Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa Flamingo and San Ramon

For one person, living costs are similar in Playa Flamingo and in San Ramon: $1,686 and $1,729 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 San Ramon
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San Ramon Living Index

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Playa Flamingo

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,686

/mo nomad

San Ramon

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,729

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa Flamingo and in San Ramon

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,686 in Playa Flamingo versus $1,729 in San Ramon.

Playa Flamingo $1,686
San Ramon $1,729

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,670 in Playa Flamingo versus $2,722 in San Ramon.

Playa Flamingo $2,670
San Ramon $2,722

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,654 in Playa Flamingo versus $3,715 in San Ramon.

Playa Flamingo $3,654
San Ramon $3,715

Living in Playa Flamingo costs roughly 3% less than in San Ramon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Playa Flamingo 24% above, San Ramon 27% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.78 ₡5,314

$12.18 ₡5,497

-3.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.3 ₡28.1K

$61.9 ₡27.9K

0.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.89 ₡4,463

$11.69 ₡5,273

-15.40%

Cappuccino

$4.36 ₡1,968

$3.82 ₡1,726

14.14%

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

$2.74 ₡1,235

$2.21 ₡996

23.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.84 ₡830

$1.96 ₡883

-6.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,479

$3.01 ₡1,356

8.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.34 ₡1,958

$4.71 ₡2,125

-7.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.03 ₡915

$2.39 ₡1,076

-15.06%

White Bread (500g)

$3.12 ₡1,406

$3.04 ₡1,371

2.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,130

$2.53 ₡1,140

-0.79%

Eggs

$3.05 ₡1,374

$5.07 ₡2,286

-39.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.82 ₡4,881

$10.78 ₡4,867

0.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.15 ₡4,580

$10.31 ₡4,652

-1.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.80 ₡5,327

$14.28 ₡6,443

-17.37%

Apples (1kg)

$5.27 ₡2,380

$4.99 ₡2,252

5.61%

Banana (1kg)

$1.58 ₡711

$1.55 ₡700

1.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.86 ₡2,193

$3.26 ₡1,470

49.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.92 ₡1,768

$3.42 ₡1,545

14.62%

Potato (1kg)

$3.85 ₡1,739

$3.19 ₡1,442

20.69%

Onion (1kg)

$3.62 ₡1,632

$3.22 ₡1,452

12.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.02 ₡459

$1.21 ₡547

-15.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.09 ₡1,396

$2.74 ₡1,236

12.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.09 ₡2,296

$5.56 ₡2,509

-8.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.33 ₡9,176

$16.31 ₡7,359

24.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.77 ₡1,252

$2.56 ₡1,154

8.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ₡1,658

$2.73 ₡1,233

34.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.39 ₡627

$1.30 ₡587

6.92%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.51 ₡1,134

$2.45 ₡1,108

2.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 ₡701

$1.57 ₡708

-1.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.80 ₡3,971

$8.87 ₡4,003

-0.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 ₡693

$1.55 ₡700

-0.65%

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

$34.0K ₡15.3M

$34.5K ₡15.6M

-1.43%

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

$42.2K ₡19.0M

$41.3K ₡18.7M

2.07%

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

$94.5 ₡42.6K

$144 ₡65.2K

-34.58%

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

$20.06 ₡9,050

$44.11 ₡19.9K

-54.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.9 ₡26.6K

$53.9 ₡24.3K

9.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.0 ₡25.3K

$59.0 ₡26.6K

-5.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.92 ₡4,475

Cinema Ticket

$7.75 ₡3,498

$7.81 ₡3,524

-0.77%

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

$994 ₡448.6K

$843 ₡380.6K

17.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,017 ₡4.1M

$17.0K ₡7.7M

-47.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.8 ₡32.0K

$70.5 ₡31.8K

0.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.3 ₡25.4K

$55.3 ₡24.9K

1.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$130 ₡58.6K

$129 ₡58.1K

0.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 ₡60.6K

$125 ₡56.5K

7.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,604 ₡723.7K

$816 ₡368.4K

96.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$640 ₡288.9K

$626 ₡282.3K

2.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,962 ₡1.3M

$1,903 ₡858.6K

55.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,259 ₡568.1K

$1,249 ₡563.6K

0.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,601 ₡1.6M

$1,145 ₡516.5K

214.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,156 ₡521.5K

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 San Ramon: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Playa Flamingo

$640 38%

San Ramon

$626 36.2% 2.3% $15

Groceries & Markets

Playa Flamingo

$389 23.1%

San Ramon

$380 22% 2.2% $8.6

Eating Out

Playa Flamingo

$220 13%

San Ramon

$220 12.7% 0% $0.1

Clothing & Footwear

Playa Flamingo

$176 10.5%

San Ramon

$171 9.9% 3% $5.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa Flamingo

$173 10.3%

San Ramon

$242 14% 39.8% $69

Sport & Entertainment

Playa Flamingo

$72 4.2%

San Ramon

$75 4.3% 4.3% $3.1

Getting Around

Playa Flamingo

$16 * 0.9%

San Ramon

$16 * 0.9% 2.1% $0.3

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,604 in Playa Flamingo and $816 in San Ramon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $62 in Playa Flamingo vs $62 in San Ramon. Groceries flip the comparison at $389 vs $380, with San Ramon cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Playa Flamingo

🇨🇷 San Ramon

🕒 Local time

17:49 5:49 PM

Same time as Playa Flamingo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

10,000

💱 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 San Ramon 150 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 San Ramon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa Flamingo wins on cost – living expenses run 3% lower than in San Ramon. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Playa Flamingo the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $2,528 in Playa Flamingo and $2,593 in San Ramon to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,604 in Playa Flamingo versus $816 in San Ramon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $994 in Playa Flamingo versus $843 in San Ramon. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

All in, you’ll spend $1,686 per month in Playa Flamingo versus $1,729 in San Ramon – Playa Flamingo is about 3% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Playa Flamingo gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Playa Flamingo and San Ramon are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.