Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Coco and Playa Flamingo

For one person, living costs are similar in Playa del Coco and in Playa Flamingo: $1,676 and $1,686 a month, rent and utilities included.

84

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Coco
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Playa del Coco Living Index
81

Cost of Living Index in Playa Flamingo
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Playa Flamingo Living Index

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Playa del Coco

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,676

/mo nomad

Playa Flamingo

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,686

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,676 per month in Playa del Coco vs $1,686 in Playa Flamingo, rent included.

Playa del Coco $1,676
Playa Flamingo $1,686

A couple spends around $2,700 per month in Playa del Coco vs $2,670 in Playa Flamingo, rent included.

Playa del Coco $2,700
Playa Flamingo $2,670

A family of three spends $3,724 per month in Playa del Coco vs $3,654 in Playa Flamingo, rent included.

Playa del Coco $3,724
Playa Flamingo $3,654

Playa del Coco and Playa Flamingo have comparable living costs – the differences are in the details.

Both Playa del Coco and Playa Flamingo sit above the global median – Playa del Coco by 23%, Playa Flamingo by 24%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.46 ₡8,328

$11.78 ₡5,314

56.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$58.1 ₡26.2K

$62.3 ₡28.1K

-6.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.36 ₡6,030

$9.89 ₡4,463

35.09%

Cappuccino

$4.35 ₡1,965

$4.36 ₡1,968

-0.23%

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

$2.65 ₡1,197

$2.74 ₡1,235

-3.28%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 ₡724

$1.84 ₡830

-13.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.58 ₡1,613

$3.28 ₡1,479

9.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.15 ₡2,774

$4.34 ₡1,958

41.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.30 ₡1,039

$2.03 ₡915

13.30%

White Bread (500g)

$2.79 ₡1,260

$3.12 ₡1,406

-10.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.44 ₡1,102

$2.51 ₡1,130

-2.79%

Eggs

$3.56 ₡1,605

$3.05 ₡1,374

16.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.56 ₡4,764

$10.82 ₡4,881

-2.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.58 ₡4,776

$10.15 ₡4,580

4.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.10 ₡7,264

$11.80 ₡5,327

36.44%

Apples (1kg)

$5.57 ₡2,516

$5.27 ₡2,380

5.69%

Banana (1kg)

$1.77 ₡798

$1.58 ₡711

12.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.84 ₡1,731

$4.86 ₡2,193

-20.99%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.58 ₡1,614

$3.92 ₡1,768

-8.67%

Potato (1kg)

$3.43 ₡1,548

$3.85 ₡1,739

-10.91%

Onion (1kg)

$3.07 ₡1,386

$3.62 ₡1,632

-15.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.20 ₡542

$1.02 ₡459

17.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.67 ₡1,206

$3.09 ₡1,396

-13.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.81 ₡2,623

$5.09 ₡2,296

14.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.66 ₡7,517

$20.33 ₡9,176

-18.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.51 ₡1,131

$2.77 ₡1,252

-9.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.65 ₡1,194

$3.67 ₡1,658

-27.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.33 ₡600

$1.39 ₡627

-4.32%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.46 ₡1,110

$2.51 ₡1,134

-1.99%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 ₡701

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.30 ₡4,198

$8.80 ₡3,971

5.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.58 ₡714

$1.54 ₡693

2.60%

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

$34.3K ₡15.5M

$34.0K ₡15.3M

0.96%

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

$41.0K ₡18.5M

$42.2K ₡19.0M

-2.88%

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

$93.6 ₡42.2K

$94.5 ₡42.6K

-0.94%

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

$29.79 ₡13.4K

$20.06 ₡9,050

48.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.3 ₡26.3K

$58.9 ₡26.6K

-0.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.1 ₡32.1K

$56.0 ₡25.3K

26.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.92 ₡4,475

Cinema Ticket

$7.18 ₡3,240

$7.75 ₡3,498

-7.35%

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

$756 ₡340.9K

$994 ₡448.6K

-23.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.0K ₡7.7M

$9,017 ₡4.1M

88.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$82.1 ₡37.1K

$70.8 ₡32.0K

16.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.6 ₡25.1K

$56.3 ₡25.4K

-1.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 ₡49.6K

$130 ₡58.6K

-15.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 ₡52.5K

$134 ₡60.6K

-13.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$882 ₡397.8K

$1,604 ₡723.7K

-45.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$559 ₡252.1K

$640 ₡288.9K

-12.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,979 ₡893.1K

$2,962 ₡1.3M

-33.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,193 ₡538.1K

$1,259 ₡568.1K

-5.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,601 ₡1.6M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$334 ₡150.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$772 ₡348.3K

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 Playa Flamingo: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Coco

$559 33.3%

Playa Flamingo

$640 38% 14.6% $82

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Coco

$384 22.9%

Playa Flamingo

$389 23.1% 1.3% $5

Eating Out

Playa del Coco

$287 17.1%

Playa Flamingo

$220 13% 23.5% $68

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Coco

$182 10.8%

Playa Flamingo

$173 10.3% 4.5% $8.3

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Coco

$164 9.8%

Playa Flamingo

$176 10.5% 7.5% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Coco

$85 5.1%

Playa Flamingo

$72 4.2% 16.3% $14

Getting Around

Playa del Coco

$16 * 0.9%

Playa Flamingo

$16 * 0.9% 1.9% $0.3

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 $1,604 in Playa Flamingo. 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 $62 in Playa Flamingo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $384 vs $389 – making Playa del Coco the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Playa del Coco

🇨🇷 Playa Flamingo

🕒 Local time

17:47 5:47 PM

Same time as Playa del Coco

🌤 Weather

💱 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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Between locations

Playa del Coco Playa Flamingo 17 km

From you

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 Playa Flamingo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,514 per month in Playa del Coco and $2,528 in Playa Flamingo. 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 $882 there versus $1,604 in Playa Flamingo.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $58 in Playa del Coco and $62 in Playa Flamingo. 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 $994 in Playa Flamingo. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,676 in Playa del Coco and $1,686 in Playa Flamingo, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

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.