Playas del Coco Fruit Market Prices + Anika Suites

If you want to see what groceries really cost in Playas del Coco, go to Agro Los Cartagos. It’s the big fruit and vegetable market on the road to Playa Ocotal. Bananas were about a dollar a kilo when I went, and a 15-pack of eggs was about $2.20. I walked there from Anika Boutique Suites, where I stayed this trip, and took you down the main strip on the way.

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Agro Los Cartagos: Fruit Market Prices

Agro Los Cartagos is on the road to Playa Ocotal, about a two-minute walk past the end of the main strip. It’s open 8 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. on weekdays, with shorter hours on Sunday. It’s a big, clean market with a huge produce section. It also has frozen food, dry goods, a deli case and cheese. The prices are on shelf signs in colones. I worked most of them out in dollars as I went, so they’re rounded. Where I could read the shelf sign in the photos, I’ve added the colón price, converted at about ₡500 to the dollar. The exchange rate moves around. As of October 2026 the colón is strong, so your dollars buy a bit less than they used to.

Mamón chino is the red, hairy fruit street vendors sell by the bag. One offered me some on the main strip. In English it’s rambutan. You peel it open and eat the white fruit around the seed. I love those things.

The starfruit price is great. Back home in North America, starfruit counts as an exotic fruit. Here it was $2.40 a kilo.

That’s why I like Agro. They bring in fruit from other parts of Costa Rica. A lot of the street vendors sell the local fruit that’s in season. Agro has a much bigger selection.

The produce is the cheap part. Packaged and imported stuff costs more. A bottle of blue agave was about $10. If you want to know how the rest of a trip adds up, see is Costa Rica expensive.

Playas del Coco also has a Sunday market, right around the corner from Anika. Walk toward the mermaid statue, turn right and go one block. Here’s my latest tour of the Sunday market, and our Sunday market guide has the details.

Where I Stayed: Anika Boutique Suites

Anika Boutique Suites is across the street from the beach, near the north end of the main beach strip. I paid for my own room here and stayed for several months. There’s a secure gate and parking out front. There are 10 rooms with various configurations, 1 or 2 beds.

The shared kitchen is the reason I’d book it again. It has a blender, a toaster oven, a microwave and coffee. There’s a fridge too. I make a smoothie every day, so a blender in the kitchen is a big deal for me. With it, you can shop at the market and cook.

The rooms are set around a pool with a small poolside bar and a grill. I enjoyed the pool many a time, especially during the midday heat. Alongside the pool there’s a lounge area with chairs and fake grass. I chose one of the 4 rooms upstairs. The rest are at ground level. It has a nice view of the pool from the top.

The room itself is simple. You get AC, a bed, your own fridge, a closet with a safe, a chair and a drying rack for wet swim gear. The bathroom has a shower, a toilet and a sink. It’s clean and it works. That’s what I need.

Watch the trees across the street. When I got back from the market, a family of howler monkeys was up there with a little baby.

The beach right by the hotel is where most people launch their boats. A small estuary drains out there, and it’s a popular spot to park the car and watch the sunset. There’s a new restaurant on the sand called Coco Vibe. One tip: the middle of the bay is better for swimming than the far end of the beach. It’s worth checking where a rental is on the beach before you book. For more on the beach itself, see our Coco Beach guide.

I contacted Anika directly to set up my long-term stay. For longer stays, you can arrange it in advance. For a shorter trip, check the Anika Boutique Suites listing on Airbnb or contact the owner directly.

The Walk from Anika to the Main Strip

This is the route I walked from Anika to Agro Los Cartagos. Walk out of Anika toward town. You’ll pass a rental shop. Mopeds were $35 a day. Dirt bikes were $50 to $55 a day. Then comes the police station, and right after it Sal & Fuego, the Argentine steakhouse. A guy out front told me the tomahawk is their best plate. I went back later for the 1,200 gram tomahawk.

The next part is new. The municipality put in a proper sidewalk and a yellow footbridge. Before, this stretch was broken up with dirt sections, so it’s a lot nicer to walk now. Partway along there’s another beach entrance with some parking. The Tortuga Bar and Donde Claudio y Gloria, a beachfront hotel and restaurant, are down there. I can’t vouch for either. I haven’t stayed or eaten there.

