Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Aguadilla and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Aguadilla: $1,061 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $9,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

52

Cost of Living Index in Aguadilla
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Aguadilla Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index

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Aguadilla

🇵🇷 Puerto Rico

$1,061

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,061 per month in Aguadilla vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Aguadilla $1,061
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $1,730 per month in Aguadilla vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Aguadilla $1,730
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $2,398 per month in Aguadilla vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Aguadilla $2,398
Nosara $3,818

Aguadilla is about 42% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Aguadilla sits 21% below the global median, while Nosara is 36% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.05 $12.05

$12.35 ₡5,539

-2.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$59.4 $59.4

$61.2 ₡27.4K

-2.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.97 $8.97

$7.52 ₡3,373

19.28%

Cappuccino

$1.48 $1.48

$4.41 ₡1,978

-66.44%

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

$1.25 $1.25

$1.74 ₡780

-28.16%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.98 $0.98

$1.31 ₡587

-25.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.91 $2.91

$3.28 ₡1,471

-11.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.04 $4.04

$4.47 ₡2,004

-9.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 $1.92

$1.56 ₡701

23.08%

White Bread (500g)

$3.70 $3.70

$3.02 ₡1,355

22.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.33 $2.33

$2.51 ₡1,125

-7.17%

Eggs

$7.31 $7.31

$3.57 ₡1,603

104.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.58 $12.58

$7.43 ₡3,333

69.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.68 $9.68

$10.52 ₡4,717

-7.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.36 $13.36

$13.97 ₡6,265

-4.37%

Apples (1kg)

$5.01 $5.01

$2.35 ₡1,052

113.19%

Banana (1kg)

$2.54 $2.54

$1.61 ₡720

57.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.94 $4.94

$4.80 ₡2,152

2.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.69 $4.69

$1.61 ₡724

191.30%

Potato (1kg)

$3.85 $3.85

$3.80 ₡1,703

1.32%

Onion (1kg)

$3.99 $3.99

$3.69 ₡1,657

8.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.52 $3.52

$1.13 ₡507

211.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 $1.58

$2.66 ₡1,191

-40.60%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.12 $12.12

$5.18 ₡2,321

133.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.56 $15.56

$19.88 ₡8,916

-21.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.01 $3.01

$2.90 ₡1,300

3.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.90 $3.90

$3.63 ₡1,626

7.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.45 $2.45

$2.14 ₡958

14.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 $1.49

$1.57 ₡703

-5.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$42.66 $42.66

$8.52 ₡3,823

400.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.01 $1.01

$1.52 ₡682

-33.55%

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

$39.5K $39.5K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

82.66%

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

$27.7K $27.7K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-19.75%

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

$120 $120

$96.3 ₡43.2K

24.37%

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

$69.6 $69.6

$35.89 ₡16.1K

93.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.5 $68.5

$53.6 ₡24.0K

27.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.39 $35.39

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-50.57%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$10.48 $10.48

$7.89 ₡3,539

32.83%

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

$822 $822

$494 ₡221.6K

66.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.7K $12.7K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

6.75%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.4 $55.4

$53.9 ₡24.2K

2.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$60.7 $60.7

$55.4 ₡24.8K

9.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 $110

$77.9 ₡34.9K

40.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 $115

$79.6 ₡35.7K

44.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,973 $1,973

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-49.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,324 $1,324

$864 ₡387.3K

53.36%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.55

8.62

-24.01%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Aguadilla: October 12, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Aguadilla

$411 38.7%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 14.3% $59

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Aguadilla

$258 24.3%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 27.9% $72

Eating Out

Aguadilla

$173 16.3%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 22.7% $39

Clothing & Footwear

Aguadilla

$153 14.5%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 21.7% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Aguadilla

$56 5.3%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 55% $31

Getting Around

Aguadilla

$9.9 * 0.9%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 781% $77

Accommodation & Living

Aguadilla

- * 0%

Nosara

$794 43.2%

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

Cost Breakdown

Salaries run about 53% higher in Aguadilla, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $59.0 in Aguadilla versus $61.0 in Nosara. Groceries tell a different story – $411 in Aguadilla vs $352 in Nosara – so Nosara wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇵🇷 Aguadilla

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

15:07 3:07 PM

13:07 1:07 PM

2 h behind Aguadilla

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

10,919

4,912

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.889 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 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 17, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.889 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

CRC to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

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

From you

Aguadilla
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

Aguadilla vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Nosara is pricier by about 73%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,592 per month in Aguadilla and $2,758 in Nosara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $59.0 in Aguadilla and $61.0 in Nosara. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 17% cheaper in Nosara – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Aguadilla, where all-in costs run around $1,061, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Aguadilla it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Aguadilla – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Aguadilla. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Nosara makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.