Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Coco and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Coco: $1,676 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $6,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Lisbon outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

84

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Coco
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Playa del Coco Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
Learn more

Lisbon Living Index

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Playa del Coco

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,676

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,676 in Playa del Coco versus $2,210 in Lisbon.

Playa del Coco $1,676
Lisbon $2,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,700 in Playa del Coco versus $3,275 in Lisbon.

Playa del Coco $2,700
Lisbon $3,275

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,724 in Playa del Coco versus $4,341 in Lisbon.

Playa del Coco $3,724
Lisbon $4,341

Living in Playa del Coco costs roughly 24% less than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Playa del Coco 23% above, Lisbon 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.46 ₡8,328

$16.65 €14.95

10.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$58.1 ₡26.2K

$61.7 €55.5

-5.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.36 ₡6,030

$11.36 €10.20

17.61%

Cappuccino

$4.35 ₡1,965

$2.97 €2.67

46.46%

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

$2.65 ₡1,197

$2.29 €2.06

15.72%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 ₡724

$1.74 €1.56

-8.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.58 ₡1,613

$3.40 €3.06

5.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.15 ₡2,774

$3.31 €2.97

85.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.30 ₡1,039

$1.16 €1.04

98.28%

White Bread (500g)

$2.79 ₡1,260

$1.91 €1.72

46.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.44 ₡1,102

$1.51 €1.36

61.59%

Eggs

$3.56 ₡1,605

$4.02 €3.61

-11.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.56 ₡4,764

$12.94 €11.62

-18.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.58 ₡4,776

$7.77 €6.98

36.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.10 ₡7,264

$17.76 €15.95

-9.35%

Apples (1kg)

$5.57 ₡2,516

$2.30 €2.07

142.17%

Banana (1kg)

$1.77 ₡798

$1.73 €1.56

2.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.84 ₡1,731

$1.86 €1.67

106.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.58 ₡1,614

$2.59 €2.33

38.22%

Potato (1kg)

$3.43 ₡1,548

$1.82 €1.64

88.46%

Onion (1kg)

$3.07 ₡1,386

$1.97 €1.77

55.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.20 ₡542

$1.47 €1.32

-18.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.67 ₡1,206

$0.72 €0.65

270.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.81 ₡2,623

$6.58 €5.91

-11.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.66 ₡7,517

$5.61 €5.04

196.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.51 ₡1,131

$1.36 €1.22

84.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.65 ₡1,194

$2.14 €1.92

23.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.33 ₡600

$2.33 €2.10

-42.92%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.14

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.46 ₡1,110

$3.85 €3.46

-36.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 ₡701

$1.07 €0.96

44.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.30 ₡4,198

$16.46 €14.79

-43.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.58 ₡714

$2.20 €1.98

-28.18%

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

$34.3K ₡15.5M

$34.2K €30.7K

0.40%

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

$41.0K ₡18.5M

$38.7K €34.8K

5.81%

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

$93.6 ₡42.2K

$161 €145

-41.95%

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

$29.79 ₡13.4K

$18.41 €16.54

61.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.3 ₡26.3K

$32.74 €29.41

78.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.1 ₡32.1K

$44.55 €40.02

59.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.16

Cinema Ticket

$7.18 ₡3,240

$9.60 €8.62

-25.21%

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

$756 ₡340.9K

$668 €600

13.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.0K ₡7.7M

$17.6K €15.8K

-3.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$82.1 ₡37.1K

$102 €91.6

-19.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.6 ₡25.1K

$44.46 €39.94

25.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 ₡49.6K

$98.5 €88.5

11.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 ₡52.5K

$124 €111

-5.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$882 ₡397.8K

$1,608 €1,445

-45.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$559 ₡252.1K

$1,190 €1,069

-53.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,979 ₡893.1K

$2,812 €2,526

-29.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,193 ₡538.1K

$2,013 €1,808

-40.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,042

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$334 ₡150.8K

$4,576 €4,110

-92.70%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$772 ₡348.3K

$1,575 €1,415

-51.00%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

3.85

123.90%

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 Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Coco

$559 33.3%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8% 113% $631

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Coco

$384 22.9%

Lisbon

$272 12.3% 29.1% $112

Eating Out

Playa del Coco

$287 17.1%

Lisbon

$243 11% 15.5% $45

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Coco

$182 10.8%

Lisbon

$212 9.6% 16.9% $31

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Coco

$164 9.8%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 1.3% $2.1

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Coco

$85 5.1%

Lisbon

$64 2.9% 25.4% $22

Getting Around

Playa del Coco

$16 * 0.9%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 307% $48

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 $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays about 2 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $58 in Playa del Coco vs $62 in Lisbon. Groceries flip the comparison at $384 vs $272, with Lisbon cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Playa del Coco

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

09:48 9:48 AM

15:48 3:48 PM

6 h ahead of Playa del Coco

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to CRC – Costa Rican Colón Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 502 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.898 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Playa del Coco Lisbon 8,110 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Coco
Lisbon

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 Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Coco and Lisbon differ by about 32% in total monthly costs ($1,676 vs $2,210 including rent). Playa del Coco is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 51% lower in Playa del Coco. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $882 in Playa del Coco versus $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Lisbon pay roughly 29% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you’ll spend $1,676 per month in Playa del Coco versus $2,210 in Lisbon – a 32% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,676 in Playa del Coco versus $2,210 in Lisbon, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Playa del Coco but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Playa del Coco the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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