Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Alcabideche and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Alcabideche: $1,607 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $2,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Alcabideche
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Alcabideche Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index

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Alcabideche

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,607

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,607 in Alcabideche versus $1,839 in Nosara.

Alcabideche $1,607
Nosara $1,839

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,379 in Alcabideche versus $2,828 in Nosara.

Alcabideche $2,379
Nosara $2,828

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,152 in Alcabideche versus $3,818 in Nosara.

Alcabideche $3,152
Nosara $3,818

Living in Alcabideche costs roughly 13% less than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Alcabideche 19% above, Nosara 36% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.30 €10.94

$12.35 ₡5,539

-0.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.9 €48.87

$61.2 ₡27.4K

-10.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.18 €8.16

$7.52 ₡3,373

22.07%

Cappuccino

$2.46 €2.19

$4.41 ₡1,978

-44.22%

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

$1.49 €1.33

$1.74 ₡780

-14.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.18 €1.05

$1.31 ₡587

-9.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.77 €2.47

$3.28 ₡1,471

-15.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.41 €3.03

$4.47 ₡2,004

-23.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.08 €0.96

$1.56 ₡701

-30.77%

White Bread (500g)

$1.26 €1.12

$3.02 ₡1,355

-58.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.58 €1.41

$2.51 ₡1,125

-37.05%

Eggs

$3.47 €3.09

$3.57 ₡1,603

-2.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.00 €8.00

$7.43 ₡3,333

21.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.52 €6.69

$10.52 ₡4,717

-28.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.91 €13.26

$13.97 ₡6,265

6.73%

Apples (1kg)

$2.99 €2.66

$2.35 ₡1,052

27.23%

Banana (1kg)

$1.25 €1.11

$1.61 ₡720

-22.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.77 €1.58

$4.80 ₡2,152

-63.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.28 €2.03

$1.61 ₡724

41.61%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 €1.74

$3.80 ₡1,703

-48.42%

Onion (1kg)

$1.69 €1.50

$3.69 ₡1,657

-54.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.55 €1.38

$1.13 ₡507

37.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.63 €0.56

$2.66 ₡1,191

-76.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.85 €5.20

$5.18 ₡2,321

12.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$3.38 €3.01

$19.88 ₡8,916

-83.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.92 €0.82

$2.90 ₡1,300

-68.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.39 €2.12

$3.63 ₡1,626

-34.16%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.40 €2.13

$1.12 ₡504

114.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$39.26 €34.92

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-45.95%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.72 €3.31

$2.14 ₡958

73.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.77 €0.68

$1.57 ₡703

-50.96%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.97 €15.09

$8.52 ₡3,823

99.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.09 €1.86

$1.52 ₡682

37.50%

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

$33.0K €29.3K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

52.66%

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

$38.2K €34.0K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

10.62%

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

$97.8 €87.0

$96.3 ₡43.2K

1.52%

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

$20.89 €18.59

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-41.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.34 €30.55

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-35.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.18 €35.74

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-43.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.90 €14.14

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-54.45%

Cinema Ticket

$7.70 €6.85

$7.89 ₡3,539

-2.41%

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

$586 €521

$494 ₡221.6K

18.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.1K €9,831

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-6.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$112 €99.4

$53.9 ₡24.2K

107.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.30 €29.62

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-39.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.4 €74.2

$77.9 ₡34.9K

7.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 €93.5

$79.6 ₡35.7K

32.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$956 €850

$788 ₡353.4K

21.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$772 €687

$794 ₡356.2K

-2.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,513 €1,346

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-61.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,188 €1,057

$1,419 ₡636.5K

-16.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,032 €2,697

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-56.14%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,221 €1,975

$1,224 ₡549.0K

81.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,069 €951

$864 ₡387.3K

23.74%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.54

8.62

-58.93%

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

Last update for Alcabideche: 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

Alcabideche

$772 48%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 2.9% $22

Groceries & Markets

Alcabideche

$233 14.5%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 51.2% $119

Eating Out

Alcabideche

$187 11.6%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 13.4% $25

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Alcabideche

$153 9.5%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 21.4% $33

Clothing & Footwear

Alcabideche

$150 9.3%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 20% $30

Getting Around

Alcabideche

$56 3.5%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 54.4% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Alcabideche

$56 3.5%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 57.2% $32

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $956 in Alcabideche and $788 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Alcabideche pays 24% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $55.0 in Alcabideche vs $61.0 in Nosara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $233 vs $352 per month, with Alcabideche cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Alcabideche

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

05:41 5:41 AM

22:41 10:41 PM

7 h behind Alcabideche

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

44,177

4,912

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Alcabideche Nosara 8,130 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Alcabideche
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

Alcabideche vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Alcabideche wins on cost – living expenses run 14% lower than in Nosara. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Alcabideche the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 24% higher in Alcabideche, 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: $956 in Alcabideche versus $788 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,607 per month in Alcabideche versus $1,839 in Nosara – a 14% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Alcabideche runs roughly 85% less than in Nosara. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,607 in Alcabideche versus $1,839 in Nosara, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Alcabideche but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Alcabideche the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Alcabideche delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,607 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Alcabideche hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Alcabideche 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 Alcabideche gentler on the wallet – expenses run 14% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.