Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Coco and Perez Zeledon

For one person, living is cheaper in Perez Zeledon: $1,317 a month against $1,676 in Playa del Coco, rent and utilities included – about $4,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

84

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Coco
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Playa del Coco Living Index
64

Cost of Living Index in Perez Zeledon
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Perez Zeledon Living Index

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Playa del Coco

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,676

/mo nomad

Perez Zeledon

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,317

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Coco and in Perez Zeledon

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

A single person spends $1,676 per month in Playa del Coco vs $1,317 in Perez Zeledon, rent included.

Playa del Coco $1,676
Perez Zeledon $1,317

A couple spends around $2,700 per month in Playa del Coco vs $2,364 in Perez Zeledon, rent included.

Playa del Coco $2,700
Perez Zeledon $2,364

A family of three spends $3,724 per month in Playa del Coco vs $3,410 in Perez Zeledon, rent included.

Playa del Coco $3,724
Perez Zeledon $3,410

Playa del Coco costs about 27% more than Perez Zeledon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Playa del Coco sits 23% above the global median, while Perez Zeledon is 3% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.46 ₡8,332

$9.09 ₡4,102

103.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$58.1 ₡26.2K

$37.24 ₡16.8K

56.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.36 ₡6,032

$8.19 ₡3,699

63.13%

Cappuccino

$4.35 ₡1,966

$2.70 ₡1,217

61.11%

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

$2.65 ₡1,197

$1.97 ₡887

34.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 ₡724

$1.78 ₡805

-10.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.58 ₡1,614

$1.73 ₡780

106.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.15 ₡2,776

$3.21 ₡1,447

91.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.30 ₡1,040

$1.60 ₡724

43.75%

White Bread (500g)

$2.79 ₡1,260

$3.13 ₡1,413

-10.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.44 ₡1,103

$2.49 ₡1,122

-2.01%

Eggs

$3.56 ₡1,606

$2.49 ₡1,126

42.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.56 ₡4,766

$10.73 ₡4,846

-1.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.58 ₡4,778

$10.28 ₡4,639

2.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.10 ₡7,267

$14.14 ₡6,384

13.86%

Apples (1kg)

$5.57 ₡2,517

$5.24 ₡2,365

6.30%

Banana (1kg)

$1.77 ₡798

$1.08 ₡488

63.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.84 ₡1,732

$4.89 ₡2,206

-21.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.58 ₡1,615

$3.85 ₡1,737

-7.01%

Potato (1kg)

$3.43 ₡1,549

$3.72 ₡1,680

-7.80%

Onion (1kg)

$3.07 ₡1,387

$3.59 ₡1,622

-14.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.20 ₡543

$0.45 ₡205

166.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.67 ₡1,207

$3.09 ₡1,394

-13.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.81 ₡2,624

$5.57 ₡2,516

4.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.66 ₡7,521

$19.80 ₡8,937

-15.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.51 ₡1,132

$2.87 ₡1,297

-12.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.65 ₡1,195

$3.63 ₡1,638

-27.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.33 ₡600

$0.81 ₡364

64.20%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.46 ₡1,110

$2.49 ₡1,126

-1.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 ₡701

$1.63 ₡737

-4.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.30 ₡4,200

$8.76 ₡3,955

6.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.58 ₡714

$1.52 ₡688

3.95%

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

$34.3K ₡15.5M

$33.8K ₡15.2M

1.69%

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

$41.0K ₡18.5M

$42.1K ₡19.0M

-2.70%

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

$93.6 ₡42.3K

$93.6 ₡42.2K

0.02%

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

$29.79 ₡13.4K

$23.99 ₡10.8K

24.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.3 ₡26.3K

$59.2 ₡26.7K

-1.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.1 ₡32.1K

$67.9 ₡30.7K

4.61%

Cinema Ticket

$7.18 ₡3,241

$7.67 ₡3,464

-6.39%

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

$756 ₡341.1K

$498 ₡224.8K

51.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.0K ₡7.7M

$17.3K ₡7.8M

-1.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$82.1 ₡37.1K

$71.8 ₡32.4K

14.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.6 ₡25.1K

$55.0 ₡24.8K

1.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 ₡49.6K

$128 ₡57.7K

-14.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 ₡52.5K

$133 ₡60.0K

-12.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$882 ₡398.0K

$402 ₡181.3K

119.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$559 ₡252.2K

$326 ₡147.1K

71.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,979 ₡893.5K

$2,133 ₡963.0K

-7.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,193 ₡538.4K

$1,260 ₡568.7K

-5.34%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$334 ₡150.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$772 ₡348.4K

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 Perez Zeledon: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Coco

$559 33.3%

Perez Zeledon

$326 24.8% 41.7% $233

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Coco

$384 22.9%

Perez Zeledon

$383 29.1% 0.2% $0.8

Eating Out

Playa del Coco

$287 17.1%

Perez Zeledon

$160 12.1% 44.4% $128

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Coco

$182 10.8%

Perez Zeledon

$177 13.4% 2.7% $5

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Coco

$164 9.8%

Perez Zeledon

$174 13.2% 6.5% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Coco

$85 5.1%

Perez Zeledon

$83 6.3% 2.5% $2.1

Getting Around

Playa del Coco

$16 * 0.9%

Perez Zeledon

$14 * 1.1% 10.6% $1.6

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $882 in Playa del Coco versus $402 in Perez Zeledon. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $58 in Playa del Coco versus $37 in Perez Zeledon. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $384 vs $383 – making Perez Zeledon the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Playa del Coco

🇨🇷 Perez Zeledon

🕒 Local time

19:58 7:58 PM

Same time as Playa del Coco

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

135,000

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Playa del Coco Perez Zeledon 270 km

From you

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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 Perez Zeledon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Playa del Coco is pricier by about 27%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,514 per month in Playa del Coco and $1,975 in Perez Zeledon. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Perez Zeledon, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $402 there versus $882 in Playa del Coco.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $58 in Playa del Coco and $37 in Perez Zeledon. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Kindergarten costs $756 per month in Playa del Coco and $498 in Perez Zeledon. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Perez Zeledon, where all-in costs run around $1,317, than in Playa del Coco at $1,676. In Perez Zeledon it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Coco it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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