Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Plzen and Jaco Beach

For one person, living is cheaper in Jaco Beach: $1,445 a month against $1,777 in Plzen, rent and utilities included – about $4,000 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Plzen outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

86

Cost of Living Index in Plzen
Learn more

Plzen Living Index
70

Cost of Living Index in Jaco Beach
Learn more

Jaco Beach Living Index

Jump to prices

Plzen

🇨🇿 Czech Republic

$1,777

/mo nomad

Jaco Beach

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,445

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Plzen and in Jaco Beach

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,777 in Plzen versus $1,445 in Jaco Beach.

Plzen $1,777
Jaco Beach $1,445

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,485 in Plzen versus $2,296 in Jaco Beach.

Plzen $2,485
Jaco Beach $2,296

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,193 in Plzen versus $3,147 in Jaco Beach.

Plzen $3,193
Jaco Beach $3,147

Living in Plzen is roughly 23% more expensive than in Jaco Beach, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Plzen 31% above, Jaco Beach 6% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.41 Kč 249

$11.32 ₡5,108

0.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.6 Kč 1,213

$43.14 ₡19.5K

28.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.37 Kč 205

$10.22 ₡4,615

-8.32%

Cappuccino

$3.11 Kč 67.9

$3.99 ₡1,800

-22.06%

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

$2.21 Kč 48.20

$2.40 ₡1,085

-7.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.82 Kč 39.61

$1.87 ₡844

-2.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.93 Kč 64.0

$3.19 ₡1,442

-8.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 Kč 58.2

$4.33 ₡1,955

-38.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 Kč 24.48

$1.98 ₡892

-43.43%

White Bread (500g)

$1.67 Kč 36.50

$2.19 ₡989

-23.74%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.01 Kč 65.7

$2.39 ₡1,079

25.94%

Eggs

$3.84 Kč 83.9

$2.60 ₡1,175

47.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.02 Kč 306

$10.78 ₡4,868

30.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.99 Kč 218

$8.88 ₡4,010

12.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.08 Kč 351

$12.11 ₡5,468

32.78%

Apples (1kg)

$2.16 Kč 47.16

$4.95 ₡2,234

-56.36%

Banana (1kg)

$1.78 Kč 38.83

$1.66 ₡749

7.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.23 Kč 48.72

$4.75 ₡2,142

-53.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.59 Kč 78.4

$3.42 ₡1,545

4.97%

Potato (1kg)

$1.22 Kč 26.71

$1.50 ₡676

-18.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.21 Kč 26.40

$1.42 ₡641

-14.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.59 Kč 34.62

$0.99 ₡447

60.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.78 Kč 17.12

$1.99 ₡900

-60.80%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.68 Kč 146

$6.01 ₡2,712

11.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.03 Kč 153

$13.81 ₡6,234

-49.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 Kč 30.36

$2.64 ₡1,192

-47.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.70 Kč 37.04

$2.18 ₡986

-22.02%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.21 Kč 26.33

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.94 Kč 610

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.09 Kč 45.50

$2.49 ₡1,125

-16.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.34 Kč 29.25

$1.63 ₡735

-17.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.54 Kč 295

$8.53 ₡3,850

58.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.83 Kč 39.89

$1.57 ₡707

16.56%

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

$30.4K Kč 663.3K

$33.9K ₡15.3M

-10.30%

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

$30.5K Kč 665.3K

$42.6K ₡19.2M

-28.46%

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

$273 Kč 5,964

$79.6 ₡35.9K

243.61%

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

$17.11 Kč 373

$23.88 ₡10.8K

-28.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$14.74 Kč 322

$47.69 ₡21.5K

-69.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.0 Kč 1,331

$52.0 ₡23.5K

17.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.45 Kč 315

Cinema Ticket

$10.86 Kč 237

$7.72 ₡3,485

40.67%

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

$329 Kč 7,177

$479 ₡216.4K

-31.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.0K Kč 239.5K

$7,442 ₡3.4M

47.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.2 Kč 1,749

$25.50 ₡11.5K

214.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.55 Kč 928

$56.2 ₡25.4K

-24.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.9 Kč 1,853

$127 ₡57.3K

-33.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 Kč 2,434

$133 ₡59.9K

-15.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$773 Kč 16.9K

$748 ₡337.8K

3.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$721 Kč 15.7K

$526 ₡237.3K

37.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$976 Kč 21.3K

$1,984 ₡895.8K

-50.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$940 Kč 20.5K

$1,099 ₡496.1K

-14.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,146 Kč 112.3K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,144 Kč 90.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,885 Kč 41.1K

$402 ₡181.4K

369.14%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.8

8.62

-44.32%

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

Last update for Plzen: October 25, 2026

Last update for Jaco Beach: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Plzen

$721 40.6%

Jaco Beach

$526 36.4% 27.1% $195

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Plzen

$305 17.2%

Jaco Beach

$151 10.5% 50.5% $154

Groceries & Markets

Plzen

$290 16.3%

Jaco Beach

$326 22.6% 12.3% $36

Eating Out

Plzen

$193 10.9%

Jaco Beach

$211 14.6% 9.3% $18

Clothing & Footwear

Plzen

$144 8.1%

Jaco Beach

$154 10.6% 6.9% $9.9

Sport & Entertainment

Plzen

$83 4.7%

Jaco Beach

$67 4.7% 18.6% $15

Getting Around

Plzen

$42 2.3%

Jaco Beach

$11 * 0.7% 74.4% $31

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 $773 in Plzen and $748 in Jaco Beach. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Plzen pays about 4.7 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $56 in Plzen vs $43 in Jaco Beach. Groceries flip the comparison at $290 vs $326, with Plzen cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇿 Plzen

🇨🇷 Jaco Beach

🕒 Local time

12:36 12:36 PM

05:36 5:36 AM

7 h behind Plzen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

168,951

💱 Currency

Czech Koruna CZK Kč

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

100 CZK = 4.58 USD

100 CZK = 4.11 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to CZK – Czech Koruna Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇿 Czech Koruna (Kč)

Czech Koruna exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 21.82 CZK (100 CZK = 4.58 USD). 1 EUR = 24.35 CZK (100 CZK = 4.11 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to CZK in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Plzen Jaco Beach 9,760 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Plzen
Jaco Beach

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

Plzen vs Jaco Beach: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Jaco Beach is about 19% cheaper overall, especially in transport and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Plzen is about 4.7 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $773 in Plzen versus $748 in Jaco Beach. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $329 in Plzen versus $479 in Jaco Beach. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Jaco Beach – a meal for two runs $43 versus $56 in Plzen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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, Plzen and Jaco Beach are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Jaco Beach wins on affordability, Plzen on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.