Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa Flamingo and Playa del Coco

For one person, living costs are similar in Playa Flamingo and in Playa del Coco: $1,686 and $1,676 a month, rent and utilities included.

81

Cost of Living Index in Playa Flamingo
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Playa Flamingo Living Index
84

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

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Playa Flamingo

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,686

/mo nomad

Playa del Coco

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,676

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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 Playa del Coco actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,686 per month in Playa Flamingo vs $1,676 in Playa del Coco, rent included.

Playa Flamingo $1,686
Playa del Coco $1,676

A couple spends around $2,670 per month in Playa Flamingo vs $2,700 in Playa del Coco, rent included.

Playa Flamingo $2,670
Playa del Coco $2,700

A family of three spends $3,654 per month in Playa Flamingo vs $3,724 in Playa del Coco, rent included.

Playa Flamingo $3,654
Playa del Coco $3,724

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

Both Playa Flamingo and Playa del Coco sit above the global median – Playa Flamingo by 24%, Playa del Coco by 23%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.78 ₡5,314

$18.46 ₡8,328

-36.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.3 ₡28.1K

$58.1 ₡26.2K

7.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.89 ₡4,463

$13.36 ₡6,030

-25.97%

Cappuccino

$4.36 ₡1,968

$4.35 ₡1,965

0.23%

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

$2.74 ₡1,235

$2.65 ₡1,197

3.40%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.84 ₡830

$1.60 ₡724

15.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,479

$3.58 ₡1,613

-8.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.34 ₡1,958

$6.15 ₡2,774

-29.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.03 ₡915

$2.30 ₡1,039

-11.74%

White Bread (500g)

$3.12 ₡1,406

$2.79 ₡1,260

11.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,130

$2.44 ₡1,102

2.87%

Eggs

$3.05 ₡1,374

$3.56 ₡1,605

-14.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.82 ₡4,881

$10.56 ₡4,764

2.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.15 ₡4,580

$10.58 ₡4,776

-4.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.80 ₡5,327

$16.10 ₡7,264

-26.71%

Apples (1kg)

$5.27 ₡2,380

$5.57 ₡2,516

-5.39%

Banana (1kg)

$1.58 ₡711

$1.77 ₡798

-10.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.86 ₡2,193

$3.84 ₡1,731

26.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.92 ₡1,768

$3.58 ₡1,614

9.50%

Potato (1kg)

$3.85 ₡1,739

$3.43 ₡1,548

12.24%

Onion (1kg)

$3.62 ₡1,632

$3.07 ₡1,386

17.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.02 ₡459

$1.20 ₡542

-15.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.09 ₡1,396

$2.67 ₡1,206

15.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.09 ₡2,296

$5.81 ₡2,623

-12.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.33 ₡9,176

$16.66 ₡7,517

22.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.77 ₡1,252

$2.51 ₡1,131

10.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ₡1,658

$2.65 ₡1,194

38.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.39 ₡627

$1.33 ₡600

4.51%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.51 ₡1,134

$2.46 ₡1,110

2.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 ₡701

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.80 ₡3,971

$9.30 ₡4,198

-5.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 ₡693

$1.58 ₡714

-2.53%

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

$34.0K ₡15.3M

$34.3K ₡15.5M

-0.95%

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

$42.2K ₡19.0M

$41.0K ₡18.5M

2.96%

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

$94.5 ₡42.6K

$93.6 ₡42.2K

0.95%

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

$20.06 ₡9,050

$29.79 ₡13.4K

-32.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.9 ₡26.6K

$58.3 ₡26.3K

1.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.0 ₡25.3K

$71.1 ₡32.1K

-21.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.92 ₡4,475

Cinema Ticket

$7.75 ₡3,498

$7.18 ₡3,240

7.94%

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

$994 ₡448.6K

$756 ₡340.9K

31.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,017 ₡4.1M

$17.0K ₡7.7M

-46.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.8 ₡32.0K

$82.1 ₡37.1K

-13.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.3 ₡25.4K

$55.6 ₡25.1K

1.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$130 ₡58.6K

$110 ₡49.6K

18.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 ₡60.6K

$116 ₡52.5K

15.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,604 ₡723.7K

$882 ₡397.8K

81.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$640 ₡288.9K

$559 ₡252.1K

14.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,962 ₡1.3M

$1,979 ₡893.1K

49.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,259 ₡568.1K

$1,193 ₡538.1K

5.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,601 ₡1.6M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$334 ₡150.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$772 ₡348.3K

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 Flamingo: October 25, 2026

Last update for Playa del Coco: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa Flamingo

$640 38%

Playa del Coco

$559 33.3% 12.7% $82

Groceries & Markets

Playa Flamingo

$389 23.1%

Playa del Coco

$384 22.9% 1.3% $5

Eating Out

Playa Flamingo

$220 13%

Playa del Coco

$287 17.1% 30.8% $68

Clothing & Footwear

Playa Flamingo

$176 10.5%

Playa del Coco

$164 9.8% 7% $12

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa Flamingo

$173 10.3%

Playa del Coco

$182 10.8% 4.8% $8.3

Sport & Entertainment

Playa Flamingo

$72 4.2%

Playa del Coco

$85 5.1% 19.4% $14

Getting Around

Playa Flamingo

$16 * 0.9%

Playa del Coco

$16 * 0.9% 1.9% $0.3

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,604 in Playa Flamingo versus $882 in Playa del Coco. 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 $58 in Playa del Coco. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $389 vs $384 – making Playa del Coco the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Playa Flamingo

🇨🇷 Playa del Coco

🕒 Local time

16:56 4:56 PM

Same time as Playa Flamingo

🌤 Weather

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Playa Flamingo Playa del Coco 17 km

From you

Playa Flamingo
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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 Flamingo vs Playa del Coco: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,528 per month in Playa Flamingo and $2,514 in Playa del Coco. 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 $1,604 in Playa Flamingo.

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

Kindergarten costs $994 per month in Playa Flamingo and $756 in Playa del Coco. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,686 in Playa Flamingo and $1,676 in Playa del Coco, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

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.