Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Alges and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $2,009 in Alges, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Alges outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

98

Cost of Living Index in Alges
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Alges Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Alges

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,009

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,009 per month in Alges vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Alges $2,009
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $2,853 per month in Alges vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Alges $2,853
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $3,697 per month in Alges vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Alges $3,697
Nosara $3,818

Alges costs about 9% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Alges and Nosara sit above the global median – Alges by 49%, Nosara by 36%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.36 €13.66

$12.35 ₡5,539

24.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.7 €48.68

$61.2 ₡27.4K

-10.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.41 €8.37

$7.52 ₡3,373

25.13%

Cappuccino

$2.64 €2.35

$4.41 ₡1,978

-40.14%

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

$2.35 €2.09

$1.74 ₡780

35.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 €2.00

$1.31 ₡587

71.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.39 €3.01

$3.28 ₡1,471

3.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.54 €4.93

$4.47 ₡2,004

23.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.04 €0.93

$1.56 ₡701

-33.33%

White Bread (500g)

$1.96 €1.75

$3.02 ₡1,355

-35.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.23 €1.98

$2.51 ₡1,125

-11.16%

Eggs

$3.42 €3.04

$3.57 ₡1,603

-4.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.82 €9.63

$7.43 ₡3,333

45.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.10 €6.31

$10.52 ₡4,717

-32.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.95 €13.30

$13.97 ₡6,265

7.02%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 €2.54

$2.35 ₡1,052

21.28%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 €1.22

$1.61 ₡720

-14.91%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.78 €1.59

$4.80 ₡2,152

-62.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.24 €2.00

$1.61 ₡724

39.13%

Potato (1kg)

$1.56 €1.39

$3.80 ₡1,703

-58.95%

Onion (1kg)

$2.23 €1.98

$3.69 ₡1,657

-39.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.54 €1.37

$1.13 ₡507

36.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.78 €0.69

$2.66 ₡1,191

-70.68%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.67 €5.05

$5.18 ₡2,321

9.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.90 €4.35

$19.88 ₡8,916

-75.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 €1.03

$2.90 ₡1,300

-60.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.09 €2.75

$3.63 ₡1,626

-14.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 €2.01

$1.12 ₡504

101.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.01 €39.15

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-39.41%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.56 €4.06

$2.14 ₡958

113.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.99 €0.88

$1.57 ₡703

-36.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.84 €15.87

$8.52 ₡3,823

109.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.05 €1.83

$1.52 ₡682

34.87%

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

$33.8K €30.1K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

56.38%

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

$38.1K €33.9K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

10.43%

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

$137 €122

$96.3 ₡43.2K

41.87%

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

$24.63 €21.91

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-31.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$56.3 €50.1

$53.6 ₡24.0K

5.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.85 €39.89

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-37.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.11 €15.22

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-50.99%

Cinema Ticket

$7.20 €6.40

$7.89 ₡3,539

-8.75%

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

$597 €531

$494 ₡221.6K

20.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.7K €16.6K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

57.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$76.8 €68.3

$53.9 ₡24.2K

42.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.38 €29.69

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-39.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.7 €80.6

$77.9 ₡34.9K

16.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.8 €84.3

$79.6 ₡35.7K

19.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,240 €1,103

$788 ₡353.4K

57.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 €938

$794 ₡356.2K

32.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,047 €1,821

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-48.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,559 €1,386

$1,419 ₡636.5K

9.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,991 €2,660

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-56.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,264 €2,014

$1,224 ₡549.0K

84.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,229 €1,093

$864 ₡387.3K

42.31%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.67

8.62

-57.42%

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

Last update for Alges: October 12, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Alges

$1.1K 52.5%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 24.7% $260

Groceries & Markets

Alges

$253 12.6%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 39.4% $100

Eating Out

Alges

$229 11.4%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 7.6% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Alges

$218 10.8%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 14.6% $32

Clothing & Footwear

Alges

$133 6.6%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 9.7% $13

Getting Around

Alges

$63 3.1%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 39.2% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Alges

$59 3%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 47.5% $28

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,240 in Alges versus $788 in Nosara. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 42% higher in Alges, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55.0 in Alges versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $253 vs $352 – making Alges the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Alges

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

09:46 9:46 AM

02:46 2:46 AM

7 h behind Alges

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

19,327

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

Alges Nosara 8,140 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Alges
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

Alges vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,009 in Alges, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 9% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,013 per month in Alges and $2,758 in Nosara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Nosara, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $597 per month in Alges and $494 in Nosara. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 39% cheaper in Alges – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Nosara, where all-in costs run around $1,839, than in Alges at $2,009. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Alges it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Alges has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,839 in Nosara to $2,009 in Alges. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Nosara. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Alges makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.