Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Coco and Samara, Costa Rica

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Coco: $1,676 a month against $2,032 in Samara, rent and utilities included – about $4,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Samara outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

84

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Coco
Learn more

Playa del Coco Living Index
97

Cost of Living Index in Samara
Learn more

Samara Living Index

Jump to prices

Playa del Coco

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,676

/mo nomad

Samara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,032

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,676 per month in Playa del Coco vs $2,032 in Samara, rent included.

Playa del Coco $1,676
Samara $2,032

A couple spends around $2,700 per month in Playa del Coco vs $3,533 in Samara, rent included.

Playa del Coco $2,700
Samara $3,533

A family of three spends $3,724 per month in Playa del Coco vs $5,034 in Samara, rent included.

Playa del Coco $3,724
Samara $5,034

Playa del Coco is about 18% cheaper than Samara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Playa del Coco and Samara sit above the global median – Playa del Coco by 23%, Samara by 49%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.46 ₡8,332

$11.07 ₡4,997

66.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$58.1 ₡26.2K

$62.2 ₡28.1K

-6.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.36 ₡6,032

$11.70 ₡5,282

14.19%

Cappuccino

$4.35 ₡1,966

$4.34 ₡1,960

0.23%

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

$2.65 ₡1,197

$2.72 ₡1,229

-2.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 ₡724

$1.92 ₡866

-16.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.58 ₡1,614

$3.32 ₡1,501

7.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.15 ₡2,776

$4.51 ₡2,036

36.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.30 ₡1,040

$2.42 ₡1,095

-4.96%

White Bread (500g)

$2.79 ₡1,260

$3.05 ₡1,376

-8.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.44 ₡1,103

$2.50 ₡1,129

-2.40%

Eggs

$3.56 ₡1,606

$3.46 ₡1,561

2.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.56 ₡4,766

$10.78 ₡4,868

-2.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.58 ₡4,778

$10.49 ₡4,736

0.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.10 ₡7,267

$10.82 ₡4,885

48.80%

Apples (1kg)

$5.57 ₡2,517

$5.01 ₡2,263

11.18%

Banana (1kg)

$1.77 ₡798

$1.65 ₡745

7.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.84 ₡1,732

$4.72 ₡2,129

-18.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.58 ₡1,615

$3.82 ₡1,723

-6.28%

Potato (1kg)

$3.43 ₡1,549

$3.72 ₡1,679

-7.80%

Onion (1kg)

$3.07 ₡1,387

$3.69 ₡1,665

-16.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.20 ₡543

$1.08 ₡487

11.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.67 ₡1,207

$3.09 ₡1,397

-13.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.81 ₡2,624

$5.57 ₡2,516

4.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.66 ₡7,521

$18.86 ₡8,513

-11.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.51 ₡1,132

$2.78 ₡1,255

-9.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.65 ₡1,195

$2.48 ₡1,119

6.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.33 ₡600

$1.40 ₡630

-5.00%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.46 ₡1,110

$2.48 ₡1,118

-0.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 ₡701

$1.57 ₡709

-1.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.30 ₡4,200

$8.51 ₡3,843

9.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.58 ₡714

$1.52 ₡686

3.95%

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

$34.3K ₡15.5M

0.04%

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

$41.0K ₡18.5M

$41.2K ₡18.6M

-0.64%

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

$93.6 ₡42.3K

$94.0 ₡42.4K

-0.41%

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

$29.79 ₡13.4K

$35.45 ₡16.0K

-15.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.3 ₡26.3K

$59.0 ₡26.6K

-1.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.1 ₡32.1K

$66.9 ₡30.2K

6.30%

Cinema Ticket

$7.18 ₡3,241

$7.88 ₡3,556

-8.88%

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

$756 ₡341.1K

$502 ₡226.4K

50.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.0K ₡7.7M

$6,013 ₡2.7M

182.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$82.1 ₡37.1K

$67.1 ₡30.3K

22.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.6 ₡25.1K

$55.5 ₡25.1K

0.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 ₡49.6K

$129 ₡58.4K

-14.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 ₡52.5K

$133 ₡60.0K

-12.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$882 ₡398.0K

$1,373 ₡619.7K

-35.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$559 ₡252.2K

$967 ₡436.4K

-42.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,979 ₡893.5K

$3,769 ₡1.7M

-47.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,193 ₡538.4K

$2,611 ₡1.2M

-54.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,955 ₡2.2M

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 Samara: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Coco

$559 33.3%

Samara

$967 47.6% 73.1% $408

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Coco

$384 22.9%

Samara

$385 19% 0.3% $1.3

Eating Out

Playa del Coco

$287 17.1%

Samara

$220 10.8% 23.4% $67

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Coco

$182 10.8%

Samara

$188 9.3% 3.7% $6.8

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Coco

$164 9.8%

Samara

$173 8.5% 5.7% $9.4

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Coco

$85 5.1%

Samara

$83 4.1% 3.3% $2.8

Getting Around

Playa del Coco

$16 * 0.9%

Samara

$16 * 0.8% 2.3% $0.4

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 $1,373 in Samara. 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 Samara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $384 vs $385 – making Playa del Coco the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Playa del Coco

🇨🇷 Samara

🕒 Local time

18:50 6:50 PM

Same time as Playa del Coco

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,071

💱 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

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Playa del Coco Samara 77 km

From you

Playa del Coco
Samara

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 Samara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Samara costs about 21% more than Playa del Coco, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from clothing. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,514 per month in Playa del Coco and $3,048 in Samara. 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 $1,373 in Samara.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,676 in Playa del Coco and $2,032 in Samara. That makes Playa del Coco about 18% cheaper.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $58 in Playa del Coco and $62 in Samara. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Coco, where all-in costs run around $1,676, than in Samara at $2,032. In Playa del Coco it covers expenses comfortably, while in Samara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.