.6 ₡25.1K

$55.2 ₡24.9K

0.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 ₡49.6K

$128 ₡57.7K

-13.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 ₡52.5K

$134 ₡60.6K

-13.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$882 ₡398.0K

$442 ₡199.3K

99.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$559 ₡252.2K

$621 ₡280.3K

-10.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,979 ₡893.5K

$772 ₡348.5K

156.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,193 ₡538.4K

$678 ₡306.2K

75.80%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$334 ₡150.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$772 ₡348.4K

$660 ₡297.8K

17.01%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

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

Last update for Playa del Coco: October 25, 2026

Last update for Grecia: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Coco

$559 33.3%

Grecia

$621 41.2% 11.1% $62

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Coco

$384 22.9%

Grecia

$267 17.7% 30.4% $117

Eating Out

Playa del Coco

$287 17.1%

Grecia

$189 12.6% 34.1% $98

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Coco

$182 10.8%

Grecia

$172 11.4% 5.2% $9.5

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Coco

$164 9.8%

Grecia

$174 11.6% 6.4% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Coco

$85 5.1%

Grecia

$65 4.3% 23.5% $20

Getting Around

Playa del Coco

$16 * 0.9%

Grecia

$17 * 1.1% 10.7% $1.7

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 $882 in Playa del Coco and $442 in Grecia. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Playa del Coco pays 17% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $58 in Playa del Coco vs $54 in Grecia for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $384 vs $267 per month, with Grecia cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Playa del Coco

🇨🇷 Grecia

🕒 Local time

21:09 9:09 PM

Same time as Playa del Coco

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

16,700

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Playa del Coco Grecia 160 km

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Playa del Coco
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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

Playa del Coco vs Grecia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Grecia wins on cost – living expenses run 10% lower than in Playa del Coco. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Grecia the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 17% higher in Playa del Coco, 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: $882 in Playa del Coco versus $442 in Grecia. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $756 in Playa del Coco versus $985 in Grecia. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Grecia – a meal for two runs $54 versus $58 in Playa del Coco. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Grecia is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

It comes down to priorities – Grecia wins on affordability, Playa del Coco on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.