Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Aguadulce and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Aguadulce: $958 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $10,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

47

Cost of Living Index in Aguadulce
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Aguadulce Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index

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Aguadulce

🇵🇦 Panama

$958

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $958 in Aguadulce versus $1,839 in Nosara.

Aguadulce $958
Nosara $1,839

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,531 in Aguadulce versus $2,828 in Nosara.

Aguadulce $1,531
Nosara $2,828

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,104 in Aguadulce versus $3,818 in Nosara.

Aguadulce $2,104
Nosara $3,818

Living in Aguadulce costs roughly 48% less than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Aguadulce is 29% below, Nosara is 36% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.33 PAB 11.33

$12.35 ₡5,539

-8.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.63 PAB 47.63

$61.2 ₡27.4K

-22.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.86 PAB 7.86

$7.52 ₡3,373

4.52%

Cappuccino

$4.07 PAB 4.07

$4.41 ₡1,978

-7.71%

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

$1.95 PAB 1.95

$1.74 ₡780

12.07%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 PAB 1.57

$1.31 ₡587

19.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.27 PAB 3.27

$3.28 ₡1,471

-0.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.93 PAB 3.93

$4.47 ₡2,004

-12.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 PAB 1.92

$1.56 ₡701

23.08%

White Bread (500g)

$2.56 PAB 2.56

$3.02 ₡1,355

-15.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.37 PAB 3.37

$2.51 ₡1,125

34.26%

Eggs

$2.67 PAB 2.67

$3.57 ₡1,603

-25.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.25 PAB 12.25

$7.43 ₡3,333

64.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.64 PAB 6.64

$10.52 ₡4,717

-36.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.34 PAB 10.34

$13.97 ₡6,265

-25.98%

Apples (1kg)

$4.13 PAB 4.13

$2.35 ₡1,052

75.74%

Banana (1kg)

$1.86 PAB 1.86

$1.61 ₡720

15.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.26 PAB 4.26

$4.80 ₡2,152

-11.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.14 PAB 4.14

$1.61 ₡724

157.14%

Potato (1kg)

$3.39 PAB 3.39

$3.80 ₡1,703

-10.79%

Onion (1kg)

$4.22 PAB 4.22

$3.69 ₡1,657

14.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.43 PAB 2.43

$1.13 ₡507

115.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 PAB 1.76

$2.66 ₡1,191

-33.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.18 PAB 6.18

$5.18 ₡2,321

19.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.73 PAB 11.73

$19.88 ₡8,916

-41.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 PAB 1.37

$2.90 ₡1,300

-52.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 PAB 2.85

$3.63 ₡1,626

-21.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.24 PAB 0.24

$1.12 ₡504

-78.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.47 PAB 2.47

$2.14 ₡958

15.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.86 PAB 1.86

$1.57 ₡703

18.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.33 PAB 22.33

$8.52 ₡3,823

162.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.18 PAB 1.18

$1.52 ₡682

-22.37%

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

$21.3K PAB 21.3K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

-1.57%

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

$21.2K PAB 21.2K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-38.52%

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

$132 PAB 132

$96.3 ₡43.2K

36.62%

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

$28.25 PAB 28.25

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-21.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.31 PAB 49.31

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-7.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.58 PAB 46.58

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-34.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$8.75 PAB 8.75

$7.89 ₡3,539

10.90%

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

$544 PAB 544

$494 ₡221.6K

10.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,457 PAB 9,457

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-20.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$66.9 PAB 66.9

$53.9 ₡24.2K

23.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.41 PAB 48.41

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-12.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.3 PAB 96.3

$77.9 ₡34.9K

23.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$111 PAB 111

$79.6 ₡35.7K

39.98%

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)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

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)

$864 ₡387.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.39

8.62

-25.87%

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

Last update for Aguadulce: 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

Aguadulce

$325 33.9%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 8.4% $27

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Aguadulce

$209 21.8%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 11.2% $23

Eating Out

Aguadulce

$201 21%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 5.2% $10

Clothing & Footwear

Aguadulce

$145 15.2%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 17.4% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Aguadulce

$64 6.7%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 36.3% $23

Getting Around

Aguadulce

$13 * 1.3%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 585% $74

Accommodation & Living

Aguadulce

- * 0%

Nosara

$794 43.2%

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $48.00 in Aguadulce vs $61.0 in Nosara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $325 vs $352 per month, with Aguadulce cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇦 Aguadulce

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

07:40 7:40 AM

06:40 6:40 AM

1 h behind Aguadulce

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,501

4,912

💱 Currency

Panamanian Balboa PAB B/.

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 PAB = 1 USD

1 PAB = 0.89 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to PAB – Panamanian Balboa Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇦 Panamanian Balboa (B/.)

Panamanian Balboa exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 1 PAB (1 PAB = 1 USD). 1 EUR = 1.12 PAB (1 PAB = 0.89 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to PAB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Aguadulce Nosara 590 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Aguadulce
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

Aguadulce vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Aguadulce wins on cost – living expenses run 92% lower than in Nosara. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Aguadulce the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $1,436 in Aguadulce and $2,758 in Nosara to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Supermarket bills run roughly 8% higher in Nosara. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $958 per month in Aguadulce versus $1,839 in Nosara – a 92% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $958 in Aguadulce versus $1,839 in Nosara, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Aguadulce but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Aguadulce the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Aguadulce delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $958 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Aguadulce hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Aguadulce 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 Aguadulce gentler on the wallet – expenses run 92% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.