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 2.1% cheaper than Santa Cruz without rent, and 7.9% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Playa del Coco is 30.9% more expensive than Santa Cruz without rent, and 13.8% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.08 ₡7,973

$10.72 ₡5,316

50.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.4 ₡39.4K

$60.6 ₡30.0K

31.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.10 ₡5,008

$9.93 ₡4,923

1.71%

Cappuccino

$7.14 ₡3,539

$3.85 ₡1,910

85.45%

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

$2.39 ₡1,187

$1.98 ₡981

20.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.92 ₡950

$1.60 ₡792

20.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.33 ₡1,649

$3.00 ₡1,487

11.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.10 ₡3,026

$4.56 ₡2,263

33.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.59 ₡1,285

$1.96 ₡973

32.14%

White Bread (500g)

$2.90 ₡1,438

$2.91 ₡1,443

-0.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.15 ₡1,066

$2.14 ₡1,061

0.47%

Eggs

$3.01 ₡1,492

$2.91 ₡1,441

3.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.20 ₡4,066

$9.94 ₡4,928

-17.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.71 ₡6,299

$8.98 ₡4,451

41.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.71 ₡6,798

$13.40 ₡6,642

2.31%

Apples (1kg)

$4.54 ₡2,249

$4.62 ₡2,291

-1.73%

Banana (1kg)

$1.49 ₡741

$1.00 ₡497

49.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.38 ₡2,172

$4.37 ₡2,168

0.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.60 ₡793

$3.47 ₡1,723

-53.89%

Potato (1kg)

$3.32 ₡1,646

$3.52 ₡1,743

-5.68%

Onion (1kg)

$2.96 ₡1,467

$3.22 ₡1,596

-8.07%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.02 ₡503

$0.96 ₡475

6.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.94 ₡1,458

$2.95 ₡1,463

-0.34%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.86 ₡2,412

$5.25 ₡2,605

-7.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.11 ₡6,997

$18.01 ₡8,929

-21.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.20 ₡1,089

$2.40 ₡1,192

-8.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.61 ₡1,296

$2.91 ₡1,442

-10.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 ₡582

$1.03 ₡508

13.59%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.93 ₡1,453

$1.86 ₡921

57.53%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.85 ₡917

$1.78 ₡884

3.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.12 ₡4,028

$8.09 ₡4,010

0.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.89 ₡939

$1.39 ₡691

35.97%

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

$37.1K ₡18.4M

$37.3K ₡18.5M

-0.59%

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

$32.4K ₡16.1M

$32.2K ₡16.0M

0.63%

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

$174 ₡86.4K

$94.4 ₡46.8K

84.45%

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

$25.86 ₡12.8K

$25.54 ₡12.7K

1.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$59.0 ₡29.2K

$54.2 ₡26.9K

8.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.5 ₡28.0K

$56.8 ₡28.2K

-0.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.91 ₡11.9K

$23.84 ₡11.8K

0.29%

Cinema Ticket

$10.14 ₡5,027

$6.14 ₡3,045

65.15%

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

$519 ₡257.3K

$558 ₡276.9K

-7.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.7K ₡6.3M

$12.8K ₡6.4M

-1.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.3 ₡30.4K

$63.1 ₡31.3K

-2.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.4 ₡25.5K

$50.9 ₡25.2K

1.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$127 ₡62.8K

$125 ₡62.1K

1.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 ₡52.9K

$107 ₡53.1K

-0.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$752 ₡372.7K

$767 ₡380.4K

-2.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$598 ₡296.3K

$604 ₡299.3K

-1.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,489 ₡738.2K

$1,541 ₡764.1K

-3.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$981 ₡486.2K

$970 ₡480.9K

1.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$306 ₡151.5K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$708 ₡350.8K

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 Santa Cruz: January 12, 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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