Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cafayate and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Cafayate: $1,244 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $7,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

60

Cost of Living Index in Cafayate
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Cafayate Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index

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Cafayate

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,244

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,244 per month in Cafayate vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Cafayate $1,244
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $2,042 per month in Cafayate vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Cafayate $2,042
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $2,839 per month in Cafayate vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Cafayate $2,839
Nosara $3,818

Cafayate is about 32% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Cafayate sits 8% below the global median, while Nosara is 36% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 ARS 25.3K

$12.35 ₡5,539

34.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.2 ARS 86.8K

$61.2 ₡27.4K

-6.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.70 ARS 19.3K

$7.52 ₡3,373

68.88%

Cappuccino

$3.79 ARS 5,758

$4.41 ₡1,978

-14.06%

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

$2.17 ARS 3,299

$1.74 ₡780

24.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 ARS 2,778

$1.31 ₡587

39.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 ARS 6,086

$3.28 ₡1,471

22.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.21 ARS 6,395

$4.47 ₡2,004

-5.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 ARS 1,894

$1.56 ₡701

-19.87%

White Bread (500g)

$2.48 ARS 3,768

$3.02 ₡1,355

-17.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.03 ARS 3,076

$2.51 ₡1,125

-19.12%

Eggs

$2.79 ARS 4,232

$3.57 ₡1,603

-21.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.95 ARS 15.1K

$7.43 ₡3,333

33.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.36 ARS 12.7K

$10.52 ₡4,717

-20.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.95 ARS 18.1K

$13.97 ₡6,265

-14.46%

Apples (1kg)

$2.54 ARS 3,862

$2.35 ₡1,052

8.09%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 ARS 3,498

$1.61 ₡720

43.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.75 ARS 2,655

$4.80 ₡2,152

-63.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.66 ARS 4,039

$1.61 ₡724

65.22%

Potato (1kg)

$1.02 ARS 1,548

$3.80 ₡1,703

-73.16%

Onion (1kg)

$0.90 ARS 1,365

$3.69 ₡1,657

-75.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 ARS 2,612

$2.66 ₡1,191

-35.34%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.79 ARS 5,754

$5.18 ₡2,321

-26.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.24 ARS 7,945

$19.88 ₡8,916

-73.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.11 ARS 3,202

$2.90 ₡1,300

-27.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.19 ARS 4,842

$3.63 ₡1,626

-12.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.09 ARS 1,647

$1.12 ₡504

-2.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.70 ARS 2,579

$2.14 ₡958

-20.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 ARS 2,036

$1.52 ₡682

-11.84%

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

$31.5K ARS 47.8M

$21.6K ₡9.7M

45.64%

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

$38.1K ARS 57.8M

$34.5K ₡15.5M

10.34%

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

$107 ARS 161.9K

$96.3 ₡43.2K

10.80%

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

$19.80 ARS 30.1K

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-44.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.60 ARS 38.9K

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-52.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.21 ARS 47.4K

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-56.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$7.90 ARS 12.0K

$7.89 ₡3,539

0.13%

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

$255 ARS 387.5K

$494 ₡221.6K

-48.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$96.3 ARS 146.1K

$53.9 ₡24.2K

78.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 ARS 183.1K

$77.9 ₡34.9K

54.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 ARS 182.4K

$79.6 ₡35.7K

50.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$443 ARS 671.6K

$788 ₡353.4K

-43.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$362 ARS 549.4K

$794 ₡356.2K

-54.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,042 ARS 1.6M

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-73.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$798 ARS 1.2M

$1,419 ₡636.5K

-43.78%

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 %)

8.62

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

Last update for Cafayate: October 13, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cafayate

$362 29.1%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 119% $432

Groceries & Markets

Cafayate

$264 * 21.2%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 33.5% $88

Eating Out

Cafayate

$261 21%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 18.9% $50

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cafayate

$152 12.2%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 22.1% $34

Clothing & Footwear

Cafayate

$152 * 12.2%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 20.8% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Cafayate

$47 3.8%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 85.9% $40

Getting Around

Cafayate

$6 * 0.5%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 1342% $81

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $443 in Cafayate 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $57.0 in Cafayate versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $264 vs $352 – making Cafayate the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Cafayate

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

10:52 10:52 AM

07:52 7:52 AM

3 h behind Cafayate

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

14,850

4,912

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to ARS – Argentine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇷 Argentine Peso ($)

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1,517 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD). 1 EUR = 1,706 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.86 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 ARS in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cafayate Nosara 4,540 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Cafayate
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

Cafayate vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,244 in Cafayate, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 48% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,866 per month in Cafayate 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 Cafayate, 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 $57.0 in Cafayate and $61.0 in Nosara. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 34% more in Nosara, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Cafayate, where all-in costs run around $1,244, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Cafayate 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 $1,244 in Cafayate 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 Cafayate. 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.