Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Alcorcón and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Alcorcón: $1,684 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $1,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

82

Cost of Living Index in Alcorcón
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Alcorcón Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Alcorcón

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,684

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,684 in Alcorcón versus $1,839 in Nosara.

Alcorcón $1,684
Nosara $1,839

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,470 in Alcorcón versus $2,828 in Nosara.

Alcorcón $2,470
Nosara $2,828

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,256 in Alcorcón versus $3,818 in Nosara.

Alcorcón $3,256
Nosara $3,818

Living in Alcorcón costs roughly 8% less than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Alcorcón 25% above, Nosara 36% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.50 €14.68

$12.35 ₡5,539

33.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$56.8 €50.6

$61.2 ₡27.4K

-7.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.31 €10.06

$7.52 ₡3,373

50.40%

Cappuccino

$2.04 €1.82

$4.41 ₡1,978

-53.74%

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

$2.81 €2.50

$1.74 ₡780

61.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 €1.83

$1.31 ₡587

57.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.99 €3.55

$3.28 ₡1,471

21.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.84 €3.41

$4.47 ₡2,004

-14.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.36 €1.21

$1.56 ₡701

-12.82%

White Bread (500g)

$1.59 €1.41

$3.02 ₡1,355

-47.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.54 €1.37

$2.51 ₡1,125

-38.65%

Eggs

$2.79 €2.48

$3.57 ₡1,603

-21.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.53 €14.70

$7.43 ₡3,333

122.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.46 €8.42

$10.52 ₡4,717

-10.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.35 €15.43

$13.97 ₡6,265

24.19%

Apples (1kg)

$2.63 €2.34

$2.35 ₡1,052

11.91%

Banana (1kg)

$2.43 €2.16

$1.61 ₡720

50.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.54 €2.26

$4.80 ₡2,152

-47.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.97 €2.64

$1.61 ₡724

84.47%

Potato (1kg)

$2.00 €1.78

$3.80 ₡1,703

-47.37%

Onion (1kg)

$2.24 €2.00

$3.69 ₡1,657

-39.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.51 €1.35

$1.13 ₡507

33.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.69 €0.61

$2.66 ₡1,191

-74.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.30 €5.61

$5.18 ₡2,321

21.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.04 €7.15

$19.88 ₡8,916

-59.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 €0.87

$2.90 ₡1,300

-66.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 €2.00

$3.63 ₡1,626

-38.02%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.61 €1.43

$1.12 ₡504

43.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$31.65 €28.16

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-56.43%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.40 €2.13

$2.14 ₡958

12.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.95

$1.57 ₡703

-31.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.45 €26.20

$8.52 ₡3,823

245.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.75 €1.55

$1.52 ₡682

15.13%

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

$34.9K €31.1K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

61.58%

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

$28.6K €25.4K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-17.29%

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

$163 €145

$96.3 ₡43.2K

68.81%

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

$11.41 €10.15

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-68.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.81 €30.96

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-35.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.27 €40.27

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-36.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.72 €15.77

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-49.24%

Cinema Ticket

$8.88 €7.90

$7.89 ₡3,539

12.55%

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

$493 €439

$494 ₡221.6K

-0.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,030 €7,142

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-32.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.9 €78.2

$53.9 ₡24.2K

62.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.45 €35.09

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-28.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.1 €87.3

$77.9 ₡34.9K

25.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 €100

$79.6 ₡35.7K

41.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$897 €798

$788 ₡353.4K

13.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$678 €603

$794 ₡356.2K

-14.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,241 €1,104

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-68.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$986 €877

$1,419 ₡636.5K

-30.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,224 €2,867

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-53.36%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,133 €1,897

$1,224 ₡549.0K

74.24%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.14

8.62

-63.57%

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

Last update for Alcorcón: 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

Alcorcón

$678 40.3%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 17.1% $116

Groceries & Markets

Alcorcón

$299 17.7%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 17.9% $54

Eating Out

Alcorcón

$238 14.1%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 10.8% $26

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Alcorcón

$209 12.4%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 11% $23

Clothing & Footwear

Alcorcón

$152 9%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 21% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Alcorcón

$63 3.7%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 38.6% $24

Getting Around

Alcorcón

$46 2.7%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 90.1% $41

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $897 in Alcorcón and $788 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $57.0 in Alcorcón vs $61.0 in Nosara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $299 vs $352 per month, with Alcorcón cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Alcorcón

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

11:26 11:26 AM

03:26 3:26 AM

8 h behind Alcorcón

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

171,772

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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

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 EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Alcorcón Nosara 8,600 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Alcorcón
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

Alcorcón vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Alcorcón is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, leisure, and utilities. The 9% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $2,526 in Alcorcón 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: $897 in Alcorcón versus $788 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,684 per month in Alcorcón versus $1,839 in Nosara – a 9% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Alcorcón runs roughly 130% less than in Nosara. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,684 in Alcorcón versus $1,839 in Nosara, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Alcorcón but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Alcorcón the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Alcorcón is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Nosara, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Alcorcón 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 Alcorcón gentler on the wallet – expenses run 9% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.