2.09/5
158 reviews
Photo by Frank Eiffert via Unsplash

Cost of Living in Puerto Viejo

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beach

night

experience

wifi

spots

coworking

jungle

cities

del

great

carribean

outdoor

cool

playa

cocles

food

Puerto Viejo is a charming town with a mix of Caribbean and Latin American culture that appeals to visitors looking for nature, great food, and a laid-back lifestyle. You'll find lots to do outdoors, including hiking in nearby Cahuita National Park, beach volleyball at Playa Cocles, and visiting stunning beaches like Playa Negra and Punta Uva. The food is a highlight, with strong Jamaican influences, and the nightlife offers daily events with different music vibes, often set right by the beach. People are friendly, and interactions with locals can lead to memorable and unique experiences.

In terms of infrastructure, Puerto Viejo has improved its internet offerings, with decent Wi-Fi at Airbnb rentals and cafes. Some newer coworking spots like Boa Coworking are now available, though overall there is a limited digital nomad community. While generally safe, it's best not to carry valuables unnecessarily. The cost of living is higher here than in neighboring countries, and access to advanced tech goods or medical care can be challenging due to its remote location. Overall, Puerto Viejo is well-suited for short- to medium-term stays or vacations rather than long-term remote work.

AI-generated summary of reviews
5 months ago

Puerto Viejo has grown in recent years. Before wifi was hard to find. Now with several high speed co working spots like "Boa Coworking and cafe". Office in the jungle but walking distance to all thats necessary!

2 years ago

I don’t know why Costa Rican cities aren’t ranked higher on this list. Puerto Viejo is an amazing fun little town with a lot to do. I took a bus ride here from Bocas Del Toro, Panama after spending time there and I really enjoyed it.

It’s great because it’s like a mix of Carribean and Latin American vibes. There are so many outdoor activities to do here. there‘a Cahuita national park if you want to go hiking and see a lot of cool animals, there’s beach volleyball everyday at playa cocles, the black sand beach at playa negra is beautiful, Punta Uva has some stunning views. It also has the best food in Costa Rica since the food is more Jamaican inspired. Every evening there’s usually something going on somewhere whether it’s salsa night, reggaeton night, carribean music night, or an EDM DJ playing. The most popular places for nightlife have their outdoor area right on the beach is also really cool. I was initially worried about getting reliable Wi-Fi but it actually turned out to work fine at my airbnb and most cafe/lunch spots. There aren’t really coworking spaces though.

The main cons I see is that it’s still Costa Rica so it is pricier than other nearby countries. Also the tech & medical infrastructure is not the best and it’s kind of far from any major cities so if you get sick/injured or need to buy some tech merchandise it will cause some difficulty. Last if you’re looking for a digital nomad community to do some networking you’re not going to find that here.

Overall I give it a 6.5/10 for nomading and an 8/10 for vacation.

2 years ago

In general, Puerto Viejo is a nice place to visit. Safe unless you insist going around with valuables and healthy unless you Purposely look for something else. You can have a great experience if you try to talk to locals and understand local habits. I had a very nice familiar and human experience with some locals who rent a container house in Cocles, in the middle of the jungle, unique experience El Nido del Buho.

2 years ago

✅ Very safe

✅ Fast internet

✅ Warm all year

✅ Friendly people

✅ Very clean

✅ Lots of fun stuff to do

✅ Warm now

✅ Good air quality on average

✅ Nomads.com members liked going here a lot

✅ Many Nomads.com members have been

✅ Spacious and not crowded

✅ Very easy to make friends

✅ Easy to do business

✅ High quality of education

✅ Roads are pretty safe

✅ Great freedom of speech

✅ Democratic

✅ Safe for women

✅ Family friendly

✅ Very friendly to LGBTQ+

✅ Not many people smoke tobacco

✅ (Medical) marijuana MAY be legal, unenforced or decriminalized (always double check this)

❌ Pricey

❌ Limited tech and medical infrastructure

❌ Weak digital nomad community

❌ Very expensive

❌ Not very safe

❌ Pretty slow internet

❌ Very sweaty and humid now

❌ Not many Nomads.com members right now

❌ Hospitals are bad

❌ People don't speak English well

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Feels (median)

