Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Arecibo and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Arecibo: $1,281 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $6,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Nosara outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

62

Cost of Living Index in Arecibo
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Arecibo Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Arecibo

🇵🇷 Puerto Rico

$1,281

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,281 in Arecibo versus $1,839 in Nosara.

Arecibo $1,281
Nosara $1,839

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,005 in Arecibo versus $2,828 in Nosara.

Arecibo $2,005
Nosara $2,828

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,730 in Arecibo versus $3,818 in Nosara.

Arecibo $2,730
Nosara $3,818

Living in Arecibo costs roughly 30% less than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

The two cities straddle the global median: Arecibo is 5% below, Nosara is 36% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.13 $12.13

$12.35 ₡5,539

-1.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$81.2 $81.2

$61.2 ₡27.4K

32.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 $8.55

$7.52 ₡3,373

13.70%

Cappuccino

$3.42 $3.42

$4.41 ₡1,978

-22.45%

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

$1.90 $1.90

$1.74 ₡780

9.20%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.50 $1.50

$1.31 ₡587

14.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.05 $3.05

$3.28 ₡1,471

-7.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.09 $5.09

$4.47 ₡2,004

13.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.79 $1.79

$1.56 ₡701

14.74%

White Bread (500g)

$3.36 $3.36

$3.02 ₡1,355

11.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 $1.94

$2.51 ₡1,125

-22.71%

Eggs

$4.48 $4.48

$3.57 ₡1,603

25.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.78 $12.78

$7.43 ₡3,333

72.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.48 $9.48

$10.52 ₡4,717

-9.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.47 $13.47

$13.97 ₡6,265

-3.58%

Apples (1kg)

$4.97 $4.97

$2.35 ₡1,052

111.49%

Banana (1kg)

$2.59 $2.59

$1.61 ₡720

60.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.81 $4.81

$4.80 ₡2,152

0.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.84 $4.84

$1.61 ₡724

200.62%

Potato (1kg)

$3.69 $3.69

$3.80 ₡1,703

-2.89%

Onion (1kg)

$3.99 $3.99

$3.69 ₡1,657

8.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.53 $3.53

$1.13 ₡507

212.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 $1.60

$2.66 ₡1,191

-39.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.98 $11.98

$5.18 ₡2,321

131.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.87 $15.87

$19.88 ₡8,916

-20.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.09 $3.09

$2.90 ₡1,300

6.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.06 $4.06

$3.63 ₡1,626

11.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.63 $40.63

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-44.07%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.54 $2.54

$2.14 ₡958

18.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.57 ₡703

-7.01%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.96 $41.96

$8.52 ₡3,823

392.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.91 $0.91

$1.52 ₡682

-40.13%

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

$40.4K $40.4K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

86.87%

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

$28.2K $28.2K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-18.44%

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

$324 $324

$96.3 ₡43.2K

236.81%

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

$68.1 $68.1

$35.89 ₡16.1K

89.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$66.1 $66.1

$53.6 ₡24.0K

23.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$10.59 $10.59

$7.89 ₡3,539

34.22%

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

$833 $833

$494 ₡221.6K

68.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.6K $12.6K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

6.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.1 $56.1

$53.9 ₡24.2K

4.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$61.5 $61.5

$55.4 ₡24.8K

11.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 $109

$77.9 ₡34.9K

39.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$114 $114

$79.6 ₡35.7K

42.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,191 $1,191

$864 ₡387.3K

37.92%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.55

8.62

-24.01%

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

Last update for Arecibo: October 12, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Arecibo

$459 35.8%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 59.5% $273

Groceries & Markets

Arecibo

$395 30.8%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 10.8% $43

Eating Out

Arecibo

$203 15.8%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 4.5% $9.1

Clothing & Footwear

Arecibo

$153 12%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 21.6% $33

Getting Around

Arecibo

$50 * 3.9%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 72.6% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Arecibo

$21 * 1.7%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 313% $66

Accommodation & Living

Arecibo

- * 0%

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Arecibo pays 38% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $81.0 in Arecibo vs $61.0 in Nosara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $395 vs $352 per month, with Nosara cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇷 Arecibo

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

13:55 1:55 PM

11:55 11:55 AM

2 h behind Arecibo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

39,634

4,912

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.889 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.889 EUR).

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).

CRC to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Arecibo Nosara 2,250 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Arecibo
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

Arecibo vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Arecibo is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, transport, and leisure. The 44% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 38% higher in Arecibo, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Shoppers in Nosara pay roughly 12% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Dining out is cheaper in Arecibo – a meal for two runs $81.0 versus $61.0 in Nosara. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,281 in Arecibo versus $1,839 in Nosara, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Arecibo but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Arecibo the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Arecibo 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, Arecibo 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 Arecibo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 44% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.