Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Acosta and Nosara

For one person, living costs are similar in Acosta and in Nosara: $1,752 and $1,839 a month, rent and utilities included.

82

Cost of Living Index in Acosta
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Acosta Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Acosta

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,752

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Acosta and in Nosara

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Acosta and in Nosara actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,752 in Acosta versus $1,839 in Nosara.

Acosta $1,752
Nosara $1,839

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,725 in Acosta versus $2,828 in Nosara.

Acosta $2,725
Nosara $2,828

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,698 in Acosta versus $3,818 in Nosara.

Acosta $3,698
Nosara $3,818

Living in Acosta costs roughly 5% less than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Acosta 30% above, Nosara 36% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.88 ₡5,328

$12.35 ₡5,539

-3.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$59.0 ₡26.4K

$61.2 ₡27.4K

-3.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.56 ₡5,184

$7.52 ₡3,373

53.72%

Cappuccino

$4.17 ₡1,869

$4.41 ₡1,978

-5.44%

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

$2.54 ₡1,138

$1.74 ₡780

45.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 ₡830

$1.31 ₡587

41.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 ₡1,432

$3.28 ₡1,471

-2.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.37 ₡1,960

$4.47 ₡2,004

-2.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.09 ₡938

$1.56 ₡701

33.97%

White Bread (500g)

$2.47 ₡1,110

$3.02 ₡1,355

-18.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.30 ₡1,032

$2.51 ₡1,125

-8.37%

Eggs

$3.75 ₡1,680

$3.57 ₡1,603

5.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.95 ₡4,912

$7.43 ₡3,333

47.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.91 ₡4,894

$10.52 ₡4,717

3.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.12 ₡6,781

$13.97 ₡6,265

8.23%

Apples (1kg)

$5.79 ₡2,595

$2.35 ₡1,052

146.38%

Banana (1kg)

$1.78 ₡799

$1.61 ₡720

10.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.53 ₡1,584

$4.80 ₡2,152

-26.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.23 ₡1,448

$1.61 ₡724

100.62%

Potato (1kg)

$3.26 ₡1,464

$3.80 ₡1,703

-14.21%

Onion (1kg)

$3.44 ₡1,544

$3.69 ₡1,657

-6.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.05 ₡471

$1.13 ₡507

-7.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.39 ₡1,073

$2.66 ₡1,191

-10.15%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.94 ₡2,215

$5.18 ₡2,321

-4.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.53 ₡7,861

$19.88 ₡8,916

-11.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.27 ₡1,019

$2.90 ₡1,300

-21.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.46 ₡1,104

$3.63 ₡1,626

-32.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.15 ₡516

$1.12 ₡504

2.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.29 ₡1,026

$2.14 ₡958

7.01%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.59 ₡715

$1.57 ₡703

1.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.52 ₡4,271

$8.52 ₡3,823

11.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 ₡653

$1.52 ₡682

-3.95%

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

$22.2K ₡10.0M

$21.6K ₡9.7M

2.83%

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

$30.8K ₡13.8M

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-10.78%

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

$93.7 ₡42.0K

$96.3 ₡43.2K

-2.66%

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

$34.27 ₡15.4K

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-4.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.5 ₡25.8K

$53.6 ₡24.0K

7.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$76.9 ₡34.5K

$71.6 ₡32.1K

7.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$7.96 ₡3,571

$7.89 ₡3,539

0.89%

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

$845 ₡379.1K

$494 ₡221.6K

71.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.3K ₡8.2M

$11.9K ₡5.3M

54.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$81.0 ₡36.3K

$53.9 ₡24.2K

50.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$143 ₡64.0K

$77.9 ₡34.9K

83.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$114 ₡51.3K

$79.6 ₡35.7K

43.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$787 ₡353.0K

$788 ₡353.4K

-0.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$686 ₡307.7K

$794 ₡356.2K

-13.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,977 ₡886.4K

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-49.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 ₡571.5K

$1,419 ₡636.5K

-10.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,943 ₡871.5K

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-71.88%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,511 ₡677.5K

$864 ₡387.3K

74.95%

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 Acosta: October 11, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Acosta

$686 39.2%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 15.8% $108

Groceries & Markets

Acosta

$373 21.3%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 5.7% $21

Eating Out

Acosta

$222 12.7%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 4.6% $10

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Acosta

$186 10.6%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 0.1% $0.3

Clothing & Footwear

Acosta

$177 10.1%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 32.2% $57

Sport & Entertainment

Acosta

$93 5.3%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 5.9% $5.5

Getting Around

Acosta

$15 * 0.9%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 486% $72

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $787 in Acosta and $788 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Acosta pays 75% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $59.0 in Acosta vs $61.0 in Nosara. Groceries flip the comparison at $373 vs $352, with Nosara cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Acosta

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

22:26 10:26 PM

Same time as Acosta

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,072

4,912

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Acosta Nosara 160 km

From you

Acosta
Nosara

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

Acosta vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Acosta and Nosara differ by about 5% in total monthly costs ($1,752 vs $1,839 including rent). Acosta is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 75% higher in Acosta, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $787 in Acosta versus $788 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Nosara pay roughly 6% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you'll spend $1,752 per month in Acosta versus $1,839 in Nosara – a 5% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,752 in Acosta versus $1,839 in Nosara, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Acosta but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Acosta the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Acosta and Nosara are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Acosta gentler on the wallet – expenses run 5% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.