Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Samara, Costa Rica and Playa del Coco

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Coco: $1,676 a month against $2,032 in Samara, rent and utilities included – about $4,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Samara outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

97

Cost of Living Index in Samara
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Samara Living Index
84

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

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Samara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,032

/mo nomad

Playa del Coco

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,676

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Samara 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 Samara and in Playa del Coco actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,032 per month in Samara vs $1,676 in Playa del Coco, rent included.

Samara $2,032
Playa del Coco $1,676

A couple spends around $3,533 per month in Samara vs $2,700 in Playa del Coco, rent included.

Samara $3,533
Playa del Coco $2,700

A family of three spends $5,034 per month in Samara vs $3,724 in Playa del Coco, rent included.

Samara $5,034
Playa del Coco $3,724

Samara costs about 21% more than Playa del Coco, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Samara and Playa del Coco sit above the global median – Samara by 49%, Playa del Coco by 23%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.07 ₡4,997

$18.46 ₡8,332

-40.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.2 ₡28.1K

$58.1 ₡26.2K

7.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.70 ₡5,282

$13.36 ₡6,032

-12.43%

Cappuccino

$4.34 ₡1,960

$4.35 ₡1,966

-0.23%

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

$2.72 ₡1,229

$2.65 ₡1,197

2.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.92 ₡866

$1.60 ₡724

20.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.32 ₡1,501

$3.58 ₡1,614

-7.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.51 ₡2,036

$6.15 ₡2,776

-26.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.42 ₡1,095

$2.30 ₡1,040

5.22%

White Bread (500g)

$3.05 ₡1,376

$2.79 ₡1,260

9.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.50 ₡1,129

$2.44 ₡1,103

2.46%

Eggs

$3.46 ₡1,561

$3.56 ₡1,606

-2.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.78 ₡4,868

$10.56 ₡4,766

2.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.49 ₡4,736

$10.58 ₡4,778

-0.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.82 ₡4,885

$16.10 ₡7,267

-32.80%

Apples (1kg)

$5.01 ₡2,263

$5.57 ₡2,517

-10.05%

Banana (1kg)

$1.65 ₡745

$1.77 ₡798

-6.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.72 ₡2,129

$3.84 ₡1,732

22.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.82 ₡1,723

$3.58 ₡1,615

6.70%

Potato (1kg)

$3.72 ₡1,679

$3.43 ₡1,549

8.45%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,665

$3.07 ₡1,387

20.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ₡487

$1.20 ₡543

-10.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.09 ₡1,397

$2.67 ₡1,207

15.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.57 ₡2,516

$5.81 ₡2,624

-4.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.86 ₡8,513

$16.66 ₡7,521

13.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.78 ₡1,255

$2.51 ₡1,132

10.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.48 ₡1,119

$2.65 ₡1,195

-6.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.40 ₡630

$1.33 ₡600

5.26%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.48 ₡1,118

$2.46 ₡1,110

0.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡709

$1.55 ₡701

1.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.51 ₡3,843

$9.30 ₡4,200

-8.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡686

$1.58 ₡714

-3.80%

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

$34.3K ₡15.5M

-0.04%

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

$41.2K ₡18.6M

$41.0K ₡18.5M

0.65%

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

$94.0 ₡42.4K

$93.6 ₡42.3K

0.42%

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

$35.45 ₡16.0K

$29.79 ₡13.4K

19.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$59.0 ₡26.6K

$58.3 ₡26.3K

1.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$66.9 ₡30.2K

$71.1 ₡32.1K

-5.92%

Cinema Ticket

$7.88 ₡3,556

$7.18 ₡3,241

9.75%

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

$502 ₡226.4K

$756 ₡341.1K

-33.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,013 ₡2.7M

$17.0K ₡7.7M

-64.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.1 ₡30.3K

$82.1 ₡37.1K

-18.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.5 ₡25.1K

$55.6 ₡25.1K

-0.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$129 ₡58.4K

$110 ₡49.6K

17.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 ₡60.0K

$116 ₡52.5K

14.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,373 ₡619.7K

$882 ₡398.0K

55.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$967 ₡436.4K

$559 ₡252.2K

73.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,769 ₡1.7M

$1,979 ₡893.5K

90.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,611 ₡1.2M

$1,193 ₡538.4K

118.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,955 ₡2.2M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$334 ₡150.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$772 ₡348.4K

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 Samara: October 26, 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

Samara

$967 47.6%

Playa del Coco

$559 33.3% 42.2% $408

Groceries & Markets

Samara

$385 19%

Playa del Coco

$384 22.9% 0.3% $1.3

Eating Out

Samara

$220 10.8%

Playa del Coco

$287 17.1% 30.6% $67

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Samara

$188 9.3%

Playa del Coco

$182 10.8% 3.6% $6.8

Clothing & Footwear

Samara

$173 8.5%

Playa del Coco

$164 9.8% 5.4% $9.4

Sport & Entertainment

Samara

$83 4.1%

Playa del Coco

$85 5.1% 3.4% $2.8

Getting Around

Samara

$16 * 0.8%

Playa del Coco

$16 * 0.9% 2.3% $0.4

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,373 in Samara 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 Samara versus $58 in Playa del Coco. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $385 vs $384 – making Playa del Coco the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Samara

🇨🇷 Playa del Coco

🕒 Local time

20:24 8:24 PM

Same time as Samara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,071

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Samara Playa del Coco 77 km

From you

Samara
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

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

Samara costs about 21% more than Playa del Coco, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from clothing. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,048 per month in Samara 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 $1,373 in Samara.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,032 in Samara and $1,676 in Playa del Coco. That makes Playa del Coco about 18% cheaper.

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

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Coco, where all-in costs run around $1,676, than in Samara at $2,032. In Playa del Coco it covers expenses comfortably, while in Samara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.