30°C / 86°F warm

29°C / 84°F warm

30°C / 86°F warm

33°C / 91°F hot

32°C / 90°F hot

33°C / 91°F hot

32°C / 90°F hot

33°C / 91°F hot

32°C / 90°F hot

30°C / 86°F warm

Real (median)

26°C / 79°F
warm

27°C / 80°F
warm

27°C / 81°F
warm

28°C / 82°F
very warm

27°C / 81°F
warm

26°C / 79°F
warm

Humidity

nice
88%

sweaty
85%

sweaty
93%

sweaty
91%

sweaty
93%

sweaty
91%

sweaty
89%

sweaty
88%

sweaty
87%

nice
91%

Most common

Rain

rainy
208mm

rainy
174mm

rainy
159mm

rainy
208mm

rainy
378mm

rainy
266mm

rainy
519mm

rainy
312mm

rainy
288mm

rainy
283mm

rainy
336mm

rainy
415mm

Cloud

pockets
29%

pockets
27%

pockets
25%

pockets
35%

pockets
36%

pockets
35%

pockets
39%

pockets
36%

pockets
33%

pockets
30%

pockets
28%

Sun

avoid sun
8 UVI

avoid sun
10 UVI

avoid sun
11 UVI

avoid sun
9 UVI

avoid sun
8 UVI

avoid sun
7 UVI

avoid sun
8 UVI

Remote workers

422 people

543 people

360 people

486 people

400 people

433 people

267 people

300 people

340 people

429 people

356 people

Green is good. Red is bad. Values shown are the medians of all daily highs in a month based on past few years, not necessarily current numbers. Remote worker count is estimated based on the total amount of trips logged by Nomads.com members.

If you'd like to filter destinations based on their climate, try Nomads.com's Climate Finder

Based on Puerto Viejo's cost of living, here's selected remote jobs that would cover your costs:

