Playas del Coco isn't the sleepy fishing village it used to be. It's now one of the most active real estate markets on Guanacaste's coast — a full-service beach town with a working marina, an established expat community, and a 25-minute drive to Liberia International Airport. If you're thinking about buying or selling here, here's an honest look at where things stand.
Where Prices Stand Right Now
The median home price across Guanacaste sits around $650,000, though Coco itself spans a much wider range depending on proximity to the water and whether a property is turnkey or needs work. Prices across the region actually eased slightly over the past year — down roughly 4% — as inventory built back up and the post-pandemic buying boom normalized. That follows a bigger correction in the luxury segment, which had dropped 30–35% from its 2021–2022 peak before stabilizing and starting to recover in late 2025.
Despite that cooling, Coco and neighboring Playa Hermosa are forecast among the fastest-appreciating zones in Guanacaste, with analysts projecting roughly 7–11% annual growth going forward — driven largely by airport access and steady long-term rental demand.
A Buyer-Friendly Window, For Now
Inventory has grown to roughly 8–12 months of supply in Guanacaste, compared to 4–6 months in a balanced market — meaning buyers currently have more room to negotiate than they did a couple of years ago. Homes sit on the market for an average of around 340 days, though that number is skewed by overpriced listings; well-priced, turnkey properties near the beach in Coco often move in closer to 180 days.
What that means practically: if you're selling, pricing realistically and presenting the property well (clean, staged, professionally photographed) makes a real difference in how fast it moves and how close to asking it sells. If you're buying, there's currently more negotiating leverage than the market has offered in years.
What's Driving Demand
The biggest tailwind for Coco is Liberia's airport. Arrivals were up 14.6% year-over-year from January through May 2026, and the airport just posted its strongest first quarter ever. Canadian travel alone is up over 33% year-to-date. A $6 million modernization project — a new VIP lounge, a private aviation terminal, and expanded parking — is underway through 2027, which points to continued investment in the region's connectivity rather than a slowdown.
On the ground, that traffic translates into steady demand for long-term and short-term rentals, which is part of why Coco shows up repeatedly as one of the stronger rental markets on this coast — useful context whether you're buying a primary home or an investment property.
What to Look For, Buying or Selling
If you're buying: focus on turnkey condition, proximity to the beach and marina, and confirm title and maritime zone status before making an offer — these are the details that separate a smooth closing from a drawn-out one. If you're selling: expect a longer average timeline than during the pandemic-era rush, and treat pricing and presentation as your two biggest levers for a faster, cleaner sale.
Every property and every situation is different. If you want a read on what a specific home might sell for, or what's realistic to offer on something you've found, I'm happy to walk through the numbers with you.