Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Alicante and Nosara

For one person, living costs are similar in Alicante and in Nosara: $1,803 and $1,837 a month, rent and utilities included.

88

Cost of Living Index in Alicante
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Alicante Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Alicante

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,803

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,803 in Alicante versus $1,837 in Nosara.

Alicante $1,803
Nosara $1,837

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,791 in Alicante versus $2,775 in Nosara.

Alicante $2,791
Nosara $2,775

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,779 in Alicante versus $3,712 in Nosara.

Alicante $3,779
Nosara $3,712

Living in Alicante costs roughly 2% less than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Alicante 35% above, Nosara 37% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.46 €17.36

$12.22 ₡5,509

59.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.2 €60.0

$60.2 ₡27.1K

11.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.14

$7.54 ₡3,399

50.66%

Cappuccino

$2.16 €1.93

$4.31 ₡1,941

-49.88%

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

$2.14 €1.91

$1.72 ₡773

24.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.32 €1.18

$1.35 ₡608

-2.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.29 €2.94

$3.24 ₡1,459

1.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.33 €2.98

$4.48 ₡2,018

-25.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 €1.03

$1.57 ₡707

-26.75%

White Bread (500g)

$1.69 €1.51

$3.17 ₡1,429

-46.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.69 €1.51

$2.42 ₡1,091

-30.17%

Eggs

$3.22 €2.87

$3.57 ₡1,609

-9.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.72 €15.82

$7.43 ₡3,349

138.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.50 €8.48

$10.42 ₡4,697

-8.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.16 €14.42

$13.66 ₡6,156

18.30%

Apples (1kg)

$2.62 €2.33

$2.32 ₡1,044

12.93%

Banana (1kg)

$2.09 €1.86

$1.61 ₡728

29.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.83 €1.63

$4.74 ₡2,138

-61.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.69 €2.40

$1.66 ₡747

62.05%

Potato (1kg)

$1.84 €1.64

$3.72 ₡1,679

-50.54%

Onion (1kg)

$2.02 €1.80

$3.57 ₡1,611

-43.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 €1.12

$1.10 ₡497

13.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.65 €0.58

$2.55 ₡1,149

-74.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.73 €6.00

$4.95 ₡2,232

35.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.70 €5.09

$20.01 ₡9,020

-71.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 €1.07

$2.79 ₡1,256

-56.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.15 €1.92

$3.53 ₡1,589

-39.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.62 €1.44

$1.19 ₡537

36.13%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.35 €23.51

$72.1 ₡32.5K

-63.44%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.00 €2.68

$2.24 ₡1,011

33.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.33 €1.19

$1.55 ₡701

-14.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.98 €15.15

$8.86 ₡3,993

91.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.75 €1.56

$1.57 ₡708

11.46%

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

$34.8K €31.1K

$21.8K ₡9.8M

59.77%

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

$28.9K €25.7K

$34.6K ₡15.6M

-16.69%

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

$138 €123

$93.5 ₡42.1K

48.05%

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

$18.71 €16.70

$35.11 ₡15.8K

-46.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.82 €26.61

$51.5 ₡23.2K

-42.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.39 €36.94

$71.4 ₡32.2K

-42.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.06 €15.23

$35.44 ₡16.0K

-51.86%

Cinema Ticket

$9.52 €8.50

$7.84 ₡3,535

21.43%

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

$709 €633

$490 ₡220.7K

44.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,531 €8,505

$11.9K ₡5.4M

-19.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$83.9 €74.9

$53.5 ₡24.1K

56.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.58 €31.75

$55.8 ₡25.1K

-36.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.9 €86.5

$79.3 ₡35.7K

22.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 €94.8

$78.9 ₡35.6K

34.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,016 €907

$786 ₡354.3K

29.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$837 €747

$780 ₡351.6K

7.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,700 €1,517

$3,860 ₡1.7M

-55.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,537 €1,372

$1,407 ₡634.4K

9.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,254 €3,797

$6,972 ₡3.1M

-38.98%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,066 €1,844

$1,201 ₡541.3K

72.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,925 €1,718

$876 ₡395.0K

119.68%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.99

8.62

-65.31%

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

Last update for Alicante: October 4, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Alicante

$837 46.2%

Nosara

$780 43% 6.9% $57

Groceries & Markets

Alicante

$288 15.9%

Nosara

$350 19.3% 21.5% $62

Eating Out

Alicante

$253 13.9%

Nosara

$209 11.6% 17.1% $43

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Alicante

$187 10.3%

Nosara

$180 9.9% 3.7% $6.8

Clothing & Footwear

Alicante

$145 8%

Nosara

$120 6.6% 17.1% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Alicante

$60 3.3%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 44.1% $27

Getting Around

Alicante

$42 2.3%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 105% $44

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,016 in Alicante and $786 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Alicante pays 120% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $67.0 in Alicante vs $60.0 in Nosara. Groceries flip the comparison at $288 vs $350, with Alicante cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Alicante

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

09:38 9:38 AM

01:38 1:38 AM

8 h behind Alicante

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

349,282

4,912

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1,000 CRC = 2.22 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 506 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Alicante Nosara 8,900 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Alicante
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

Alicante vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Alicante wins on cost – living expenses run 2% lower than in Nosara. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Alicante the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 120% higher in Alicante, 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: $1,016 in Alicante versus $786 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $709 in Alicante versus $490 in Nosara. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 21% higher in Nosara. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,803 in Alicante versus $1,837 in Nosara, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Alicante but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Alicante the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Alicante delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,803 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Alicante hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Alicante 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 Alicante gentler on the wallet – expenses run 2% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.