Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Coco: $1,676 a month against $2,000 in Santa Ana, rent and utilities included – about $3,900 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
96

Cost of Living Index in Santa Ana
Learn more

Santa Ana Living Index

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Playa del Coco

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,676

/mo nomad

Santa Ana

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,000

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Coco and in Santa Ana

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

A single person spends $1,676 per month in Playa del Coco vs $2,000 in Santa Ana, rent included.

Playa del Coco $1,676
Santa Ana $2,000

A couple spends around $2,700 per month in Playa del Coco vs $3,255 in Santa Ana, rent included.

Playa del Coco $2,700
Santa Ana $3,255

A family of three spends $3,724 per month in Playa del Coco vs $4,510 in Santa Ana, rent included.

Playa del Coco $3,724
Santa Ana $4,510

Playa del Coco is about 16% cheaper than Santa Ana, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Playa del Coco and Santa Ana sit above the global median – Playa del Coco by 23%, Santa Ana by 47%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.46 ₡8,332

$12.14 ₡5,481

52.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$58.1 ₡26.2K

$62.0 ₡28.0K

-6.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.36 ₡6,032

$11.85 ₡5,349

12.74%

Cappuccino

$4.35 ₡1,966

$4.52 ₡2,039

-3.76%

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

$2.65 ₡1,197

$2.23 ₡1,007

18.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 ₡724

$1.33 ₡602

20.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.58 ₡1,614

$3.38 ₡1,527

5.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.15 ₡2,776

$4.37 ₡1,971

40.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.30 ₡1,040

$2.26 ₡1,020

1.77%

White Bread (500g)

$2.79 ₡1,260

$3.13 ₡1,414

-10.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.44 ₡1,103

$2.50 ₡1,126

-2.40%

Eggs

$3.56 ₡1,606

$3.58 ₡1,618

-0.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.56 ₡4,766

$10.75 ₡4,854

-1.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.58 ₡4,778

$10.63 ₡4,798

-0.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.10 ₡7,267

$13.92 ₡6,283

15.66%

Apples (1kg)

$5.57 ₡2,517

$5.03 ₡2,271

10.74%

Banana (1kg)

$1.77 ₡798

$1.65 ₡745

7.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.84 ₡1,732

$4.71 ₡2,127

-18.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.58 ₡1,615

$3.92 ₡1,770

-8.67%

Potato (1kg)

$3.43 ₡1,549

$3.77 ₡1,703

-9.02%

Onion (1kg)

$3.07 ₡1,387

$3.62 ₡1,635

-15.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.20 ₡543

$1.12 ₡504

7.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.67 ₡1,207

$1.85 ₡837

44.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.81 ₡2,624

$5.77 ₡2,606

0.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.66 ₡7,521

$17.73 ₡8,005

-6.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.51 ₡1,132

$2.81 ₡1,270

-10.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.65 ₡1,195

$2.65 ₡1,194

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.33 ₡600

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.46 ₡1,110

$2.41 ₡1,086

2.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 ₡701

$1.56 ₡702

-0.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.30 ₡4,200

$8.68 ₡3,917

7.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.58 ₡714

$1.57 ₡711

0.64%

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

$34.3K ₡15.5M

$28.1K ₡12.7M

22.23%

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

$41.0K ₡18.5M

$37.6K ₡17.0M

9.04%

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

$93.6 ₡42.3K

$94.4 ₡42.6K

-0.89%

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

$29.79 ₡13.4K

$33.36 ₡15.1K

-10.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.3 ₡26.3K

$50.1 ₡22.6K

16.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.1 ₡32.1K

$158 ₡71.3K

-55.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.03 ₡9,945

Cinema Ticket

$7.18 ₡3,241

$7.91 ₡3,570

-9.23%

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

$756 ₡341.1K

$993 ₡448.3K

-23.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.0K ₡7.7M

$17.1K ₡7.7M

-0.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$82.1 ₡37.1K

$65.7 ₡29.7K

24.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.6 ₡25.1K

$57.0 ₡25.7K

-2.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 ₡49.6K

$129 ₡58.2K

-14.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 ₡52.5K

$132 ₡59.6K

-11.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$882 ₡398.0K

$1,088 ₡491.4K

-19.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$559 ₡252.2K

$859 ₡388.0K

-35.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,979 ₡893.5K

$2,913 ₡1.3M

-32.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,193 ₡538.4K

$1,897 ₡856.3K

-37.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,721 ₡1.2M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$334 ₡150.8K

$1,693 ₡764.4K

-80.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$772 ₡348.4K

$1,418 ₡640.0K

-45.56%

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 Santa Ana: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Coco

$559 33.3%

Santa Ana

$859 43% 53.9% $301

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Coco

$384 22.9%

Santa Ana

$379 19% 1.3% $5

Eating Out

Playa del Coco

$287 17.1%

Santa Ana

$227 11.3% 21% $60

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Coco

$182 10.8%

Santa Ana

$178 8.9% 2.1% $3.7

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Coco

$164 9.8%

Santa Ana

$173 8.6% 5.4% $8.8

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Coco

$85 5.1%

Santa Ana

$174 8.7% 104% $88

Getting Around

Playa del Coco

$16 * 0.9%

Santa Ana

$10 * 0.5% 34.5% $5.4

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 $1,088 in Santa Ana. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 84% higher in Santa Ana. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $58 in Playa del Coco versus $62 in Santa Ana. Groceries tell a different story – $384 in Playa del Coco vs $379 in Santa Ana – so Santa Ana wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Playa del Coco

🇨🇷 Santa Ana

🕒 Local time

21:56 9:56 PM

Same time as Playa del Coco

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

13,000

💱 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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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 Santa Ana: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Santa Ana costs about 19% more than Playa del Coco, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from leisure. 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 $3,000 in Santa Ana. 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 $1,088 in Santa Ana.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,676 in Playa del Coco and $2,000 in Santa Ana. That makes Playa del Coco about 16% cheaper.

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

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, Santa Ana makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.