Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Aguada and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Aguada: $1,176 a month against $1,837 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $7,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

86

Cost of Living Index in Aguada
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Aguada Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Aguada

🇵🇷 Puerto Rico

$1,176

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Aguada 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 Aguada and in Nosara actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,176 in Aguada versus $1,837 in Nosara.

Aguada $1,176
Nosara $1,837

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,209 in Aguada versus $2,775 in Nosara.

Aguada $1,209
Nosara $2,775

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,242 in Aguada versus $3,712 in Nosara.

Aguada $1,242
Nosara $3,712

Living in Aguada costs roughly 36% less than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Aguada is 12% below, Nosara is 37% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.10 $11.10

$12.22 ₡5,509

-9.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.2 ₡27.1K

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.88 $11.88

$7.54 ₡3,399

57.56%

Cappuccino

$2.02 $2.02

$4.31 ₡1,941

-53.13%

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

$2.05 $2.05

$1.72 ₡773

19.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.02 $1.02

$1.35 ₡608

-24.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.54 $1.54

$3.24 ₡1,459

-52.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.94 $2.94

$4.48 ₡2,018

-34.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 $1.70

$1.57 ₡707

8.28%

White Bread (500g)

$2.48 $2.48

$3.17 ₡1,429

-21.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 ₡1,091

Eggs

$4.41 $4.41

$3.57 ₡1,609

23.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,349

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.42 ₡4,697

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.66 ₡6,156

Apples (1kg)

$2.32 ₡1,044

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡728

Oranges (1kg)

$4.74 ₡2,138

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 ₡747

Potato (1kg)

$3.72 ₡1,679

Onion (1kg)

$3.57 ₡1,611

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 ₡497

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.55 ₡1,149

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.95 ₡2,232

Wine (Bottle)

$20.01 ₡9,020

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.79 ₡1,256

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.53 ₡1,589

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.19 ₡537

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.1 ₡32.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.24 ₡1,011

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 ₡701

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₡3,993

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.91 $0.91

$1.57 ₡708

-42.04%

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

$21.8K ₡9.8M

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

$34.6K ₡15.6M

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

$251 $251

$93.5 ₡42.1K

168.97%

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

$60.6 $60.6

$35.11 ₡15.8K

72.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.5 ₡23.2K

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.6 $55.6

$71.4 ₡32.2K

-22.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.44 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$5.93 $5.93

$7.84 ₡3,535

-24.36%

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

$509 $509

$490 ₡220.7K

3.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.4M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$35.56 $35.56

$53.5 ₡24.1K

-33.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.63 $39.63

$55.8 ₡25.1K

-28.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.3 $81.3

$79.3 ₡35.7K

2.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$99.5 $99.5

$78.9 ₡35.6K

26.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$501 $501

$786 ₡354.3K

-36.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$456 $456

$780 ₡351.6K

-41.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,860 ₡1.7M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 ₡634.4K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,972 ₡3.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,201 ₡541.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,184 $2,184

$876 ₡395.0K

149.17%

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 Aguada: October 4, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Aguada

$456 38.5%

Nosara

$780 43% 71.1% $324

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Aguada

$312 * 26.3%

Nosara

$180 9.9% 42.3% $132

Eating Out

Aguada

$175 14.7%

Nosara

$209 11.6% 20% $35

Clothing & Footwear

Aguada

$115 9.7%

Nosara

$120 6.6% 4.4% $5.1

Sport & Entertainment

Aguada

$68 5.7%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 29% $20

Groceries & Markets

Aguada

$59 * 5%

Nosara

$350 19.3% 488% $290

Getting Around

Aguada

- * 0%

Nosara

$87 4.8%

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 $501 in Aguada and $786 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Aguada pays 149% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Good to know

🇵🇷 Aguada

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

03:12 3:12 AM

01:12 1:12 AM

2 h behind Aguada

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

41,000

4,912

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 506 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

CRC to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Aguada Nosara 2,200 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Aguada
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

Aguada vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Aguada and Nosara differ by about 56% in total monthly costs ($1,176 vs $1,837 including rent). Aguada is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 149% higher in Aguada, 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: $501 in Aguada versus $786 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $509 in Aguada versus $490 in Nosara. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

All in, you'll spend $1,176 per month in Aguada versus $1,837 in Nosara – a 56% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,176 in Aguada versus $1,837 in Nosara, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Aguada but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Aguada 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, Aguada 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 Aguada gentler on the wallet – expenses run 56% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.