Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Coco and Turrialba

For one person, living costs are similar in Playa del Coco and in Turrialba: $1,733 and $1,726 a month, rent and utilities included.

84

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Coco
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Playa del Coco Living Index
84

Cost of Living Index in Turrialba
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Turrialba Living Index

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Playa del Coco

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,733

/mo nomad

Turrialba

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,726

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,733 per month in Playa del Coco vs $1,726 in Turrialba, rent included.

Playa del Coco $1,733
Turrialba $1,726

A couple spends around $2,750 per month in Playa del Coco vs $2,753 in Turrialba, rent included.

Playa del Coco $2,750
Turrialba $2,753

A family of three spends $3,767 per month in Playa del Coco vs $3,779 in Turrialba, rent included.

Playa del Coco $3,767
Turrialba $3,779

Playa del Coco and Turrialba have comparable living costs – the differences are in the details.

Both Playa del Coco and Turrialba sit above the global median – Playa del Coco by 28%, Turrialba by 27%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.40 ₡8,254

$11.97 ₡5,370

53.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$58.5 ₡26.3K

$60.9 ₡27.3K

-3.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.68 ₡5,238

$11.78 ₡5,283

-0.85%

Cappuccino

$4.34 ₡1,945

$4.34 ₡1,946

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

$2.53 ₡1,133

$2.75 ₡1,233

-8.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.62 ₡724

$1.94 ₡871

-16.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.57 ₡1,603

$3.32 ₡1,488

7.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.96 ₡2,673

$4.40 ₡1,973

35.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.38 ₡1,069

$2.35 ₡1,052

1.28%

White Bread (500g)

$2.83 ₡1,269

$3.06 ₡1,372

-7.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.50 ₡1,120

$2.53 ₡1,134

-1.19%

Eggs

$3.53 ₡1,584

$3.60 ₡1,612

-1.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.85 ₡4,867

$10.54 ₡4,726

2.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.38 ₡4,657

$10.32 ₡4,630

0.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.27 ₡6,399

$14.16 ₡6,352

0.78%

Apples (1kg)

$5.05 ₡2,265

$5.07 ₡2,273

-0.39%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 ₡737

$1.57 ₡705

4.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.31 ₡1,482

$4.74 ₡2,124

-30.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.51 ₡1,573

$3.97 ₡1,782

-11.59%

Potato (1kg)

$3.04 ₡1,361

$3.91 ₡1,754

-22.25%

Onion (1kg)

$3.06 ₡1,373

$3.71 ₡1,663

-17.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.11 ₡499

$1.13 ₡505

-1.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.70 ₡1,210

$3.19 ₡1,431

-15.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.69 ₡2,552

$6.07 ₡2,724

-6.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.50 ₡7,399

$20.24 ₡9,076

-18.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.63 ₡1,180

$2.84 ₡1,274

-7.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.73 ₡1,223

$3.60 ₡1,613

-24.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.29 ₡580

$1.28 ₡574

0.78%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.38 ₡1,068

$2.45 ₡1,101

-2.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 ₡708

$1.57 ₡704

0.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,822

$8.80 ₡3,948

-3.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 ₡679

$1.50 ₡671

0.67%

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

$22.4K ₡10.1M

$22.2K ₡10.0M

0.83%

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

$34.3K ₡15.4M

$34.6K ₡15.5M

-0.74%

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

$95.2 ₡42.7K

$96.4 ₡43.2K

-1.29%

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

$29.51 ₡13.2K

$35.27 ₡15.8K

-16.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$60.0 ₡26.9K

$59.2 ₡26.5K

1.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$72.6 ₡32.5K

$73.7 ₡33.0K

-1.49%

Cinema Ticket

$7.74 ₡3,471

$7.87 ₡3,527

-1.65%

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

$850 ₡381.0K

$993 ₡445.3K

-14.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.2K ₡7.7M

$17.3K ₡7.8M

-0.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.5 ₡31.6K

$72.0 ₡32.3K

-2.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.9 ₡25.1K

$56.4 ₡25.3K

-0.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$127 ₡56.9K

$128 ₡57.5K

-0.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 ₡58.1K

$134 ₡60.1K

-3.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$812 ₡364.0K

$808 ₡362.3K

0.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$618 ₡277.4K

$626 ₡280.7K

-1.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,902 ₡853.0K

$1,870 ₡838.7K

1.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,247 ₡559.5K

$1,287 ₡577.2K

-3.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$332 ₡148.9K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$756 ₡339.1K

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 18, 2026

Last update for Turrialba: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Coco

$618 35.7%

Turrialba

$626 36.3% 1.2% $7.4

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Coco

$373 21.5%

Turrialba

$402 23.3% 7.7% $29

Eating Out

Playa del Coco

$281 16.2%

Turrialba

$227 13.2% 19% $53

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Coco

$185 10.7%

Turrialba

$191 11.1% 3.4% $6.2

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Coco

$172 9.9%

Turrialba

$176 10.2% 2% $3.4

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Coco

$88 5.1%

Turrialba

$89 5.2% 1.5% $1.3

Getting Around

Playa del Coco

$15 * 0.9%

Turrialba

$15 * 0.9% 0.2% $0

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $812 in Playa del Coco versus $808 in Turrialba. 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 $59.0 in Playa del Coco versus $61.0 in Turrialba. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $373 vs $402 – making Playa del Coco the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Playa del Coco

🇨🇷 Turrialba

🕒 Local time

06:15 6:15 AM

Same time as Playa del Coco

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

27,000

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Playa del Coco Turrialba 230 km

From you

Playa del Coco
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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 Turrialba: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,599 per month in Playa del Coco and $2,589 in Turrialba. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Turrialba, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 8% cheaper in Playa del Coco – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $59.0 in Playa del Coco and $61.0 in Turrialba. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Turrialba, where all-in costs run around $1,726, than in Playa del Coco at $1,733. In Turrialba it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Coco it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Turrialba – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Turrialba. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Playa del Coco makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.