Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Coco and Lima

For one person, living is cheaper in Lima: $996 a month against $1,765 in Playa del Coco, rent and utilities included – about $9,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

85

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Coco
Learn more

Playa del Coco Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Lima
Learn more

Lima Living Index

Jump to prices

Playa del Coco

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,765

/mo nomad

Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$996

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,765 in Playa del Coco versus $996 in Lima.

Playa del Coco $1,765
Lima $996

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,806 in Playa del Coco versus $1,594 in Lima.

Playa del Coco $2,806
Lima $1,594

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,847 in Playa del Coco versus $2,191 in Lima.

Playa del Coco $3,847
Lima $2,191

Living in Playa del Coco is roughly 77% more expensive than in Lima, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Playa del Coco is 32% above, Lima is 26% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.05 ₡8,137

$4.42 PEN 15.21

308.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.5 ₡25.9K

$35.04 PEN 121

63.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.25 ₡5,070

$6.84 PEN 23.52

64.47%

Cappuccino

$4.08 ₡1,839

$3.27 PEN 11.26

24.77%

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

$2.52 ₡1,138

$1.10 PEN 3.80

129.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.63 ₡736

$0.65 PEN 2.23

150.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.56 ₡1,605

$2.58 PEN 8.88

37.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.15 ₡2,774

$4.47 PEN 15.39

37.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.42 ₡1,089

$1.59 PEN 5.48

52.20%

White Bread (500g)

$2.88 ₡1,298

$2.58 PEN 8.89

11.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.46 ₡1,107

$1.36 PEN 4.67

80.88%

Eggs

$3.44 ₡1,553

$2.95 PEN 10.14

16.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.86 ₡4,894

$9.10 PEN 31.30

19.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.65 ₡4,800

$5.81 PEN 19.98

83.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.23 ₡6,417

$9.83 PEN 33.80

44.76%

Apples (1kg)

$5.11 ₡2,302

$2.01 PEN 6.92

154.23%

Banana (1kg)

$1.65 ₡744

$1.08 PEN 3.70

52.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.37 ₡1,520

$1.37 PEN 4.71

145.99%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.38 ₡1,522

$1.48 PEN 5.08

128.38%

Potato (1kg)

$3.00 ₡1,351

$0.96 PEN 3.32

212.50%

Onion (1kg)

$3.21 ₡1,446

$0.85 PEN 2.93

277.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ₡487

$0.88 PEN 3.03

22.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.70 ₡1,219

$0.87 PEN 2.98

210.34%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.59 ₡2,521

$5.90 PEN 20.31

-5.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.65 ₡7,504

$8.81 PEN 30.31

88.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,200

$1.92 PEN 6.59

38.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.73 ₡1,229

$3.20 PEN 11.02

-14.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.33 ₡602

$0.68 PEN 2.33

95.59%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.74 PEN 92.0

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.33 ₡1,501

$3.81 PEN 13.10

-12.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 ₡713

$2.04 PEN 7.02

-22.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.90 ₡4,011

$7.14 PEN 24.57

24.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.93 ₡870

$1.65 PEN 5.67

16.97%

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

$22.2K ₡10.0M

$22.2K PEN 76.3K

0.15%

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

$34.5K ₡15.6M

$25.7K PEN 88.3K

34.50%

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

$94.1 ₡42.4K

$73.0 PEN 251

28.89%

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

$29.60 ₡13.3K

$16.26 PEN 55.9

82.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$60.8 ₡27.4K

$27.60 PEN 94.9

120.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$72.1 ₡32.5K

$33.07 PEN 114

118.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.49 PEN 67.1

Cinema Ticket

$8.08 ₡3,641

$7.39 PEN 25.41

9.34%

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

$827 ₡372.9K

$182 PEN 626

354.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K ₡7.6M

$13.3K PEN 45.8K

26.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.9 ₡32.4K

$52.6 PEN 181

36.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.6 ₡25.5K

$34.23 PEN 118

65.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$130 ₡58.6K

$83.8 PEN 288

55.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$135 ₡60.6K

$79.0 PEN 272

70.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$819 ₡369.1K

$723 PEN 2,488

13.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$638 ₡287.7K

$340 PEN 1,170

87.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,894 ₡854.1K

$1,184 PEN 4,074

59.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,244 ₡561.0K

$635 PEN 2,183

96.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,449 PEN 8,423

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$332 ₡149.6K

$1,372 PEN 4,718

-75.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$765 ₡344.7K

$653 PEN 2,245

17.17%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.78

8.94

-1.79%

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

Last update for Playa del Coco: October 4, 2026

Last update for Lima: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Coco

$638 36.4%

Lima

$340 33.6% 46.7% $298

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Coco

$375 21.4%

Lima

$226 22.4% 39.7% $149

Eating Out

Playa del Coco

$274 15.6%

Lima

$124 12.3% 54.7% $150

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Coco

$185 10.5%

Lima

$117 11.6% 36.7% $68

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Coco

$177 10.1%

Lima

$112 11.1% 36.5% $65

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Coco

$88 5%

Lima

$48 4.7% 45.8% $40

Getting Around

Playa del Coco

$17 * 1%

Lima

$43 4.3% 162% $27

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 $819 in Playa del Coco and $723 in Lima. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Playa del Coco pays 17% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $57.0 in Playa del Coco vs $35.00 in Lima for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $375 vs $226 per month, with Lima cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Playa del Coco

🇵🇪 Lima

🕒 Local time

20:47 8:47 PM

21:47 9:47 PM

1 h ahead of Playa del Coco

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,989,369 Capital

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1 PEN = 0.291 USD

1 PEN = 0.259 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PEN, USD, EUR to CRC – Costa Rican Colón Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 506 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3.44 PEN (1 PEN = 0.291 USD). 1 EUR = 3.86 PEN (1 PEN = 0.259 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Playa del Coco Lima 2,690 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Coco
Lima

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 Lima: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Coco and Lima differ by about 77% in total monthly costs ($1,765 vs $996 including rent). Lima is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

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: $819 in Playa del Coco versus $723 in Lima. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 66% higher in Playa del Coco. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,765 per month in Playa del Coco versus $996 in Lima – a 77% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $996 in Lima versus $1,765 in Playa del Coco, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Lima but tight or insufficient in Playa del Coco. The gap between the two cities makes Lima the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Expats usually find Lima gentler on the wallet – expenses run 77% less than in Playa del Coco. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.