Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon and Playa del Coco

For one person, living is cheaper in Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon: $1,596 a month against $1,756 in Playa del Coco, rent and utilities included – about $1,900 less a year. The total is higher in Playa del Coco despite lower rent and utilities.

76

Cost of Living Index in Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon
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Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon Living Index
85

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

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Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,596

/mo nomad

Playa del Coco

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,756

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon 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 Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon and in Playa del Coco actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,596 per month in Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon vs $1,756 in Playa del Coco, rent included.

Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon $1,596
Playa del Coco $1,756

A couple spends around $2,398 per month in Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon vs $2,784 in Playa del Coco, rent included.

Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon $2,398
Playa del Coco $2,784

A family of three spends $3,200 per month in Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon vs $3,812 in Playa del Coco, rent included.

Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon $3,200
Playa del Coco $3,812

Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon is about 9% cheaper than Playa del Coco, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon and Playa del Coco sit above the global median – Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon by 18%, Playa del Coco by 30%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.94 ₡5,353

$18.30 ₡8,209

-34.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.58 ₡20.0K

$58.1 ₡26.0K

-23.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.82 ₡4,855

$10.57 ₡4,740

2.37%

Cappuccino

$4.03 ₡1,808

$4.16 ₡1,866

-3.12%

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

$2.38 ₡1,067

$2.60 ₡1,167

-8.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 ₡819

$1.62 ₡726

12.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.37 ₡1,510

$3.53 ₡1,585

-4.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.01 ₡1,800

$5.98 ₡2,682

-32.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.08 ₡931

$2.38 ₡1,067

-12.61%

White Bread (500g)

$3.16 ₡1,418

$2.93 ₡1,312

7.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.43 ₡1,089

$2.53 ₡1,136

-3.95%

Eggs

$3.07 ₡1,378

$3.56 ₡1,598

-13.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.56 ₡2,942

$10.69 ₡4,795

-38.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.76 ₡3,479

$10.23 ₡4,588

-24.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.16 ₡6,350

$15.13 ₡6,783

-6.41%

Apples (1kg)

$2.59 ₡1,161

$5.33 ₡2,392

-51.41%

Banana (1kg)

$1.12 ₡504

$1.45 ₡650

-22.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.29 ₡576

$3.85 ₡1,726

-66.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.74 ₡781

$3.32 ₡1,489

-47.59%

Potato (1kg)

$2.60 ₡1,165

$3.31 ₡1,486

-21.45%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 ₡881

$3.19 ₡1,430

-38.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.69 ₡311

$1.17 ₡524

-41.03%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.00 ₡898

$2.99 ₡1,341

-33.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.12 ₡1,398

$5.87 ₡2,631

-46.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.10 ₡6,773

$16.69 ₡7,484

-9.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.86 ₡1,284

$2.64 ₡1,182

8.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.71 ₡1,663

$2.66 ₡1,192

39.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.30 ₡582

$1.33 ₡596

-2.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$43.11 ₡19.3K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 ₡825

$2.38 ₡1,065

-22.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.54 ₡693

$1.38 ₡617

11.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.50 ₡3,814

$9.15 ₡4,105

-7.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 ₡674

$1.49 ₡668

0.67%

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

$22.3K ₡10.0M

$23.4K ₡10.5M

-4.71%

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

$35.0K ₡15.7M

$33.3K ₡14.9M

5.29%

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

$95.5 ₡42.8K

$94.4 ₡42.3K

1.23%

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

$35.40 ₡15.9K

$30.20 ₡13.5K

17.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.86 ₡14.7K

$58.4 ₡26.2K

-43.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$73.5 ₡33.0K

$79.6 ₡35.7K

-7.70%

Cinema Ticket

$7.71 ₡3,458

$7.51 ₡3,366

2.66%

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

$972 ₡435.8K

$726 ₡325.8K

33.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.1K ₡7.7M

$17.5K ₡7.8M

-2.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.6 ₡29.0K

$77.3 ₡34.6K

-16.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.92 ₡11.6K

$54.4 ₡24.4K

-52.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$97.0 ₡43.5K

$143 ₡64.3K

-32.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$54.5 ₡24.4K

$124 ₡55.7K

-56.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$690 ₡309.3K

$737 ₡330.5K

-6.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ₡295.6K

$628 ₡281.5K

5.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,981 ₡888.2K

$1,886 ₡845.7K

5.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,135 ₡508.8K

$1,258 ₡564.4K

-9.84%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$330 ₡148.2K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$976 ₡437.6K

$757 ₡339.3K

28.97%

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 Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon: October 13, 2026

Last update for Playa del Coco: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon

$659 41.3%

Playa del Coco

$628 35.7% 4.8% $31

Groceries & Markets

Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon

$299 18.8%

Playa del Coco

$382 21.8% 27.7% $83

Eating Out

Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon

$218 13.7%

Playa del Coco

$275 15.6% 26% $57

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon

$164 10.3%

Playa del Coco

$183 10.4% 11.7% $19

Clothing & Footwear

Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon

$109 6.8%

Playa del Coco

$180 10.2% 64.9% $71

Sport & Entertainment

Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon

$89 5.6%

Playa del Coco

$95 5.4% 6.4% $5.7

Getting Around

Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon

$58 3.6%

Playa del Coco

$15 * 0.8% 74.8% $43

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $690 in Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon versus $737 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.

Salaries run about 29% higher in Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $45.00 in Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon versus $58.0 in Playa del Coco. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $299 vs $382 – making Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon

🇨🇷 Playa del Coco

🕒 Local time

04:41 4:41 AM

Same time as Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon

🌤 Weather

💱 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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Between locations

Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon Playa del Coco 22 km

From you

Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon
Playa del Coco

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

Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon vs Playa del Coco: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa del Coco costs about 10% more than Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,394 per month in Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon and $2,634 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 Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $45.00 in Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon and $58.0 in Playa del Coco. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 28% more in Playa del Coco, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon, where all-in costs run around $1,596, than in Playa del Coco at $1,756. In Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon it covers expenses comfortably, while in Playa del Coco it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon costs $1,596 versus $1,756 in Playa del Coco. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

If budget matters most, go with Puerto Viejo - de Talamanca, Limon. 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.