Last update: Nov 2026

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

For one person, living costs are similar in San Juan and in Playa del Coco: $1,723 and $1,748 a month, rent and utilities included.

83

Cost of Living Index in San Juan
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San Juan Living Index
83

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

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San Juan

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,723

/mo nomad

Playa del Coco

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,748

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,723 per month in San Juan vs $1,748 in Playa del Coco, rent included.

San Juan $1,723
Playa del Coco $1,748

A couple spends around $2,746 per month in San Juan vs $2,758 in Playa del Coco, rent included.

San Juan $2,746
Playa del Coco $2,758

A family of three spends $3,770 per month in San Juan vs $3,768 in Playa del Coco, rent included.

San Juan $3,770
Playa del Coco $3,768

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

Both San Juan and Playa del Coco sit above the global median – San Juan by 27%, Playa del Coco by 29%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.46 ₡5,602

$18.08 ₡8,131

-31.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.8 ₡27.4K

$59.1 ₡26.6K

2.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.85 ₡5,331

$11.74 ₡5,279

0.94%

Cappuccino

$4.35 ₡1,956

$4.26 ₡1,917

2.11%

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

$2.75 ₡1,238

$2.62 ₡1,179

4.96%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 ₡855

$1.63 ₡732

16.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.34 ₡1,502

$3.60 ₡1,619

-7.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.52 ₡2,035

$6.13 ₡2,755

-26.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.33 ₡1,047

$2.44 ₡1,096

-4.51%

White Bread (500g)

$3.11 ₡1,400

$2.83 ₡1,272

9.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.44 ₡1,096

$2.44 ₡1,095

Eggs

$3.48 ₡1,565

$3.52 ₡1,584

-1.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.66 ₡4,794

$10.88 ₡4,895

-2.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,731

$10.22 ₡4,596

2.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 ₡6,291

$14.18 ₡6,379

-1.34%

Apples (1kg)

$5.03 ₡2,264

$5.05 ₡2,270

-0.40%

Banana (1kg)

$1.59 ₡715

$1.64 ₡736

-3.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.78 ₡2,149

$3.28 ₡1,476

45.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.81 ₡1,713

$3.50 ₡1,572

8.86%

Potato (1kg)

$3.89 ₡1,748

$3.03 ₡1,364

28.38%

Onion (1kg)

$3.76 ₡1,690

$3.23 ₡1,454

16.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ₡504

$1.09 ₡491

2.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.10 ₡1,393

$2.67 ₡1,200

16.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.86 ₡2,635

$5.55 ₡2,494

5.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.61 ₡8,820

$16.77 ₡7,543

16.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.86 ₡1,287

$2.66 ₡1,195

7.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.59 ₡1,613

$2.65 ₡1,194

35.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.35 ₡605

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ₡1,087

$2.49 ₡1,121

-2.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 ₡699

$1.61 ₡723

-3.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.62 ₡3,877

$8.84 ₡3,973

-2.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.58 ₡711

$1.51 ₡680

4.64%

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

$34.4K ₡15.5M

$33.8K ₡15.2M

1.65%

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

$41.3K ₡18.6M

$41.1K ₡18.5M

0.38%

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

$95.5 ₡43.0K

$94.3 ₡42.4K

1.28%

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

$35.02 ₡15.7K

$30.28 ₡13.6K

15.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$60.1 ₡27.0K

$59.1 ₡26.6K

1.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.0 ₡30.1K

$66.8 ₡30.0K

0.34%

Cinema Ticket

$7.71 ₡3,469

$7.80 ₡3,508

-1.15%

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

$980 ₡440.7K

$843 ₡379.3K

16.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.2K ₡7.7M

$16.9K ₡7.6M

1.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.1 ₡32.4K

$72.6 ₡32.7K

-0.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.2 ₡25.3K

$56.3 ₡25.3K

-0.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$129 ₡58.2K

$129 ₡57.9K

0.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 ₡60.1K

$131 ₡58.8K

2.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$798 ₡358.8K

$793 ₡356.6K

0.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$627 ₡282.1K

$640 ₡287.8K

-2.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,922 ₡864.2K

$1,908 ₡858.2K

0.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,287 ₡578.7K

$1,257 ₡565.1K

2.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$329 ₡148.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$757 ₡340.6K

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 San Juan: November 1, 2026

Last update for Playa del Coco: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Juan

$627 36.4%

Playa del Coco

$640 36.6% 2% $13

Groceries & Markets

San Juan

$399 23.2%

Playa del Coco

$373 21.3% 6.6% $26

Eating Out

San Juan

$232 13.5%

Playa del Coco

$278 15.9% 20.1% $46

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Juan

$191 11.1%

Playa del Coco

$184 10.5% 3.7% $7

Clothing & Footwear

San Juan

$176 10.2%

Playa del Coco

$175 10% 0.7% $1.3

Sport & Entertainment

San Juan

$82 4.8%

Playa del Coco

$82 4.7% 0.1% $0

Getting Around

San Juan

$16 * 0.9%

Playa del Coco

$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 central one-bedroom costs $798 in San Juan versus $793 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 $61 in San Juan versus $59 in Playa del Coco. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $399 vs $373 – making Playa del Coco the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 San Juan

🇨🇷 Playa del Coco

🕒 Local time

13:10 1:10 PM

Same time as San Juan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

27,000

💱 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

On the map

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Between locations

San Juan Playa del Coco 190 km

From you

San Juan
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

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

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,584 per month in San Juan and $2,621 in Playa del Coco. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $798 in San Juan and $793 in Playa del Coco. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

Interestingly, groceries are about 7% cheaper in Playa del Coco – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61 in San Juan and $59 in Playa del Coco. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$3,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,723 in San Juan and $1,748 in Playa del Coco, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Playa del Coco has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,723 in San Juan to $1,748 in Playa del Coco. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.