Golf carts are huge in Coco. There’s a dealer along this stretch. One cart was $10,000. The one with leather seats was $14,000. Golf cart rentals are readily available throughout town as well, if you don’t want to splurge on a big purchase. There is a new building here too, with skin care, clothing and a pharmacy. It was completed in 2026.

The Main Strip

When you arrive at the main strip, turn right to go to the beach. To the left will take you through the busiest part of town. This is where a lot of the restaurants are. I’ll be up front. I don’t eat out much. I eat eggs and canned tuna most days. So I’m not the guy to rate restaurants. But here’s what you’ll pass.

• Zi Lounge, for pizza, near the beach end of the strip
• A big souvenir shop with hammocks, stuffed animals and art
• A cigar shop
• Tandoor, an Indian restaurant that also has a spot in Tamarindo
• Hot Wok, Villa Italia and Santorini, a popular Greek place
• The casino
• Jimmy’s Burger, great for a quick bite

Shops and restaurants on the strip switch over all the time, so expect a few new names when you visit. At the top of the strip there’s a little convenience store that’s open late. If you need liquor or smokes at 2 a.m., that’s the spot. The strip can be loud, so check our Playas del Coco guide before you book a room on this strip.

The Road to Ocotal

At the end of the strip, turn onto the road to Playa Ocotal. It’s right at the convenience store with the liquor, and you’ll see the large Super Compro sign here as well.

Super Compro is a grocery store with good prices. They’re about the same as Agro Los Cartagos, but with less selection for fresh produce. Across from the Super Compro there’s Wanna Ride, a new rental shop with golf carts and Honda Navis. You can also visit Pollolandia, a chicken chain you’ll see all over Costa Rica. It’s a cheap spot to grab chicken meals, like thighs, legs or a whole BBQ chicken.

Then there’s Buzzed Monkey. Vlad, the owner, told me it’s the only place in town that does smoked meat. Jorge runs the kitchen. Upstairs there’s a VIP area with couches. They have live music, and DJ Devin plays there. Check them out for ladies night.

Across the road is New China, another grocery store. It’s a funny sight. The sign is in English, in a Spanish-speaking country. It has cheap stuff, and it’s the place for pipe tobacco and rolling tobacco. You can get a lot of cheap groceries in New China. This is a convenient spot if you’re staying on the road to Ocotal.

Right after Agro Los Cartagos, a big new bus station is going up. As of October 2026, the buses stop on the main road across from The Gym. Hopefully a station will allow for more defined schedule posting with trips to Liberia.

If you keep going farther down this road, you reach the black sand at Playa Ocotal. That beach is renowned for snorkeling and swimming. It has super calm and clear water.

Back at Anika: The Smoothie

Back in the Anika kitchen, I made my usual smoothie. The base is lentils that soaked all morning. That sounds weird, but it turns the smoothie into a meal. Then I add a banana, about an inch of starfruit, some mango, frozen pineapple and frozen berries. The starfruit, mango and berries came from Agro Los Cartagos that day. Mix frozen fruit and fresh fruit to get the right texture.

She came out a little chunky, but that’s the way I like it. It’s healthy, and it’s so good.

Getting to Playas del Coco

Fly into Liberia. It’s the closest international airport, and El Coco is about 45 minutes away. Get a transfer, a taxi or a rental car at the airport. I use DiscoverCars to compare the agencies. Our Costa Rica rental car guide covers the insurance part.

The roads from Liberia to Coco are all well paved. I’ve found it an easy drive, even at night. You don’t need a 4×4 to get to El Coco.

El Coco is in a protected bay, and lots of boats anchor out front. The main drag runs down to the beach in the middle. Las Palmas is the north end, with cheaper condos that have pools. The high rises in the middle belong to Pacifico. It costs more there, but you get better amenities.

Frequently Asked Questions

For more around town, see the best sunset lookout in Playas del Coco and the Monkey Trail from Coco to Potrero.