Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Coco and New York, NY

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Coco: $1,748 a month against $4,906 in New York, NY, rent and utilities included – about $37,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

83

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Coco
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Playa del Coco Living Index
234

Cost of Living Index in New York, NY
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New York, NY Living Index

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Playa del Coco

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,748

/mo nomad

New York, NY

🇺🇸 United States

$4,906

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Coco and in New York, NY

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 New York, NY actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,748 per month in Playa del Coco vs $4,906 in New York, NY, rent included.

Playa del Coco $1,748
New York, NY $4,906

A couple spends around $2,758 per month in Playa del Coco vs $7,273 in New York, NY, rent included.

Playa del Coco $2,758
New York, NY $7,273

A family of three spends $3,768 per month in Playa del Coco vs $9,641 in New York, NY, rent included.

Playa del Coco $3,768
New York, NY $9,641

Playa del Coco is about 64% cheaper than New York, NY, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Playa del Coco and New York, NY sit above the global median – Playa del Coco by 29%, New York, NY by 263%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.08 ₡8,130

$26.93 $26.93

-32.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$59.1 ₡26.6K

$117 $117

-49.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.74 ₡5,278

$14.60 $14.60

-19.59%

Cappuccino

$4.26 ₡1,917

$6.54 $6.54

-34.86%

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

$2.62 ₡1,178

$3.86 $3.86

-32.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.63 ₡732

$2.95 $2.95

-44.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.60 ₡1,618

$8.08 $8.08

-55.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.13 ₡2,754

$9.85 $9.85

-37.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.44 ₡1,096

$1.31 $1.31

86.26%

White Bread (500g)

$2.83 ₡1,272

$4.97 $4.97

-43.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.44 ₡1,095

$7.70 $7.70

-68.31%

Eggs

$3.52 ₡1,584

$6.09 $6.09

-42.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.88 ₡4,894

$19.55 $19.55

-44.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.22 ₡4,596

$17.59 $17.59

-41.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.18 ₡6,378

$20.26 $20.26

-30.01%

Apples (1kg)

$5.05 ₡2,270

$6.99 $6.99

-27.75%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 ₡736

$2.21 $2.21

-25.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.28 ₡1,476

$6.72 $6.72

-51.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.50 ₡1,572

$7.12 $7.12

-50.84%

Potato (1kg)

$3.03 ₡1,364

$4.61 $4.61

-34.27%

Onion (1kg)

$3.23 ₡1,454

$4.78 $4.78

-32.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.09 ₡491

$2.87 $2.87

-62.02%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.67 ₡1,200

$2.69 $2.69

-0.74%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.55 ₡2,494

$19.14 $19.14

-71.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.77 ₡7,542

$19.63 $19.63

-14.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,195

$3.32 $3.32

-19.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.65 ₡1,193

$4.19 $4.19

-36.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.35 ₡605

$3.02 $3.02

-55.30%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$139 $139

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.49 ₡1,121

$3.04 $3.04

-18.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.61 ₡723

$2.20 $2.20

-26.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.84 ₡3,973

$41.33 $41.33

-78.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 ₡680

$1.13 $1.13

33.63%

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

$33.8K ₡15.2M

$34.5K $34.5K

-1.77%

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

$41.1K ₡18.5M

$25.8K $25.8K

59.19%

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

$94.3 ₡42.4K

$232 $232

-59.40%

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

$30.28 ₡13.6K

$71.0 $71.0

-57.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$59.1 ₡26.6K

$67.7 $67.7

-12.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$66.8 ₡30.0K

$115 $115

-42.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$76.8 $76.8

Cinema Ticket

$7.80 ₡3,507

$22.41 $22.41

-65.19%

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

$843 ₡379.3K

$3,606 $3,606

-76.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K ₡7.6M

$68.7K $68.7K

-75.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.6 ₡32.7K

$79.3 $79.3

-8.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.3 ₡25.3K

$51.4 $51.4

9.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$129 ₡57.9K

$121 $121

6.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 ₡58.8K

$140 $140

-6.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$793 ₡356.6K

$4,555 $4,555

-82.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$640 ₡287.8K

$3,040 $3,040

-78.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,908 ₡858.1K

$9,742 $9,742

-80.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,257 ₡565.0K

$5,331 $5,331

-76.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$18.2K $18.2K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$329 ₡148.1K

$6,685 $6,685

-95.07%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$757 ₡340.6K

$5,096 $5,096

-85.14%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

6.89

25.11%

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

Last update for Playa del Coco: October 31, 2026

Last update for New York, NY: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Coco

$640 36.6%

New York, NY

$3K 62% 375% $2.4K

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Coco

$373 21.3%

New York, NY

$567 11.6% 52.3% $195

Eating Out

Playa del Coco

$278 15.9%

New York, NY

$425 8.7% 52.8% $147

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Coco

$184 10.5%

New York, NY

$371 7.6% 102% $187

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Coco

$175 10%

New York, NY

$176 3.6% 1% $1.7

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Coco

$82 4.7%

New York, NY

$160 3.3% 94.4% $78

Getting Around

Playa del Coco

$16 * 0.9%

New York, NY

$165 3.4% 940% $150

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $793 in Playa del Coco versus $4,555 in New York, NY. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in New York, NY are about 6.7 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $59 in Playa del Coco versus $117 in New York, NY. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $373 vs $567 – making Playa del Coco the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Playa del Coco

🇺🇸 New York, NY

🕒 Local time

10:57 10:57 AM

11:57 11:57 AM

1 h ahead of Playa del Coco

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,804,190

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to CRC – Costa Rican Colón Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 450 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 505 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Coco New York, NY 3,530 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Coco
New York, NY

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 New York, NY: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

New York, NY costs about 181% more than Playa del Coco, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,621 per month in Playa del Coco and $7,358 in New York, NY. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Playa del Coco, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $793 there versus $4,555 in New York, NY.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,748 in Playa del Coco and $4,906 in New York, NY. That makes Playa del Coco about 64% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $843 per month in Playa del Coco and $3,606 in New York, NY. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Coco, where all-in costs run around $1,748, than in New York, NY at $4,906. In Playa del Coco it covers expenses comfortably, while in New York, NY it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Playa del Coco – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Playa del Coco. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, New York, NY makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.