Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Coco and San Jose Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Coco and San Jose

🙂 Solo nomad: Playa del Coco is 1.9% cheaper than San Jose without rent, and 11.8% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Playa del Coco is 16% more expensive than San Jose without rent, and 4.8% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.08 ₡7,973

$10.77 ₡5,338

49.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.4 ₡39.4K

$60.7 ₡30.1K

30.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.10 ₡5,008

$10.00 ₡4,960

1.00%

Cappuccino

$7.14 ₡3,539

$3.74 ₡1,854

90.91%

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

$2.39 ₡1,187

$2.07 ₡1,025

15.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.92 ₡950

$1.58 ₡784

21.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.33 ₡1,649

$3.04 ₡1,507

9.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.10 ₡3,026

$4.73 ₡2,344

28.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.59 ₡1,285

$2.06 ₡1,019

25.73%

White Bread (500g)

$2.90 ₡1,438

$2.75 ₡1,363

5.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.15 ₡1,066

$2.14 ₡1,061

0.47%

Eggs

$3.01 ₡1,492

$2.99 ₡1,482

0.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.20 ₡4,066

$10.18 ₡5,048

-19.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.71 ₡6,299

$9.05 ₡4,486

40.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.71 ₡6,798

$13.46 ₡6,676

1.86%

Apples (1kg)

$4.54 ₡2,249

$4.53 ₡2,246

0.22%

Banana (1kg)

$1.49 ₡741

$1.47 ₡728

1.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.38 ₡2,172

$4.24 ₡2,104

3.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.60 ₡793

$3.48 ₡1,727

-54.02%

Potato (1kg)

$3.32 ₡1,646

$3.42 ₡1,696

-2.92%

Onion (1kg)

$2.96 ₡1,467

$3.26 ₡1,618

-9.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.02 ₡503

$1.01 ₡501

0.99%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.94 ₡1,458

$2.87 ₡1,422

2.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.86 ₡2,412

$5.21 ₡2,584

-6.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.11 ₡6,997

$17.77 ₡8,810

-20.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.20 ₡1,089

$2.40 ₡1,190

-8.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.61 ₡1,296

$2.94 ₡1,455

-11.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 ₡582

$0.98 ₡484

19.39%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$42.19 ₡20.9K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.93 ₡1,453

$1.80 ₡894

62.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.85 ₡917

$1.78 ₡885

3.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.12 ₡4,028

$7.84 ₡3,888

3.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.89 ₡939

$1.44 ₡716

31.25%

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

$37.1K ₡18.4M

$38.2K ₡19.0M

-2.92%

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

$32.4K ₡16.1M

$32.0K ₡15.9M

1.41%

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

$174 ₡86.4K

$95.1 ₡47.2K

83.15%

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

$25.86 ₡12.8K

$25.89 ₡12.8K

-0.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$59.0 ₡29.2K

$59.8 ₡29.7K

-1.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.5 ₡28.0K

$57.7 ₡28.6K

-2.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.91 ₡11.9K

$38.17 ₡18.9K

-37.36%

Cinema Ticket

$10.14 ₡5,027

$10.22 ₡5,067

-0.78%

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

$519 ₡257.3K

$579 ₡287.1K

-10.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.7K ₡6.3M

$12.5K ₡6.2M

1.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.3 ₡30.4K

$62.1 ₡30.8K

-1.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.4 ₡25.5K

$51.5 ₡25.5K

-0.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$127 ₡62.8K

$125 ₡62.0K

1.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 ₡52.9K

$107 ₡53.0K

-0.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$752 ₡372.7K

$887 ₡439.9K

-15.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$598 ₡296.3K

$528 ₡261.8K

13.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,489 ₡738.2K

$1,427 ₡707.7K

4.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$981 ₡486.2K

$1,047 ₡519.0K

-6.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,231 ₡1.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$306 ₡151.5K

$1,763 ₡874.1K

-82.67%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$708 ₡350.8K

$927 ₡459.7K

-23.70%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.17

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

Last update for Playa del Coco: January 12, 2026

Last update for San Jose: January 11, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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