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Bocas del Toro

Panama

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 🧐 Pricey

📡 InternetWiFi 🙂 Good

👍 Liked great

👮 Safety bad

Tap to open

🌦 Feels 32° 90° 28° 82°

🚕2h

$3,690 / mo

9 Mbps

San José

Costa Rica

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 🧐 Pricey

📡 InternetWiFi 🙂 Good

👍 Liked bad

👮 Safety very bad

Tap to open

🌦 Feels 25° 77° 25° 77°

✈️13min

$3,369 / mo

9 Mbps

Santa Teresa

Costa Rica

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 🧐 Very expensive

📡 InternetWiFi 🙂 Good

👍 Liked bad

👮 Safety bad

Tap to open

🌦 Feels 31° 88° 27° 81° 🥵

✈️21min

$4,540 / mo

35 Mbps

Liberia

Costa Rica

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 😙 Affordable

📡 InternetWiFi 🙂 Good

👍 Liked great

👮 Safety bad

Tap to open

🌥 Feels 34° 93° 29° 84°

✈️25min

$2,442 / mo

8 Mbps

Tamarindo

Costa Rica

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 🧐 Very expensive

📡 InternetWiFi 🙂 Good

👍 Liked great

👮 Safety mediocre

Tap to open

🌦 Feels 34° 93° 29° 84°

✈️28min

$4,257 / mo

9 Mbps

Panama City

Panama

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 🙂 Okay

📡 InternetWiFi 🙂 Good

👍 Liked mediocre

👮 Safety bad

Tap to open

🌥 Feels 32° 90° 28° 83° 🥵

✈️29min

$2,556 / mo

10 Mbps

San Juan del Sur

Nicaragua

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 🙂 Okay

📡 InternetWiFi 🙂 Good

👍 Liked bad

👮 Safety bad

Tap to open

🌦 Feels 31° 88° 27° 81° 🥵

✈️31min

$2,619 / mo

6 Mbps

Managua

Nicaragua

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 😙 Affordable

📡 InternetWiFi 🙂 Good

👍 Liked very bad

👮 Safety bad

Tap to open

🌥 Feels 36° 97° 30° 86° 🥵

✈️38min

$1,357 / mo

5 Mbps

León

Nicaragua

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 😙 Affordable

📡 InternetWiFi 🙂 Good

👍 Liked bad

👮 Safety bad

Tap to open

🌥 Feels 35° 95° 30° 86° 🥵

✈️44min

$1,289 / mo

6 Mbps

Tegucigalpa

Honduras

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 😙 Affordable

📡 InternetWiFi 🙂 Good

👍 Liked very bad

👮 Safety very bad

Tap to open

🌥 Feels 21° 70° 21° 70°

✈️56min

$1,346 / mo

7 Mbps

Cartagena

Colombia

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 😙 Affordable

📡 InternetWiFi 🙂 Good

👍 Liked bad

👮 Safety mediocre

Tap to open

🌥 Feels 31° 88° 28° 83°

✈️1h

$1,770 / mo

9 Mbps

San Salvador

El Salvador

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 😙 Affordable

📡 InternetWiFi 🙂 Good

👍 Liked great

👮 Safety mediocre

Tap to open

🌥 Feels 34° 93° 29° 84°

✈️1h

$2,094 / mo

6 Mbps

Mexico City

Mexico

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 😙 Affordable

📡 InternetWiFi 🙂 Good

👍 Liked good

👮 Safety bad

Tap to open

☀️ Feels 19° 66° 19° 67° AQI 72 😷

✈️3h

$2,094 / mo

12 Mbps

San Francisco, CA

United States

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 😳 Extremely expensive

📡 InternetWiFi 🙂 Good

👍 Liked bad

👮 Safety bad

Tap to open

☀️ Feels 13° 55° 12° 54°

✈️7h

$5,537 / mo

90 Mbps

Barcelona

Spain

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 🧐 Very expensive

📡 InternetWiFi 🙂 Good

👍 Liked bad

👮 Safety good

Tap to open

🌥 Feels 17° 63° 16° 61° AQI 57 😷

✈️12h

$4,461 / mo

40 Mbps

Medellín

Colombia

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 😙 Affordable

📡 InternetWiFi 🙂 Good

👍 Liked mediocre

👮 Safety bad

Tap to open

🌫 Feels 19° 66° 19° 65° AQI 76 😷

✈️1h

$1,509 / mo

10 Mbps

Bangkok

Thailand

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 😙 Affordable

📡 InternetWiFi 🙂 Good

👍 Liked mediocre

👮 Safety good

Tap to open

🌥 Feels 31° 88° 29° 84° AQI 97 😷

✈️23h

$1,613 / mo

24 Mbps

Miami, FL

United States

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 😳 Extremely expensive

📡 InternetWiFi 🙂 Good

👍 Liked good

👮 Safety bad

Tap to open

☀️ Feels 29° 84° 26° 79° 🥵

✈️2h

$5,881 / mo

45 Mbps

New York City, NY

United States

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 😳 Extremely expensive

📡 InternetWiFi 🙂 Good

👍 Liked good

👮 Safety mediocre

Tap to open

🌤 Feels -1° 30° 1° 33°

✈️5h

$7,081 / mo

34 Mbps

Los Angeles, CA

United States

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 😳 Extremely expensive

📡 InternetWiFi 🙂 Good

👍 Liked mediocre

👮 Safety bad

Tap to open

☀️ Feels 18° 64° 18° 65° AQI 42

✈️6h

$5,064 / mo

82 Mbps

Madrid

Spain

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 🧐 Very expensive

📡 InternetWiFi 🙂 Good

👍 Liked good

👮 Safety good

Tap to open

🌥 Feels 12° 54° 12° 54° AQI 30

✈️11h

$4,396 / mo

40 Mbps

Lisbon

Portugal

