Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa Flamingo and New York, NY

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa Flamingo: $1,673 a month against $4,906 in New York, NY, rent and utilities included – about $38,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Playa Flamingo
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Playa Flamingo Living Index
234

Cost of Living Index in New York, NY
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New York, NY Living Index

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Playa Flamingo

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,673

/mo nomad

New York, NY

🇺🇸 United States

$4,906

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa Flamingo and in New York, NY

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Playa Flamingo and in New York, NY actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,673 per month in Playa Flamingo vs $4,906 in New York, NY, rent included.

Playa Flamingo $1,673
New York, NY $4,906

A couple spends around $2,674 per month in Playa Flamingo vs $7,273 in New York, NY, rent included.

Playa Flamingo $2,674
New York, NY $7,273

A family of three spends $3,675 per month in Playa Flamingo vs $9,641 in New York, NY, rent included.

Playa Flamingo $3,675
New York, NY $9,641

Playa Flamingo is about 66% cheaper than New York, NY, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Playa Flamingo and New York, NY sit above the global median – Playa Flamingo by 24%, New York, NY by 263%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.16 ₡5,450

$26.93 $26.93

-54.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.9 ₡27.7K

$117 $117

-47.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.10 ₡4,528

$14.60 $14.60

-30.82%

Cappuccino

$4.53 ₡2,031

$6.54 $6.54

-30.73%

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

$2.66 ₡1,192

$3.86 $3.86

-31.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.91 ₡856

$2.95 $2.95

-35.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.27 ₡1,468

$8.08 $8.08

-59.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.34 ₡1,946

$9.85 $9.85

-55.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.96 ₡879

$1.31 $1.31

49.62%

White Bread (500g)

$3.06 ₡1,370

$4.97 $4.97

-38.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.50 ₡1,121

$7.70 $7.70

-67.53%

Eggs

$3.02 ₡1,355

$6.09 $6.09

-50.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.62 ₡4,759

$19.55 $19.55

-45.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.88 ₡4,430

$17.59 $17.59

-43.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.96 ₡5,359

$20.26 $20.26

-40.97%

Apples (1kg)

$5.08 ₡2,275

$6.99 $6.99

-27.32%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 ₡734

$2.21 $2.21

-25.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.70 ₡2,107

$6.72 $6.72

-30.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.96 ₡1,776

$7.12 $7.12

-44.38%

Potato (1kg)

$3.72 ₡1,668

$4.61 $4.61

-19.31%

Onion (1kg)

$3.72 ₡1,666

$4.78 $4.78

-22.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.02 ₡457

$2.87 $2.87

-64.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.10 ₡1,389

$2.69 $2.69

15.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.02 ₡2,248

$19.14 $19.14

-73.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.19 ₡9,052

$19.63 $19.63

2.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.77 ₡1,241

$3.32 $3.32

-16.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.58 ₡1,605

$4.19 $4.19

-14.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.30 ₡585

$3.02 $3.02

-56.95%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$139 $139

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.50 ₡1,122

$3.04 $3.04

-17.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 ₡693

$2.20 $2.20

-29.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.68 ₡3,891

$41.33 $41.33

-79.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 ₡692

$1.13 $1.13

36.28%

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

$33.5K ₡15.0M

$34.5K $34.5K

-2.85%

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

$41.2K ₡18.5M

$25.8K $25.8K

59.56%

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

$95.2 ₡42.7K

$232 $232

-59.02%

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

$20.13 ₡9,022

$71.0 $71.0

-71.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.7 ₡26.3K

$67.7 $67.7

-13.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.8 ₡25.0K

$115 $115

-51.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.07 ₡4,514

$76.8 $76.8

-86.89%

Cinema Ticket

$7.84 ₡3,514

$22.41 $22.41

-65.02%

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

$974 ₡436.7K

$3,606 $3,606

-72.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,056 ₡4.1M

$68.7K $68.7K

-86.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.9 ₡32.2K

$79.3 $79.3

-9.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.9 ₡24.6K

$51.4 $51.4

6.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$130 ₡58.4K

$121 $121

7.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 ₡58.3K

$140 $140

-7.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,610 ₡721.5K

$4,555 $4,555

-64.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 ₡281.8K

$3,040 $3,040

-79.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,965 ₡1.3M

$9,742 $9,742

-69.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,285 ₡575.9K

$5,331 $5,331

-75.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,591 ₡1.6M

$18.2K $18.2K

-80.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,685 $6,685

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,096 $5,096

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

6.89

25.11%

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

Last update for Playa Flamingo: November 1, 2026

Last update for New York, NY: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa Flamingo

$629 37.6%

New York, NY

$3K 62% 384% $2.4K

Groceries & Markets

Playa Flamingo

$384 23%

New York, NY

$567 11.6% 47.6% $183

Eating Out

Playa Flamingo

$225 13.5%

New York, NY

$425 8.7% 88.7% $200

Clothing & Footwear

Playa Flamingo

$174 10.4%

New York, NY

$176 3.6% 1.3% $2.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa Flamingo

$174 10.4%

New York, NY

$371 7.6% 113% $197

Sport & Entertainment

Playa Flamingo

$71 4.3%

New York, NY

$160 3.3% 124% $89

Getting Around

Playa Flamingo

$15 * 0.9%

New York, NY

$165 3.4% 971% $150

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,610 in Playa Flamingo versus $4,555 in New York, NY. 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 $62 in Playa Flamingo versus $117 in New York, NY. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $384 vs $567 – making Playa Flamingo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Playa Flamingo

🇺🇸 New York, NY

🕒 Local time

11:33 11:33 AM

12:33 12:33 PM

1 h ahead of Playa Flamingo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,804,190

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 2 EUR

1 USD = 0.897 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to CRC – Costa Rican Colón Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of November 7, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 500 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 7, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.897 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa Flamingo New York, NY 3,550 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa Flamingo
New York, NY

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 Flamingo vs New York, NY: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

New York, NY costs about 193% more than Playa Flamingo, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,510 per month in Playa Flamingo and $7,358 in New York, NY. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Playa Flamingo, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,610 there versus $4,555 in New York, NY.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,673 in Playa Flamingo and $4,906 in New York, NY. That makes Playa Flamingo about 66% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $974 per month in Playa Flamingo and $3,606 in New York, NY. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Playa Flamingo, where all-in costs run around $1,673, than in New York, NY at $4,906. In Playa Flamingo it covers expenses comfortably, while in New York, NY it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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