Cost of Living Comparison Between Santa Barbara and Playa del Coco Cost of Living Comparison Between Santa Barbara and Playa del Coco

😐 Solo nomad: Santa Barbara is 0.3% more expensive than Playa del Coco without rent, and 12.1% cheaper with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: Santa Barbara is 11.9% cheaper than Playa del Coco without rent, and 12.1% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.82 ₡5,364

$16.08 ₡7,973

-32.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$59.5 ₡29.5K

$79.4 ₡39.4K

-25.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.13 ₡5,025

$10.10 ₡5,008

0.30%

Cappuccino

$3.89 ₡1,929

$7.14 ₡3,539

-45.52%

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

$2.00 ₡989

$2.39 ₡1,187

-16.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.59 ₡788

$1.92 ₡950

-17.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.95 ₡1,461

$3.33 ₡1,649

-11.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.65 ₡2,306

$6.10 ₡3,026

-23.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.06 ₡1,022

$2.59 ₡1,285

-20.46%

White Bread (500g)

$2.76 ₡1,368

$2.90 ₡1,438

-4.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.24 ₡1,111

$2.15 ₡1,066

4.19%

Eggs

$2.92 ₡1,449

$3.01 ₡1,492

-2.99%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.96 ₡4,443

$8.20 ₡4,066

9.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.29 ₡4,608

$12.71 ₡6,299

-26.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.74 ₡6,814

$13.71 ₡6,798

0.22%

Apples (1kg)

$4.53 ₡2,248

$4.54 ₡2,249

-0.22%

Banana (1kg)

$1.26 ₡622

$1.49 ₡741

-15.44%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,165

$4.38 ₡2,172

-46.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.44 ₡1,707

$1.60 ₡793

115.00%

Potato (1kg)

$2.95 ₡1,464

$3.32 ₡1,646

-11.14%

Onion (1kg)

$2.90 ₡1,436

$2.96 ₡1,467

-2.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.73 ₡362

$1.02 ₡503

-28.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.81 ₡1,393

$2.94 ₡1,458

-4.42%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.34 ₡2,648

$4.86 ₡2,412

9.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.28 ₡6,088

$14.11 ₡6,997

-12.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 ₡1,198

$2.20 ₡1,089

10.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.91 ₡1,445

$2.61 ₡1,296

11.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.96 ₡474

$1.17 ₡582

-17.95%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.79 ₡885

$2.93 ₡1,453

-38.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.97 ₡479

$1.85 ₡917

-47.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.78 ₡3,855

$8.12 ₡4,028

-4.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.41 ₡700

$1.89 ₡939

-25.40%

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

$37.5K ₡18.6M

$37.1K ₡18.4M

1.06%

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

$32.0K ₡15.9M

$32.4K ₡16.1M

-1.36%

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

$68.6 ₡34.0K

$174 ₡86.4K

-60.59%

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

$25.60 ₡12.7K

$25.86 ₡12.8K

-1.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$59.2 ₡29.3K

$59.0 ₡29.2K

0.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 ₡28.3K

$56.5 ₡28.0K

0.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.89 ₡11.8K

$23.91 ₡11.9K

-0.08%

Cinema Ticket

$8.89 ₡4,408

$10.14 ₡5,027

-12.33%

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

$568 ₡281.4K

$519 ₡257.3K

9.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K ₡6.4M

$12.7K ₡6.3M

0.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.8 ₡30.6K

$61.3 ₡30.4K

0.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.3 ₡25.9K

$51.4 ₡25.5K

1.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$128 ₡63.3K

$127 ₡62.8K

0.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 ₡53.7K

$107 ₡52.9K

1.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$776 ₡384.5K

$752 ₡372.7K

3.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$587 ₡290.9K

$598 ₡296.3K

-1.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,502 ₡744.8K

$1,489 ₡738.2K

0.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$957 ₡474.3K

$981 ₡486.2K

-2.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,681 ₡833.2K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,670 ₡827.9K

$306 ₡151.5K

446.48%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$708 ₡350.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.17

-11.50%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Santa Barbara: January 12, 2026

Last update for Playa del Coco: January 12, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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