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 🧐 Pricey

📡 InternetWiFi 🙂 Good

👍 Liked bad

👮 Safety good

Tap to open

🌦 Feels 17° 63° 16° 61° AQI 34

✈️11h

$3,821 / mo

74 Mbps

Buenos Aires

Argentina

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 😙 Affordable

📡 InternetWiFi 🙂 Good

👍 Liked bad

👮 Safety mediocre

Tap to open

🌥 Feels 30° 86° 29° 85°

✈️7h

$1,627 / mo

13 Mbps

Berlin

Germany

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 🧐 Very expensive

📡 InternetWiFi 🙂 Good

👍 Liked bad

👮 Safety good

Tap to open

🌥 Feels 1° 34° 3° 38° AQI 80 😷

✈️13h

$4,094 / mo

35 Mbps

Bocas del Toro

Panama

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 🧐 Pricey

📡 InternetWiFi 🙂 Good

👍 Liked great

👮 Safety bad

Tap to open

🌦 Feels 32° 90° 28° 82°

🚕2h

$3,690 / mo

🌇 Also went here44 people

San José

Costa Rica

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 🧐 Pricey

📡 InternetWiFi 🙂 Good

👍 Liked bad

👮 Safety very bad

Tap to open

🌦 Feels 25° 77° 25° 77°

✈️13min

$3,369 / mo

🌇 Also went here66 people

Panama City

Panama

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 🙂 Okay

📡 InternetWiFi 🙂 Good

👍 Liked mediocre

👮 Safety bad

Tap to open

🌥 Feels 32° 90° 28° 83° 🥵

✈️29min

$2,556 / mo

🌇 Also went here40 people

Medellín

Colombia

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 😙 Affordable

📡 InternetWiFi 🙂 Good

👍 Liked mediocre

👮 Safety bad

Tap to open

🌫 Feels 19° 66° 19° 65° AQI 76 😷

✈️1h

$1,509 / mo

🌇 Also went here68 people

Playa del Carmen

Mexico

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 🙂 Okay

📡 InternetWiFi 🙂 Good

👍 Liked mediocre

👮 Safety bad

Tap to open

🌦 Feels 32° 90° 28° 82° 🥵

✈️2h

$2,801 / mo

🌇 Also went here51 people

Mexico City

Mexico

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 😙 Affordable

📡 InternetWiFi 🙂 Good

👍 Liked good

👮 Safety bad

Tap to open

☀️ Feels 19° 66° 19° 67° AQI 72 😷

✈️3h

$2,094 / mo

🌇 Also went here66 people

New York City, NY

United States

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 😳 Extremely expensive

📡 InternetWiFi 🙂 Good

👍 Liked good

👮 Safety mediocre

Tap to open

🌤 Feels -1° 30° 1° 33°

✈️5h

$7,081 / mo

🌇 Also went here49 people

Buenos Aires

Argentina

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 😙 Affordable

📡 InternetWiFi 🙂 Good

👍 Liked bad

👮 Safety mediocre

Tap to open

🌥 Feels 30° 86° 29° 85°

✈️7h

$1,627 / mo

🌇 Also went here43 people

Lisbon

Portugal

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 🧐 Pricey

📡 InternetWiFi 🙂 Good

👍 Liked bad

👮 Safety good

Tap to open

🌦 Feels 17° 63° 16° 61° AQI 34

✈️11h

$3,821 / mo

🌇 Also went here46 people

London

United Kingdom

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 😳 Extremely expensive

📡 InternetWiFi 🙂 Good

👍 Liked mediocre

👮 Safety mediocre

Tap to open

🌦 Feels 10° 50° 11° 52° AQI 25

✈️12h

$5,798 / mo

🌇 Also went here54 people

Paris

France

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 😳 Extremely expensive

📡 InternetWiFi 🙂 Good

👍 Liked bad

👮 Safety mediocre

Tap to open

🌦 Feels 10° 50° 11° 52° AQI 50

✈️12h

$5,527 / mo

🌇 Also went here49 people

Barcelona

Spain

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 🧐 Very expensive

📡 InternetWiFi 🙂 Good

👍 Liked bad

👮 Safety good

Tap to open

🌥 Feels 17° 63° 16° 61° AQI 57 😷

✈️12h

$4,461 / mo

🌇 Also went here49 people

Berlin

Germany

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 🧐 Very expensive

📡 InternetWiFi 🙂 Good

👍 Liked bad

👮 Safety good

Tap to open

🌥 Feels 1° 34° 3° 38° AQI 80 😷

✈️13h

$4,094 / mo

🌇 Also went here48 people

Bangkok

Thailand

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 😙 Affordable

📡 InternetWiFi 🙂 Good

👍 Liked mediocre

👮 Safety good

Tap to open

🌥 Feels 31° 88° 29° 84° AQI 97 😷

✈️23h

$1,613 / mo

🌇 Also went here53 people

Kuala Lumpur

Malaysia

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 😙 Affordable

📡 InternetWiFi 🙂 Good

👍 Liked mediocre

👮 Safety mediocre

Tap to open

🌦 Feels 32° 90° 27° 80° 🥵

✈️25h

$1,571 / mo

🌇 Also went here40 people

Members who will be here soon

Members who have been here

Values shown are estimated visits by traveling remote workers based on the total amount of trips logged by Nomads.com members. Visits to a place are only counted once per year per user, even if they visit more in that year. Visits are also normalized by overall trips added per month on the site, so if site usage goes up or down it does not affect trends. Not all digital nomads are on Nomads.com, and not all Nomads.com members log their trips. So the data is only indicative.

