Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Ramon and Playa Flamingo

For one person, living costs are similar in San Ramon and in Playa Flamingo: $1,729 and $1,686 a month, rent and utilities included.

84

Cost of Living Index in San Ramon
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San Ramon Living Index
81

Cost of Living Index in Playa Flamingo
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Playa Flamingo Living Index

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San Ramon

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,729

/mo nomad

Playa Flamingo

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,686

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in San Ramon and in Playa Flamingo

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,729 in San Ramon versus $1,686 in Playa Flamingo.

San Ramon $1,729
Playa Flamingo $1,686

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,722 in San Ramon versus $2,670 in Playa Flamingo.

San Ramon $2,722
Playa Flamingo $2,670

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,715 in San Ramon versus $3,654 in Playa Flamingo.

San Ramon $3,715
Playa Flamingo $3,654

Living in San Ramon is roughly 3% more expensive than in Playa Flamingo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: San Ramon 27% above, Playa Flamingo 24% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.18 ₡5,500

$11.78 ₡5,316

3.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.9 ₡27.9K

$62.3 ₡28.1K

-0.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.69 ₡5,276

$9.89 ₡4,465

18.20%

Cappuccino

$3.82 ₡1,726

$4.36 ₡1,969

-12.39%

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

$2.21 ₡996

$2.74 ₡1,235

-19.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.96 ₡884

$1.84 ₡831

6.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.01 ₡1,357

$3.28 ₡1,480

-8.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.71 ₡2,126

$4.34 ₡1,959

8.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.39 ₡1,077

$2.03 ₡915

17.73%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 ₡1,371

$3.12 ₡1,407

-2.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.53 ₡1,141

$2.51 ₡1,131

0.80%

Eggs

$5.07 ₡2,288

$3.05 ₡1,375

66.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.78 ₡4,869

$10.82 ₡4,884

-0.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.31 ₡4,654

$10.15 ₡4,582

1.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.28 ₡6,446

$11.80 ₡5,329

21.02%

Apples (1kg)

$4.99 ₡2,253

$5.27 ₡2,381

-5.31%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 ₡700

$1.58 ₡712

-1.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.26 ₡1,471

$4.86 ₡2,194

-32.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.42 ₡1,546

$3.92 ₡1,769

-12.76%

Potato (1kg)

$3.19 ₡1,442

$3.85 ₡1,740

-17.14%

Onion (1kg)

$3.22 ₡1,452

$3.62 ₡1,633

-11.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.21 ₡547

$1.02 ₡459

18.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.74 ₡1,236

$3.09 ₡1,396

-11.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.56 ₡2,511

$5.09 ₡2,297

9.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.31 ₡7,362

$20.33 ₡9,180

-19.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.56 ₡1,154

$2.77 ₡1,253

-7.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.73 ₡1,234

$3.67 ₡1,659

-25.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.30 ₡587

$1.39 ₡628

-6.47%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.45 ₡1,108

$2.51 ₡1,135

-2.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡708

$1.55 ₡701

1.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.87 ₡4,005

$8.80 ₡3,973

0.80%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡700

$1.54 ₡693

0.65%

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

$34.5K ₡15.6M

$34.0K ₡15.3M

1.45%

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

$41.3K ₡18.7M

$42.2K ₡19.0M

-2.03%

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

$144 ₡65.2K

$94.5 ₡42.7K

52.87%

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

$44.11 ₡19.9K

$20.06 ₡9,054

119.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.9 ₡24.3K

$58.9 ₡26.6K

-8.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$59.0 ₡26.6K

$56.0 ₡25.3K

5.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.92 ₡4,477

Cinema Ticket

$7.81 ₡3,526

$7.75 ₡3,500

0.77%

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

$843 ₡380.8K

$994 ₡448.8K

-15.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.0K ₡7.7M

$9,017 ₡4.1M

89.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.5 ₡31.8K

$70.8 ₡32.0K

-0.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.3 ₡24.9K

$56.3 ₡25.4K

-1.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$129 ₡58.1K

$130 ₡58.6K

-0.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$125 ₡56.5K

$134 ₡60.7K

-6.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$816 ₡368.5K

$1,604 ₡724.1K

-49.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$626 ₡282.5K

$640 ₡289.0K

-2.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,903 ₡859.0K

$2,962 ₡1.3M

-35.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,249 ₡563.9K

$1,259 ₡568.4K

-0.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,145 ₡516.7K

$3,601 ₡1.6M

-68.21%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,156 ₡521.7K

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 Ramon: October 24, 2026

Last update for Playa Flamingo: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Ramon

$626 36.2%

Playa Flamingo

$640 38% 2.3% $15

Groceries & Markets

San Ramon

$380 22%

Playa Flamingo

$389 23.1% 2.3% $8.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Ramon

$242 14%

Playa Flamingo

$173 10.3% 28.5% $69

Eating Out

San Ramon

$220 12.7%

Playa Flamingo

$220 13% 0% $0.1

Clothing & Footwear

San Ramon

$171 9.9%

Playa Flamingo

$176 10.5% 3.1% $5.3

Sport & Entertainment

San Ramon

$75 4.3%

Playa Flamingo

$72 4.2% 4.2% $3.1

Getting Around

San Ramon

$16 * 0.9%

Playa Flamingo

$16 * 0.9% 2.2% $0.3

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 $816 in San Ramon and $1,604 in Playa Flamingo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $62 in San Ramon vs $62 in Playa Flamingo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $380 vs $389 per month, with San Ramon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 San Ramon

🇨🇷 Playa Flamingo

🕒 Local time

19:04 7:04 PM

Same time as San Ramon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

10,000

💱 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

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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 Ramon vs Playa Flamingo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Playa Flamingo wins on cost – living expenses run 3% lower than in San Ramon. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Playa Flamingo the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $2,593 in San Ramon and $2,528 in Playa Flamingo to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $816 in San Ramon versus $1,604 in Playa Flamingo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $843 in San Ramon versus $994 in Playa Flamingo. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

All in, you’ll spend $1,729 per month in San Ramon versus $1,686 in Playa Flamingo – Playa Flamingo is about 3% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Playa Flamingo gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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, San Ramon and Playa Flamingo are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.