Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Alcala la Real and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Alcala la Real: $1,579 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

76

Cost of Living Index in Alcala la Real
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Alcala la Real Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index

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Alcala la Real

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,579

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,579 in Alcala la Real versus $1,839 in Nosara.

Alcala la Real $1,579
Nosara $1,839

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,353 in Alcala la Real versus $2,828 in Nosara.

Alcala la Real $2,353
Nosara $2,828

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,128 in Alcala la Real versus $3,818 in Nosara.

Alcala la Real $3,128
Nosara $3,818

Living in Alcala la Real costs roughly 14% less than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Alcala la Real 17% above, Nosara 36% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.37 €11.89

$12.35 ₡5,539

8.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.1 €60.6

$61.2 ₡27.4K

11.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.00 €8.00

$7.52 ₡3,373

19.68%

Cappuccino

$1.84 €1.64

$4.41 ₡1,978

-58.28%

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

$2.12 €1.89

$1.74 ₡780

21.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.61 €1.43

$1.31 ₡587

22.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.97 €2.64

$3.28 ₡1,471

-9.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.47 €3.08

$4.47 ₡2,004

-22.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.14 €1.01

$1.56 ₡701

-26.92%

White Bread (500g)

$1.68 €1.50

$3.02 ₡1,355

-44.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.57 €1.40

$2.51 ₡1,125

-37.45%

Eggs

$3.21 €2.86

$3.57 ₡1,603

-10.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.48 €11.99

$7.43 ₡3,333

81.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.29 €7.38

$10.52 ₡4,717

-21.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.95 €14.19

$13.97 ₡6,265

14.17%

Apples (1kg)

$2.38 €2.11

$2.35 ₡1,052

1.28%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 €1.76

$1.61 ₡720

22.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.88 €1.67

$4.80 ₡2,152

-60.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.61 €2.32

$1.61 ₡724

62.11%

Potato (1kg)

$1.84 €1.64

$3.80 ₡1,703

-51.58%

Onion (1kg)

$2.08 €1.85

$3.69 ₡1,657

-43.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 €1.29

$1.13 ₡507

28.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.75 €0.67

$2.66 ₡1,191

-71.80%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.68 €5.94

$5.18 ₡2,321

28.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.94 €5.29

$19.88 ₡8,916

-70.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.17 €1.04

$2.90 ₡1,300

-59.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.97 €1.75

$3.63 ₡1,626

-45.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.65 €1.47

$1.12 ₡504

47.32%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$32.65 €29.04

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-55.05%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.66 €1.48

$2.14 ₡958

-22.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 €0.94

$1.57 ₡703

-32.48%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.75 €13.12

$8.52 ₡3,823

73.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 €1.62

$1.52 ₡682

19.74%

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

$35.7K €31.7K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

65.10%

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

$28.7K €25.6K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-16.78%

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

$118 €105

$96.3 ₡43.2K

22.55%

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

$16.13 €14.35

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-55.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.94 €29.30

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-38.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.43 €39.52

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-37.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.82 €14.08

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-54.68%

Cinema Ticket

$8.02 €7.14

$7.89 ₡3,539

1.65%

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

$552 €491

$494 ₡221.6K

11.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,151 €7,251

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-31.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.9 €80.0

$53.9 ₡24.2K

66.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.88 €34.58

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-29.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.9 €86.2

$77.9 ₡34.9K

24.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 €99.7

$79.6 ₡35.7K

40.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$891 €793

$788 ₡353.4K

13.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$693 €616

$794 ₡356.2K

-12.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,345 €1,196

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-65.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 €897

$1,419 ₡636.5K

-28.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,283 €2,921

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-52.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,174 €1,934

$1,224 ₡549.0K

77.60%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.34

8.62

-61.25%

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

Last update for Alcala la Real: 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

Alcala la Real

$693 43.9%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 14.7% $102

Groceries & Markets

Alcala la Real

$268 17%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 31.6% $85

Eating Out

Alcala la Real

$193 12.2%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 9.9% $19

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Alcala la Real

$167 10.6%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 11.2% $19

Clothing & Footwear

Alcala la Real

$152 9.6%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 21% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Alcala la Real

$60 3.8%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 44.5% $27

Getting Around

Alcala la Real

$46 2.9%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 88.5% $41

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $891 in Alcala la Real and $788 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $68.0 in Alcala la Real vs $61.0 in Nosara. Groceries flip the comparison at $268 vs $352, with Alcala la Real cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Alcala la Real

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

01:42 1:42 AM

17:42 5:42 PM

8 h behind Alcala la Real

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

21,587

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

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).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Alcala la Real Nosara 8,610 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Alcala la Real
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

Alcala la Real vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Alcala la Real and Nosara differ by about 16% in total monthly costs ($1,579 vs $1,839 including rent). Alcala la Real is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $2,368 in Alcala la Real 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $891 in Alcala la Real versus $788 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Alcala la Real runs roughly 122% less than in Nosara. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $552 in Alcala la Real versus $494 in Nosara. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,579 in Alcala la Real versus $1,839 in Nosara, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Alcala la Real but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Alcala la Real 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, Alcala la Real 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 Alcala la Real gentler on the wallet – expenses run 16% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.