Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Alexandra, Barbados and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Alexandra: $278 a month against $1,846 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $18,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

88

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Alexandra

🇧🇧 Barbados

$278

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,846

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $278 in Alexandra versus $1,846 in Nosara.

Alexandra $278
Nosara $1,846

Estimated couple costs with rent: $455 in Alexandra versus $2,833 in Nosara.

Alexandra $455
Nosara $2,833

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $633 in Alexandra versus $3,820 in Nosara.

Alexandra $633
Nosara $3,820

Living in Alexandra costs roughly 85% less than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Alexandra is 80% below, Nosara is 36% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$30.36 BBD 60.7

$12.36 ₡5,578

145.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.8 ₡27.4K

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.88 ₡3,558

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₡1,987

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

$1.72 ₡776

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.34 ₡603

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.34 ₡1,506

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.54 ₡2,049

Milk (1 liter)

$3.47 BBD 6.95

$1.64 ₡739

111.59%

White Bread (500g)

$3.16 ₡1,427

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.39 ₡1,080

Eggs

$3.47 ₡1,564

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.13 ₡3,219

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.32 ₡4,657

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,305

Apples (1kg)

$2.29 ₡1,032

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 ₡732

Oranges (1kg)

$4.81 ₡2,171

Tomato (1kg)

$1.68 ₡758

Potato (1kg)

$3.91 ₡1,766

Onion (1kg)

$3.63 ₡1,641

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡510

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.63 ₡1,188

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.02 ₡2,268

Wine (Bottle)

$19.71 ₡8,897

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.91 ₡1,315

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.54 ₡1,598

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.21 ₡545

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.8 ₡33.3K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.15 ₡970

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 ₡738

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.77 ₡3,960

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡701

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

$33.9K ₡15.3M

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

$38.5K ₡17.4M

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

$95.2 ₡43.0K

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

$36.29 ₡16.4K

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.0 ₡23.5K

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.6 ₡30.5K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.55 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$7.54 ₡3,405

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

$496 ₡224.1K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.8K ₡5.3M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.1 ₡24.9K

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.1 ₡25.3K

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.8 ₡35.1K

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.1 ₡35.7K

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$817 ₡369.0K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$806 ₡363.8K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,988 ₡1.8M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,429 ₡645.2K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,068 ₡3.2M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,197 ₡540.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$888 ₡400.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

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

Last update for Alexandra: October 26, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Alexandra

–

Nosara

$806 43.7%

Groceries & Markets

Alexandra

–

Nosara

$351 19%

Eating Out

Alexandra

–

Nosara

$213 11.6%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Alexandra

–

Nosara

$184 9.9%

Clothing & Footwear

Alexandra

–

Nosara

$121 6.5%

Getting Around

Alexandra

–

Nosara

$89 4.8%

Sport & Entertainment

Alexandra

–

Nosara

$83 4.5%

Good to know

🇧🇧 Alexandra

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

02:07 2:07 AM

00:07 12:07 AM

2 h behind Alexandra

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,382

4,912

💱 Currency

Barbados Dollar BBD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 BBD = 0.5 USD

1 BBD = 0.448 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to BBD – Barbados Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇧 Barbados Dollar ($)

Barbados Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 2 BBD (1 BBD = 0.5 USD). 1 EUR = 2.23 BBD (1 BBD = 0.448 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to BBD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Alexandra Nosara 2,860 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Alexandra
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

Alexandra vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Alexandra is about 85% cheaper overall, especially in groceries. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $416 in Alexandra and $2,769 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 911% higher in Nosara. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $278 per month in Alexandra versus $1,846 in Nosara – Alexandra is about 85% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $278 in Alexandra versus $1,846 in Nosara, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Alexandra but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Alexandra the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Alexandra delivers better value at $278 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Alexandra hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Alexandra and Nosara are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.