Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cabanatuan and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Cabanatuan: $618 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $14,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

30

Cost of Living Index in Cabanatuan
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Cabanatuan Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index

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Cabanatuan

🇵🇭 Philippines

$618

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $618 per month in Cabanatuan vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Cabanatuan $618
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $957 per month in Cabanatuan vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Cabanatuan $957
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $1,296 per month in Cabanatuan vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Cabanatuan $1,296
Nosara $3,818

Cabanatuan is about 66% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Cabanatuan sits 54% below the global median, while Nosara is 36% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.09 ₱258

$12.35 ₡5,539

-66.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$17.04 ₱1,073

$61.2 ₡27.4K

-72.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.76 ₱174

$7.52 ₡3,373

-63.30%

Cappuccino

$1.76 ₱111

$4.41 ₡1,978

-60.09%

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

$0.60 ₱38.01

$1.74 ₡780

-65.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ₱19.25

$1.31 ₡587

-76.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.01 ₱63.8

$3.28 ₡1,471

-69.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.63 ₱103

$4.47 ₡2,004

-63.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.60 ₱101

$1.56 ₡701

2.56%

White Bread (500g)

$1.12 ₱70.3

$3.02 ₡1,355

-62.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.93 ₱58.7

$2.51 ₡1,125

-62.95%

Eggs

$2.03 ₱128

$3.57 ₡1,603

-43.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.21 ₱328

$7.43 ₡3,333

-29.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ₱214

$10.52 ₡4,717

-67.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.85 ₱494

$13.97 ₡6,265

-43.81%

Apples (1kg)

$2.31 ₱146

$2.35 ₡1,052

-1.70%

Banana (1kg)

$1.11 ₱69.6

$1.61 ₡720

-31.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.32 ₱146

$4.80 ₡2,152

-51.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.78 ₱49.05

$1.61 ₡724

-51.55%

Potato (1kg)

$1.73 ₱109

$3.80 ₡1,703

-54.47%

Onion (1kg)

$1.73 ₱109

$3.69 ₡1,657

-53.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.63 ₱39.49

$1.13 ₡507

-44.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ₱30.84

$2.66 ₡1,191

-81.58%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.00 ₱189

$5.18 ₡2,321

-42.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.74 ₱551

$19.88 ₡8,916

-56.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 ₱60.9

$2.90 ₡1,300

-66.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.05 ₱129

$3.63 ₡1,626

-43.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.27 ₱17.23

$1.12 ₡504

-75.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.74 ₱802

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-82.46%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.76 ₱47.88

$2.14 ₡958

-64.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.25 ₱15.83

$1.57 ₡703

-84.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.88 ₱118

$8.52 ₡3,823

-77.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 ₱59.8

$1.52 ₡682

-37.50%

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

$21.4K ₱1.3M

$21.6K ₡9.7M

-0.79%

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

$19.3K ₱1.2M

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-44.05%

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

$53.5 ₱3,370

$96.3 ₡43.2K

-44.41%

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

$17.42 ₱1,097

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-51.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.66 ₱1,364

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-59.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$11.25 ₱708

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-84.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.16 ₱325

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-85.22%

Cinema Ticket

$5.31 ₱334

$7.89 ₡3,539

-32.70%

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

$131 ₱8,249

$494 ₡221.6K

-73.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.9K ₱688.0K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-7.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$23.58 ₱1,484

$53.9 ₡24.2K

-56.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.50 ₱1,227

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-64.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$59.1 ₱3,723

$77.9 ₡34.9K

-24.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$55.2 ₱3,474

$79.6 ₡35.7K

-30.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$248 ₱15.6K

$788 ₡353.4K

-68.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$173 ₱10.9K

$794 ₡356.2K

-78.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$479 ₱30.1K

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-87.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$317 ₱20.0K

$1,419 ₡636.5K

-77.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,513 ₱158.2K

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-63.65%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,092 ₱68.7K

$1,224 ₡549.0K

-10.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$159 ₱10.0K

$864 ₡387.3K

-81.57%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

8.62

-21.69%

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

Last update for Cabanatuan: October 12, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cabanatuan

$173 27.9%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 360% $622

Groceries & Markets

Cabanatuan

$170 27.5%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 107% $182

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cabanatuan

$93 15%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 101% $93

Eating Out

Cabanatuan

$74 12%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 186% $138

Clothing & Footwear

Cabanatuan

$71 11.5%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 69.6% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Cabanatuan

$22 3.5%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 300% $66

Getting Around

Cabanatuan

$16 2.6%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 450% $71

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $248 in Cabanatuan versus $788 in Nosara. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 443% higher in Nosara, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $17.00 in Cabanatuan versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $170 vs $352 – making Cabanatuan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Cabanatuan

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

03:05 3:05 AM

13:05 1:05 PM

14 h behind Cabanatuan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

302,231

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 = 70.79 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cabanatuan Nosara 15,940 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Cabanatuan
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

Cabanatuan vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $618 in Cabanatuan, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 198% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $927 per month in Cabanatuan and $2,758 in Nosara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Cabanatuan, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $17.00 in Cabanatuan and $61.0 in Nosara. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $618 in Cabanatuan and $1,839 in Nosara. That's a gap of about 198%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Cabanatuan, where all-in costs run around $618, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Cabanatuan it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Nosara has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $618 in Cabanatuan to $1,839 in Nosara. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Cabanatuan. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Nosara makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.