Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Aruba and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,837 a month against $2,376 in Aruba, rent and utilities included – about $6,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Aruba outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

141

Cost of Living Index in Aruba
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Aruba Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

Jump to prices

Aruba

🇦🇼 Aruba

$2,376

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,376 in Aruba versus $1,837 in Nosara.

Aruba $2,376
Nosara $1,837

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,248 in Aruba versus $2,775 in Nosara.

Aruba $4,248
Nosara $2,775

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,119 in Aruba versus $3,712 in Nosara.

Aruba $6,119
Nosara $3,712

Living in Aruba is roughly 29% more expensive than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Aruba 77% above, Nosara 37% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.50 AWG 25.95

$12.22 ₡5,509

18.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$90.9 AWG 163

$60.2 ₡27.1K

51.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.62 AWG 19.01

$7.54 ₡3,399

40.85%

Cappuccino

$5.19 AWG 9.29

$4.31 ₡1,941

20.42%

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

$2.35 AWG 4.21

$1.72 ₡773

36.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 AWG 4.11

$1.35 ₡608

70.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.24 AWG 9.38

$3.24 ₡1,459

61.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.84 AWG 12.25

$4.48 ₡2,018

52.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 AWG 2.98

$1.57 ₡707

6.37%

White Bread (500g)

$2.88 AWG 5.15

$3.17 ₡1,429

-9.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.04 AWG 5.44

$2.42 ₡1,091

25.62%

Eggs

$3.80 AWG 6.81

$3.57 ₡1,609

6.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.97 AWG 25.00

$7.43 ₡3,349

88.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.22 AWG 7.55

$10.42 ₡4,697

-59.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.66 ₡6,156

Apples (1kg)

$2.32 ₡1,044

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 AWG 3.51

$1.61 ₡728

21.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.74 ₡2,138

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 ₡747

Potato (1kg)

$3.72 ₡1,679

Onion (1kg)

$3.57 ₡1,611

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 ₡497

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.55 ₡1,149

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.95 ₡2,232

Wine (Bottle)

$20.01 ₡9,020

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.79 ₡1,256

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.53 ₡1,589

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.49 AWG 4.45

$1.19 ₡537

109.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.1 ₡32.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.24 ₡1,011

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 ₡701

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₡3,993

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.38 AWG 4.26

$1.57 ₡708

51.59%

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

$21.8K ₡9.8M

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

$34.6K ₡15.6M

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

$233 AWG 418

$93.5 ₡42.1K

149.70%

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

$133 AWG 239

$35.11 ₡15.8K

280.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$86.6 AWG 155

$51.5 ₡23.2K

68.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.4 ₡32.2K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.44 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$7.84 ₡3,535

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

$302 AWG 541

$490 ₡220.7K

-38.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.9K AWG 32.0K

$11.9K ₡5.4M

50.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ₡24.1K

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$64.9 AWG 116

$55.8 ₡25.1K

16.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 AWG 212

$79.3 ₡35.7K

49.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.9 ₡35.6K

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$652 AWG 1,167

$786 ₡354.3K

-17.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 AWG 2,540

$780 ₡351.6K

81.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,256 AWG 5,828

$3,860 ₡1.7M

-15.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$4,034 AWG 7,222

$1,407 ₡634.4K

186.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,972 ₡3.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,201 ₡541.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,886 AWG 3,377

$876 ₡395.0K

115.27%

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 Aruba: October 5, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Aruba

$1.4K 59.6%

Nosara

$780 43% 45% $639

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Aruba

$453 19%

Nosara

$180 9.9% 60.3% $273

Eating Out

Aruba

$269 11.3%

Nosara

$209 11.6% 22% $59

Groceries & Markets

Aruba

$148 * 6.2%

Nosara

$350 19.3% 137% $202

Clothing & Footwear

Aruba

$82 * 3.5%

Nosara

$120 6.6% 46.1% $38

Getting Around

Aruba

$10 * 0.4%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 773% $77

Sport & Entertainment

Aruba

- * 0%

Nosara

$87 4.8%

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $652 in Aruba and $786 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Aruba pays 115% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $91.0 in Aruba vs $60.0 in Nosara. Groceries flip the comparison at $148 vs $350, with Aruba cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇦🇼 Aruba

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

09:01 9:01 AM

07:01 7:01 AM

2 h behind Aruba

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,236

4,912

💱 Currency

Aruban Florin AWG ƒ

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 AWG = 0.559 USD

1 AWG = 0.499 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to AWG – Aruban Florin Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇼 Aruban Florin (ƒ)

Aruban Florin exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.79 AWG (1 AWG = 0.559 USD). 1 EUR = 2.01 AWG (1 AWG = 0.499 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 505 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to AWG in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Aruba Nosara 1,730 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Aruba
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

Aruba vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Aruba and Nosara differ by about 29% in total monthly costs ($2,376 vs $1,837 including rent). Nosara is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 115% higher in Aruba, 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: $652 in Aruba versus $786 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Aruba pay roughly 137% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you'll spend $2,376 per month in Aruba versus $1,837 in Nosara – a 29% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,837 in Nosara versus $2,376 in Aruba, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Nosara but tight or insufficient in Aruba. The gap between the two cities makes Nosara the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Aruba 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 Nosara gentler on the wallet – expenses run 29% less than in Aruba. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.