Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Coco: $1,676 a month against $2,000 in Santa Ana, rent and utilities included – about $3,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

96

Cost of Living Index in Santa Ana
Learn more

Santa Ana Living Index
84

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Coco
Learn more

Playa del Coco Living Index

Jump to prices

Santa Ana

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,000

/mo nomad

Playa del Coco

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,676

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,000 per month in Santa Ana vs $1,676 in Playa del Coco, rent included.

Santa Ana $2,000
Playa del Coco $1,676

A couple spends around $3,255 per month in Santa Ana vs $2,700 in Playa del Coco, rent included.

Santa Ana $3,255
Playa del Coco $2,700

A family of three spends $4,510 per month in Santa Ana vs $3,724 in Playa del Coco, rent included.

Santa Ana $4,510
Playa del Coco $3,724

Santa Ana costs about 19% more than Playa del Coco, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Santa Ana and Playa del Coco sit above the global median – Santa Ana by 47%, Playa del Coco by 23%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.14 ₡5,481

$18.46 ₡8,332

-34.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.0 ₡28.0K

$58.1 ₡26.2K

6.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.85 ₡5,349

$13.36 ₡6,032

-11.30%

Cappuccino

$4.52 ₡2,039

$4.35 ₡1,966

3.91%

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

$2.23 ₡1,007

$2.65 ₡1,197

-15.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.33 ₡602

$1.60 ₡724

-16.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.38 ₡1,527

$3.58 ₡1,614

-5.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.37 ₡1,971

$6.15 ₡2,776

-28.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.26 ₡1,020

$2.30 ₡1,040

-1.74%

White Bread (500g)

$3.13 ₡1,414

$2.79 ₡1,260

12.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.50 ₡1,126

$2.44 ₡1,103

2.46%

Eggs

$3.58 ₡1,618

$3.56 ₡1,606

0.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.75 ₡4,854

$10.56 ₡4,766

1.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.63 ₡4,798

$10.58 ₡4,778

0.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.92 ₡6,283

$16.10 ₡7,267

-13.54%

Apples (1kg)

$5.03 ₡2,271

$5.57 ₡2,517

-9.69%

Banana (1kg)

$1.65 ₡745

$1.77 ₡798

-6.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.71 ₡2,127

$3.84 ₡1,732

22.66%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.92 ₡1,770

$3.58 ₡1,615

9.50%

Potato (1kg)

$3.77 ₡1,703

$3.43 ₡1,549

9.91%

Onion (1kg)

$3.62 ₡1,635

$3.07 ₡1,387

17.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ₡504

$1.20 ₡543

-6.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.85 ₡837

$2.67 ₡1,207

-30.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.77 ₡2,606

$5.81 ₡2,624

-0.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.73 ₡8,005

$16.66 ₡7,521

6.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.81 ₡1,270

$2.51 ₡1,132

11.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.65 ₡1,194

$2.65 ₡1,195

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.33 ₡600

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.41 ₡1,086

$2.46 ₡1,110

-2.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 ₡702

$1.55 ₡701

0.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.68 ₡3,917

$9.30 ₡4,200

-6.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡711

$1.58 ₡714

-0.63%

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

$28.1K ₡12.7M

$34.3K ₡15.5M

-18.19%

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

$37.6K ₡17.0M

$41.0K ₡18.5M

-8.29%

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

$94.4 ₡42.6K

$93.6 ₡42.3K

0.90%

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

$33.36 ₡15.1K

$29.79 ₡13.4K

11.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.1 ₡22.6K

$58.3 ₡26.3K

-13.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$158 ₡71.3K

$71.1 ₡32.1K

122.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.03 ₡9,945

Cinema Ticket

$7.91 ₡3,570

$7.18 ₡3,241

10.17%

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

$993 ₡448.3K

$756 ₡341.1K

31.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.1K ₡7.7M

$17.0K ₡7.7M

0.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$65.7 ₡29.7K

$82.1 ₡37.1K

-19.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.0 ₡25.7K

$55.6 ₡25.1K

2.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$129 ₡58.2K

$110 ₡49.6K

17.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 ₡59.6K

$116 ₡52.5K

13.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,088 ₡491.4K

$882 ₡398.0K

23.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$859 ₡388.0K

$559 ₡252.2K

53.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,913 ₡1.3M

$1,979 ₡893.5K

47.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,897 ₡856.3K

$1,193 ₡538.4K

59.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,721 ₡1.2M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,693 ₡764.4K

$334 ₡150.8K

406.75%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,418 ₡640.0K

$772 ₡348.4K

83.68%

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 Santa Ana: October 24, 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

Santa Ana

$859 43%

Playa del Coco

$559 33.3% 35% $301

Groceries & Markets

Santa Ana

$379 19%

Playa del Coco

$384 22.9% 1.3% $5

Eating Out

Santa Ana

$227 11.3%

Playa del Coco

$287 17.1% 26.6% $60

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santa Ana

$178 8.9%

Playa del Coco

$182 10.8% 2.1% $3.7

Sport & Entertainment

Santa Ana

$174 8.7%

Playa del Coco

$85 5.1% 50.9% $88

Clothing & Footwear

Santa Ana

$173 8.6%

Playa del Coco

$164 9.8% 5.1% $8.8

Getting Around

Santa Ana

$10 * 0.5%

Playa del Coco

$16 * 0.9% 52.7% $5.4

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,088 in Santa Ana 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.

Salaries run about 84% higher in Santa Ana. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $62 in Santa Ana versus $58 in Playa del Coco. Groceries tell a different story – $379 in Santa Ana vs $384 in Playa del Coco – so Santa Ana wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Santa Ana

🇨🇷 Playa del Coco

🕒 Local time

22:39 10:39 PM

Same time as Santa Ana

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

13,000

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Santa Ana Playa del Coco 180 km

From you

Santa Ana
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

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

Santa Ana costs about 19% more than Playa del Coco, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from leisure. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,000 per month in Santa Ana 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 $1,088 in Santa Ana.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,000 in Santa Ana and $1,676 in Playa del Coco. That makes Playa del Coco about 16% cheaper.

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

Families tend to lean toward Playa del Coco – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Playa del Coco. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Santa Ana makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.