Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Coco and Santa Cruz Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Coco and Santa Cruz

😐 Solo nomad: Playa del Coco is 31.3% more expensive than Santa Cruz without rent, and 11.5% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Playa del Coco is 3.5% more expensive than Santa Cruz without rent, and 13.2% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.98 ₡7,557

$10.98 ₡5,193

45.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.9 ₡37.8K

$60.6 ₡28.6K

31.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.82 ₡4,643

$9.73 ₡4,602

0.92%

Cappuccino

$7.13 ₡3,370

$3.82 ₡1,805

86.65%

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

$2.39 ₡1,129

$2.00 ₡945

19.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.95 ₡920

$1.64 ₡776

18.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.23 ₡1,525

$2.94 ₡1,388

9.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.89 ₡2,783

$4.64 ₡2,194

26.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.57 ₡1,216

$2.04 ₡963

25.98%

White Bread (500g)

$2.89 ₡1,366

$2.79 ₡1,319

3.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.14 ₡1,011

$2.23 ₡1,056

-4.04%

Eggs

$2.88 ₡1,359

$3.00 ₡1,416

-4.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.63 ₡4,081

$9.71 ₡4,591

-11.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.08 ₡6,186

$9.05 ₡4,278

44.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.94 ₡6,589

$13.52 ₡6,390

3.11%

Apples (1kg)

$4.55 ₡2,153

$4.54 ₡2,145

0.22%

Banana (1kg)

$1.47 ₡695

$0.94 ₡446

56.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.36 ₡2,060

$4.19 ₡1,979

4.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.67 ₡791

$3.59 ₡1,700

-53.48%

Potato (1kg)

$3.36 ₡1,591

$3.40 ₡1,608

-1.18%

Onion (1kg)

$3.05 ₡1,444

$3.13 ₡1,481

-2.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.97 ₡459

$1.01 ₡476

-3.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.84 ₡1,345

$2.95 ₡1,393

-3.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.98 ₡2,356

$5.16 ₡2,438

-3.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.71 ₡6,954

$20.33 ₡9,610

-27.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.20 ₡1,040

$2.43 ₡1,147

-9.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.55 ₡1,205

$2.79 ₡1,319

-8.60%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.18 ₡557

$1.03 ₡487

14.56%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ₡1,430

$1.78 ₡842

69.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.80 ₡851

$1.79 ₡847

0.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.08 ₡3,821

$8.08 ₡3,822

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.90 ₡901

$1.41 ₡665

34.75%

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

$38.1K ₡18.0M

$37.1K ₡17.5M

2.68%

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

$32.4K ₡15.3M

$32.5K ₡15.3M

-0.05%

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

$176 ₡83.2K

$94.3 ₡44.6K

86.70%

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

$25.89 ₡12.2K

$25.42 ₡12.0K

1.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$60.6 ₡28.6K

$54.4 ₡25.7K

11.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.6 ₡27.2K

$55.8 ₡26.4K

3.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.16 ₡11.4K

$23.89 ₡11.3K

1.13%

Cinema Ticket

$9.83 ₡4,646

$6.01 ₡2,843

63.56%

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

$522 ₡246.8K

$574 ₡271.5K

-9.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.7K ₡6.0M

$12.8K ₡6.1M

-1.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.6 ₡29.6K

$61.9 ₡29.3K

1.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.2 ₡24.7K

0.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$126 ₡59.5K

$124 ₡58.8K

1.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$109 ₡51.6K

$107 ₡50.4K

2.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$756 ₡357.3K

$775 ₡366.5K

-2.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$607 ₡287.1K

$606 ₡286.4K

0.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,497 ₡707.5K

$1,510 ₡713.9K

-0.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$968 ₡457.8K

$969 ₡457.9K

-0.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$317 ₡149.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$740 ₡350.0K

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: March 2, 2026

Last update for Santa Cruz: March 1, 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

Similar cities

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

Uluwatu, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

Canggu, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

Zagreb

🇭🇷 Croatia

Krakow

🇵🇱 Poland

Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

Vilnius

🇱🇹 Lithuania