The chart below shows visitors by nationality normalized for population size. This means we take all trips logged on Nomads.com, check which country of origin the user is from, then divide that total visit count by the country of origin's population. If we didn't, it'd just show the big countries like US, Brazil and India always on top. Instead, this shows which nationalities worldwide proportionally visit more or less, which is more useful.

⭐️ Total score	2.09/5 (Rank #246) 158 reviews
❤️ Liked by members	👍3 liked it 👎0 disliked it
👍 Quality of life score	Good
👶 Family score	Okay
🎒 Community score	Okay
💵 Cost	🧐 Pricey: $3,361 / mo
📡 Internet	😡 Slow: 9 Mbps (avg)
😝 Fun	Good
⛅️ Temperature (now)	🥵 Hot: 27°C81°F (feels 30°C86°F)
💦 Humidity (now)	🥵 Sweaty: 74%
👌 Safety	Okay
👩 Safe for women	Okay
🌈 Safe for LGBTQ+	Great
🤮 Food safety*	Great
👮‍♀️ Lack of crime*	Bad
🤝 Lack of racism*	Good
🎓 Education level*	Mediocre
⚡️ Power grid	Great
🌊 Vulnerability to climate change	Great
💰 Income level*	Low: $985 / mo
🙊 English speaking*	Okay
🚶 Walkability	Okay
🚦 Traffic safety*	Okay
✈️ Airline scores*	Great
🧳 Lost luggage*	Great
😄 Happiness*	Okay
🍸 Nightlife	Bad
📶 Free WiFi in city	Bad
🖥 Places to work from	Great
❄️ A/C or heating	Bad
😁 Friendly to foreigners	Good
🗯 Freedom of speech*	Great
🎅 Startup Score	Bad

🌍 Continent	Latin America
🚩 Country	Costa Rica
🗓️ Average trip length	14 days
📡 Internet speed (avg)	9 Mbps
⛅️ Weather (now)	🌥 27°C 81°F + 🥵 Sweaty (74%) = feels 30°C 86°F
🔌 Power	115V 60Hz
🚑 Travel medical insurance	Safetywing
💸 1,000 CRC in USD	USD 2.05
🏧 Suggested ATM take out:	CRC 100,000 = USD 205
💸 Tipping	No
💳 Cashless	💵 No, cash only (esp. for foreigners)
💻 Best coworking space	Loop
🚰 Tap water	🚫 No, not drinkable
♻️ Return rate	8% of visitors return
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Population	10,000 people
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 GDP per capita*	$11,825 / year
👫 Gender ratio (population)	👨 51% 👱‍♀️ 49%
👫 Gender ratio (young adults)	👨 52% 👱‍♀️ 48%
👫 Gender ratio (nomads)	👨 68% 👱‍♀️ 32%
🏞 Foreign land ownership allowed	Yes
⛪️ Religious government	Religious
🏠 Apartment listings	Encuentra24
✈️ Best short-haul air carrier	Nature Air
✈️ Best int'l air carrier	Nature Air
🏥 Best hospital	Hone Creek Clinic

💵 Cost of living for nomad	$3,361 / month
💵 Cost of living for expat	$2,034 / month
💵 Cost of living for family	$3,662 / month
💵 Cost of living for local	$1,046 / month
🏨 Hotel (median price)	$2,225 / month
🏡 Airbnb (median price)	$3,009 / month
🏠 1br studio rent in center	$717 / month
🏠 Median home price	$409
🏨 Hotel (median price)	$104 / night
🏠 Airbnb (median price)	$99 / night
🏢 Coworking hot desk	$203 / month
🍛 Dinner	$12
🥤 Coca-Cola (0.3L)	$2
🍺 Beer in cafe (0.5L)	$4
☕️ Coffee in cafe	$3