Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Butuan and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Butuan: $578 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $15,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

28

Cost of Living Index in Butuan
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Butuan Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Butuan

🇵🇭 Philippines

$578

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $578 in Butuan versus $1,839 in Nosara.

Butuan $578
Nosara $1,839

Estimated couple costs with rent: $913 in Butuan versus $2,828 in Nosara.

Butuan $913
Nosara $2,828

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,248 in Butuan versus $3,818 in Nosara.

Butuan $1,248
Nosara $3,818

Living in Butuan costs roughly 69% less than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Butuan is 57% below, Nosara is 36% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.67 ₱294

$12.35 ₡5,539

-62.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$26.83 ₱1,689

$61.2 ₡27.4K

-56.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.41 ₱152

$7.52 ₡3,373

-67.95%

Cappuccino

$2.09 ₱131

$4.41 ₡1,978

-52.61%

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

$0.33 ₱21.01

$1.74 ₡780

-81.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.23 ₱14.47

$1.31 ₡587

-82.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.57 ₱98.8

$3.28 ₡1,471

-52.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.46 ₱155

$4.47 ₡2,004

-44.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ₱123

$1.56 ₡701

25.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.09 ₱68.9

$3.02 ₡1,355

-63.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.87 ₱55.0

$2.51 ₡1,125

-65.34%

Eggs

$1.86 ₱117

$3.57 ₡1,603

-47.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.21 ₱391

$7.43 ₡3,333

-16.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.84 ₱305

$10.52 ₡4,717

-53.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.32 ₱587

$13.97 ₡6,265

-33.29%

Apples (1kg)

$2.68 ₱169

$2.35 ₡1,052

14.04%

Banana (1kg)

$1.11 ₱69.7

$1.61 ₡720

-31.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.42 ₱152

$4.80 ₡2,152

-49.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.20 ₱75.8

$1.61 ₡724

-25.47%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 ₱127

$3.80 ₡1,703

-46.84%

Onion (1kg)

$3.51 ₱221

$3.69 ₡1,657

-4.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 ₱79.0

$1.13 ₡507

10.62%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 ₱42.40

$2.66 ₡1,191

-74.81%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.39 ₱150

$5.18 ₡2,321

-53.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.13 ₱512

$19.88 ₡8,916

-59.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 ₱78.7

$2.90 ₡1,300

-56.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.69 ₱106

$3.63 ₡1,626

-53.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.78 ₱49.31

$2.14 ₡958

-63.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.25 ₱15.83

$1.57 ₡703

-84.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.96 ₱123

$8.52 ₡3,823

-77.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.05 ₱66.1

$1.52 ₡682

-30.92%

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

$21.2K ₱1.3M

$21.6K ₡9.7M

-1.74%

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

$19.0K ₱1.2M

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-44.87%

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

$107 ₱6,745

$96.3 ₡43.2K

11.26%

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

$18.89 ₱1,189

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-47.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.87 ₱1,944

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-42.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$23.85 ₱1,502

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-66.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$4.37 ₱275

$7.89 ₡3,539

-44.61%

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

$108 ₱6,790

$494 ₡221.6K

-78.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,696 ₱484.6K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-35.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ₱3,885

$53.9 ₡24.2K

14.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.28 ₱1,970

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-43.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.8 ₱4,523

$77.9 ₡34.9K

-7.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$62.2 ₱3,916

$79.6 ₡35.7K

-21.88%

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)

$864 ₡387.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.31

8.62

-3.60%

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

Last update for Butuan: October 12, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Butuan

$200 34.6%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 76.1% $152

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Butuan

$157 27.1%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 18.4% $29

Clothing & Footwear

Butuan

$102 17.7%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 17.6% $18

Eating Out

Butuan

$85 14.6%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 150% $127

Sport & Entertainment

Butuan

$33 5.6%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 168% $55

Getting Around

Butuan

$2 * 0.4%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 4170% $85

Accommodation & Living

Butuan

- * 0%

Nosara

$794 43.2%

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $27.00 in Butuan vs $61.0 in Nosara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $200 vs $352 per month, with Butuan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Butuan

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

05:16 5:16 AM

15:16 3:16 PM

14 h behind Butuan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

337,063

4,912

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to PHP – Philippine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇭 Philippine Peso (₱)

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.78 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 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).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Butuan Nosara 15,970 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Butuan
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

Butuan vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Butuan wins on cost – living expenses run 218% lower than in Nosara. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Butuan the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $867 in Butuan and $2,758 in Nosara to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Childcare runs $108 in Butuan versus $494 in Nosara. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Butuan – a meal for two runs $27.00 versus $61.0 in Nosara. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $578 in Butuan versus $1,839 in Nosara, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Butuan but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Butuan the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Butuan delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $578 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Butuan hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Butuan 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 Butuan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 218% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.