Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barbados and Nosara

For one person, living costs are similar in Barbados and in Nosara: $1,862 and $1,837 a month, rent and utilities included.

89

Cost of Living Index in Barbados
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Barbados Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Barbados

🇧🇧 Barbados

$1,862

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,862 in Barbados versus $1,837 in Nosara.

Barbados $1,862
Nosara $1,837

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,060 in Barbados versus $2,775 in Nosara.

Barbados $4,060
Nosara $2,775

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,257 in Barbados versus $3,712 in Nosara.

Barbados $6,257
Nosara $3,712

Living in Barbados is roughly 1% more expensive than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barbados 39% above, Nosara 37% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.31 BBD 50.6

$12.22 ₡5,509

107.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$113 BBD 227

$60.2 ₡27.1K

88.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.63 BBD 25.26

$7.54 ₡3,399

67.51%

Cappuccino

$4.53 BBD 9.07

$4.31 ₡1,941

5.10%

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

$2.13 BBD 4.26

$1.72 ₡773

23.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.70 BBD 3.40

$1.35 ₡608

25.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.04 BBD 6.07

$3.24 ₡1,459

-6.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.88 BBD 7.77

$4.48 ₡2,018

-13.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.65 BBD 7.29

$1.57 ₡707

132.48%

White Bread (500g)

$2.70 BBD 5.39

$3.17 ₡1,429

-14.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.08 BBD 8.16

$2.42 ₡1,091

68.60%

Eggs

$6.07 BBD 12.14

$3.57 ₡1,609

70.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.65 BBD 13.29

$7.43 ₡3,349

-10.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.15 BBD 20.30

$10.42 ₡4,697

-2.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.16 BBD 22.32

$13.66 ₡6,156

-18.30%

Apples (1kg)

$4.98 BBD 9.97

$2.32 ₡1,044

114.66%

Banana (1kg)

$4.34 BBD 8.68

$1.61 ₡728

169.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.52 BBD 11.05

$4.74 ₡2,138

16.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.75 BBD 11.51

$1.66 ₡747

246.39%

Potato (1kg)

$6.70 BBD 13.40

$3.72 ₡1,679

80.11%

Onion (1kg)

$4.93 BBD 9.86

$3.57 ₡1,611

38.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.78 BBD 5.55

$1.10 ₡497

152.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.62 BBD 5.24

$2.55 ₡1,149

2.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.80 BBD 13.61

$4.95 ₡2,232

37.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.18 BBD 32.37

$20.01 ₡9,020

-19.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 BBD 3.54

$2.79 ₡1,256

-36.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.01 BBD 6.02

$3.53 ₡1,589

-14.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.72 BBD 3.43

$1.19 ₡537

44.54%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.1 ₡32.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.10 BBD 10.20

$2.24 ₡1,011

127.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.46 BBD 6.92

$1.55 ₡701

123.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₡3,993

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.09 BBD 4.18

$1.57 ₡708

33.12%

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

$50.8K BBD 101.6K

$21.8K ₡9.8M

132.91%

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

$40.2K BBD 80.3K

$34.6K ₡15.6M

15.97%

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

$99.5 BBD 199

$93.5 ₡42.1K

6.45%

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

$48.94 BBD 97.9

$35.11 ₡15.8K

39.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$87.3 BBD 175

$51.5 ₡23.2K

69.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$76.1 BBD 152

$71.4 ₡32.2K

6.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.44 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$8.64 BBD 17.28

$7.84 ₡3,535

10.20%

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

$490 ₡220.7K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.4M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.50 BBD 93.0

$53.5 ₡24.1K

-13.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$20.34 BBD 40.67

$55.8 ₡25.1K

-63.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$60.2 BBD 120

$79.3 ₡35.7K

-24.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.9 ₡35.6K

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$664 BBD 1,327

$786 ₡354.3K

-15.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$680 BBD 1,359

$780 ₡351.6K

-12.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,822 BBD 3,644

$3,860 ₡1.7M

-52.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,402 BBD 6,804

$1,407 ₡634.4K

141.75%

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)

$1,308 BBD 2,616

$876 ₡395.0K

49.26%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

27.61%

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

Last update for Barbados: 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

Barbados

$680 36.6%

Nosara

$780 43% 14.8% $100

Groceries & Markets

Barbados

$430 23.1%

Nosara

$350 19.3% 18.7% $80

Eating Out

Barbados

$333 17.9%

Nosara

$209 11.6% 37.1% $124

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barbados

$236 12.7%

Nosara

$180 9.9% 23.6% $56

Sport & Entertainment

Barbados

$93 5%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 6.8% $6.3

Clothing & Footwear

Barbados

$57 * 3.1%

Nosara

$120 6.6% 111% $63

Getting Around

Barbados

$29 * 1.6%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 197% $58

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 $664 in Barbados and $786 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barbados pays 49% 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: $113 in Barbados vs $60.0 in Nosara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $430 vs $350 per month, with Nosara cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇧 Barbados

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

04:39 4:39 AM

02:39 2:39 AM

2 h behind Barbados

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

623

4,912

💱 Currency

Barbados Dollar BBD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 BBD = 0.5 USD

1 BBD = 0.446 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 October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 2 BBD (1 BBD = 0.5 USD). 1 EUR = 2.24 BBD (1 BBD = 0.446 EUR).

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 BBD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Barbados Nosara 2,860 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Barbados
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

Barbados vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barbados and Nosara differ by about 1% in total monthly costs ($1,862 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 49% higher in Barbados, 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: $664 in Barbados versus $786 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Nosara – a meal for two runs $60.0 versus $113 in Barbados. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,862 per month in Barbados versus $1,837 in Nosara – a 1% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,837 in Nosara versus $1,862 in Barbados, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Nosara but tight or insufficient in Barbados. 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, Barbados 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 1% less than in Barbados. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.