Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living costs are similar in San Pedro and in Playa del Coco: $1,712 and $1,676 a month, rent and utilities included.

83

Cost of Living Index in San Pedro
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San Pedro Living Index
84

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

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San Pedro

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,712

/mo nomad

Playa del Coco

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,676

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,712 per month in San Pedro vs $1,676 in Playa del Coco, rent included.

San Pedro $1,712
Playa del Coco $1,676

A couple spends around $2,640 per month in San Pedro vs $2,700 in Playa del Coco, rent included.

San Pedro $2,640
Playa del Coco $2,700

A family of three spends $3,569 per month in San Pedro vs $3,724 in Playa del Coco, rent included.

San Pedro $3,569
Playa del Coco $3,724

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

Both San Pedro and Playa del Coco sit above the global median – San Pedro by 26%, Playa del Coco by 23%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.18 ₡5,479

$18.46 ₡8,300

-34.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.6 ₡27.2K

$58.1 ₡26.1K

4.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.46 ₡5,152

$13.36 ₡6,009

-14.22%

Cappuccino

$4.51 ₡2,028

$4.35 ₡1,958

3.68%

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

$2.76 ₡1,242

$2.65 ₡1,192

4.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 ₡833

$1.60 ₡721

15.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.32 ₡1,494

$3.58 ₡1,608

-7.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.51 ₡2,029

$6.15 ₡2,765

-26.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.43 ₡1,092

$2.30 ₡1,036

5.65%

White Bread (500g)

$3.06 ₡1,376

$2.79 ₡1,255

9.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.44 ₡1,098

$2.44 ₡1,099

Eggs

$3.42 ₡1,537

$3.56 ₡1,600

-3.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.82 ₡4,864

$10.56 ₡4,747

2.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 ₡4,699

$10.58 ₡4,759

-1.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.23 ₡6,401

$16.10 ₡7,239

-11.61%

Apples (1kg)

$5.09 ₡2,291

$5.57 ₡2,507

-8.62%

Banana (1kg)

$1.59 ₡716

$1.77 ₡795

-10.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.69 ₡2,110

$3.84 ₡1,725

22.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.92 ₡1,761

$3.58 ₡1,609

9.50%

Potato (1kg)

$3.87 ₡1,741

$3.43 ₡1,543

12.83%

Onion (1kg)

$3.58 ₡1,609

$3.07 ₡1,381

16.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.11 ₡501

$1.20 ₡541

-7.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.14 ₡1,412

$2.67 ₡1,202

17.60%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.05 ₡2,723

$5.81 ₡2,614

4.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.94 ₡8,968

$16.66 ₡7,492

19.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.91 ₡1,306

$2.51 ₡1,127

15.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,632

$2.65 ₡1,190

36.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.33 ₡596

$1.33 ₡598

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.47 ₡1,111

$2.46 ₡1,106

0.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡705

$1.55 ₡699

1.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.48 ₡3,811

$9.30 ₡4,184

-8.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡706

$1.58 ₡712

-0.63%

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

$33.8K ₡15.2M

$34.3K ₡15.4M

-1.63%

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

$41.8K ₡18.8M

$41.0K ₡18.4M

2.03%

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

$96.5 ₡43.4K

$93.6 ₡42.1K

3.07%

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

$36.34 ₡16.3K

$29.79 ₡13.4K

21.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.2 ₡26.2K

$58.3 ₡26.2K

-0.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$63.1 ₡28.4K

$71.1 ₡32.0K

-11.23%

Cinema Ticket

$7.66 ₡3,443

$7.18 ₡3,229

6.69%

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

$993 ₡446.5K

$756 ₡339.8K

31.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.2K ₡7.8M

$17.0K ₡7.6M

1.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.4 ₡32.6K

$82.1 ₡36.9K

-11.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.3 ₡24.9K

$55.6 ₡25.0K

-0.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$130 ₡58.6K

$110 ₡49.5K

18.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 ₡59.7K

$116 ₡52.3K

14.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$816 ₡367.0K

$882 ₡396.4K

-7.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$620 ₡278.6K

$559 ₡251.2K

10.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,163 ₡972.6K

$1,979 ₡890.1K

9.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,092 ₡491.3K

$1,193 ₡536.3K

-8.39%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$334 ₡150.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$772 ₡347.1K

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 Pedro: 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

San Pedro

$620 36.2%

Playa del Coco

$559 33.3% 9.8% $61

Groceries & Markets

San Pedro

$402 23.5%

Playa del Coco

$384 22.9% 4.4% $18

Eating Out

San Pedro

$230 13.4%

Playa del Coco

$287 17.1% 24.8% $57

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Pedro

$191 11.2%

Playa del Coco

$182 10.8% 4.9% $9.3

Clothing & Footwear

San Pedro

$176 10.3%

Playa del Coco

$164 9.8% 6.8% $12

Sport & Entertainment

San Pedro

$78 4.6%

Playa del Coco

$85 5.1% 9% $7

Getting Around

San Pedro

$16 * 0.9%

Playa del Coco

$16 * 0.9% 0.4% $0.1

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $816 in San Pedro 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 $61 in San Pedro versus $58 in Playa del Coco. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $402 vs $384 – making Playa del Coco the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 San Pedro

🇨🇷 Playa del Coco

🕒 Local time

03:14 3:14 AM

Same time as San Pedro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

27,477

💱 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 Pedro Playa del Coco 160 km

From you

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

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,568 per month in San Pedro and $2,514 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 $816 in San Pedro and $882 in Playa del Coco. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

Groceries cost about 5% more in San Pedro, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61 in San Pedro and $58 in Playa del Coco. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,712 in San Pedro and $1,676 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 $1,676 in Playa del Coco to $1,712 in San Pedro. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.