Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cabo Rojo and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Cabo Rojo: $1,233 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $7,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

60

Cost of Living Index in Cabo Rojo
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Cabo Rojo Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Cabo Rojo

🇵🇷 Puerto Rico

$1,233

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,233 per month in Cabo Rojo vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Cabo Rojo $1,233
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $1,944 per month in Cabo Rojo vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Cabo Rojo $1,944
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $2,655 per month in Cabo Rojo vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Cabo Rojo $2,655
Nosara $3,818

Cabo Rojo is about 33% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Cabo Rojo sits 9% below the global median, while Nosara is 36% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.13 $10.13

$12.35 ₡5,539

-17.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$82.8 $82.8

$61.2 ₡27.4K

35.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.98 $8.98

$7.52 ₡3,373

19.41%

Cappuccino

$3.56 $3.56

$4.41 ₡1,978

-19.27%

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

$1.84 $1.84

$1.74 ₡780

5.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.47 $1.47

$1.31 ₡587

12.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.49 $1.49

$3.28 ₡1,471

-54.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.55 $3.55

$4.47 ₡2,004

-20.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.22 $2.22

$1.56 ₡701

42.31%

White Bread (500g)

$3.56 $3.56

$3.02 ₡1,355

17.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.45 $2.45

$2.51 ₡1,125

-2.39%

Eggs

$7.42 $7.42

$3.57 ₡1,603

107.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.58 $12.58

$7.43 ₡3,333

69.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.54 $9.54

$10.52 ₡4,717

-9.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.49 $13.49

$13.97 ₡6,265

-3.44%

Apples (1kg)

$5.02 $5.02

$2.35 ₡1,052

113.62%

Banana (1kg)

$2.62 $2.62

$1.61 ₡720

62.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.89 $4.89

$4.80 ₡2,152

1.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.91 $4.91

$1.61 ₡724

204.97%

Potato (1kg)

$3.87 $3.87

$3.80 ₡1,703

1.84%

Onion (1kg)

$3.89 $3.89

$3.69 ₡1,657

5.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.54 $3.54

$1.13 ₡507

213.27%

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)

$15.45 $15.45

$19.88 ₡8,916

-22.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.07 $3.07

$2.90 ₡1,300

5.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.10 $4.10

$3.63 ₡1,626

12.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.51 $2.51

$2.14 ₡958

17.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 $1.48

$1.57 ₡703

-5.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.21 $41.21

$8.52 ₡3,823

383.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.80 $0.80

$1.52 ₡682

-47.37%

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

$40.1K $40.1K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

85.66%

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

$28.2K $28.2K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-18.27%

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

$322 $322

$96.3 ₡43.2K

234.12%

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

$65.3 $65.3

$35.89 ₡16.1K

81.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.2 $69.2

$53.6 ₡24.0K

29.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$10.35 $10.35

$7.89 ₡3,539

31.18%

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

$817 $817

$494 ₡221.6K

65.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.7K $12.7K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

7.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.3 $57.3

$53.9 ₡24.2K

6.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$60.5 $60.5

$55.4 ₡24.8K

9.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 $109

$77.9 ₡34.9K

39.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 $112

$79.6 ₡35.7K

41.06%

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)

$4,204 $4,204

$864 ₡387.3K

386.88%

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 Cabo Rojo: October 13, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cabo Rojo

$456 37%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 59.3% $270

Groceries & Markets

Cabo Rojo

$415 33.7%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 15.2% $63

Eating Out

Cabo Rojo

$178 14.5%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 18.7% $33

Clothing & Footwear

Cabo Rojo

$152 12.4%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 21.2% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Cabo Rojo

$21 * 1.7%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 322% $67

Getting Around

Cabo Rojo

$9.9 * 0.8%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 777% $77

Accommodation & Living

Cabo Rojo

- * 0%

Nosara

$794 43.2%

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

Cost Breakdown

Salaries run about 387% higher in Cabo Rojo, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $83.0 in Cabo Rojo versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $415 vs $352 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇷 Cabo Rojo

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

17:29 5:29 PM

15:29 3:29 PM

2 h behind Cabo Rojo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

50,000

4,912

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 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 = 0.89 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

Cabo Rojo Nosara 2,190 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Cabo Rojo
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

Cabo Rojo vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara costs about 49% more than Cabo Rojo, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,849 per month in Cabo Rojo and $2,758 in Nosara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,233 in Cabo Rojo and $1,839 in Nosara. That's a gap of about 49%.

Kindergarten costs $817 per month in Cabo Rojo and $494 in Nosara. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Cabo Rojo, where all-in costs run around $1,233, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Cabo Rojo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Cabo Rojo costs $1,233 versus $1,839 in Nosara. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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 Cabo Rojo. 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.