Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cagayan de Oro City and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Cagayan de Oro City: $771 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $12,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Cagayan de Oro City
🇵🇭 Philippines
$771
/mo nomad
Nosara
🇨🇷 Costa Rica
$1,839
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $771 in Cagayan de Oro City versus $1,839 in Nosara.

  • Cagayan de Oro City $771
  • Nosara $1,839

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,141 in Cagayan de Oro City versus $2,828 in Nosara.

  • Cagayan de Oro City $1,141
  • Nosara $2,828

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,511 in Cagayan de Oro City versus $3,818 in Nosara.

  • Cagayan de Oro City $1,511
  • Nosara $3,818

Living in Cagayan de Oro City costs roughly 58% less than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Cagayan de Oro City is 43% below, Nosara is 36% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Cagayan de Oro City
Nosara
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.68 ₱231
$12.35 ₡5,539
-70.20%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$12.80 ₱806
$61.2 ₡27.4K
-79.08%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$3.05 ₱192
$7.52 ₡3,373
-59.44%
Cappuccino
$2.33 ₱147
$4.41 ₡1,978
-47.17%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.76 ₱47.91
$1.74 ₡780
-56.32%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.64 ₱39.98
$1.31 ₡587
-51.15%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.38 ₱86.9
$3.28 ₡1,471
-57.93%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.98 ₱124
$4.47 ₡2,004
-55.70%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Cagayan de Oro City
Nosara
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.48 ₱93.4
$1.56 ₡701
-5.13%
White Bread (500g)
$0.89 ₱56.2
$3.02 ₡1,355
-70.53%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.92 ₱58.0
$2.51 ₡1,125
-63.35%
Eggs
$2.17 ₱137
$3.57 ₡1,603
-39.22%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.67 ₱546
$7.43 ₡3,333
16.69%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.29 ₱207
$10.52 ₡4,717
-68.73%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$5.76 ₱363
$13.97 ₡6,265
-58.77%
Apples (1kg)
$2.05 ₱129
$2.35 ₡1,052
-12.77%
Banana (1kg)
$1.08 ₱68.3
$1.61 ₡720
-32.92%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.38 ₱150
$4.80 ₡2,152
-50.42%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.14 ₱71.9
$1.61 ₡724
-29.19%
Potato (1kg)
$1.92 ₱121
$3.80 ₡1,703
-49.47%
Onion (1kg)
$2.53 ₱159
$3.69 ₡1,657
-31.44%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.76 ₱47.87
$1.13 ₡507
-32.74%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.48 ₱30.30
$2.66 ₡1,191
-81.95%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.02 ₱190
$5.18 ₡2,321
-41.70%
Wine (Bottle)
$3.97 ₱250
$19.88 ₡8,916
-80.03%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.22 ₱77.0
$2.90 ₡1,300
-57.93%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.93 ₱122
$3.63 ₡1,626
-46.83%
🚌 Getting Around
Cagayan de Oro City
Nosara
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.41 ₱25.99
$1.12 ₡504
-63.39%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$9.84 ₱620
$72.6 ₡32.6K
-86.45%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.63 ₱39.57
$2.14 ₡958
-70.56%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.21 ₱13.18
$1.57 ₡703
-86.62%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$1.94 ₱122
$8.52 ₡3,823
-77.23%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.08 ₱67.8
$1.52 ₡682
-28.95%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.1K ₱1.3M
$21.6K ₡9.7M
-2.14%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$18.9K ₱1.2M
$34.5K ₡15.5M
-45.26%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cagayan de Oro City
Nosara
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$137 ₱8,600
$96.3 ₡43.2K
41.86%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$22.77 ₱1,433
$35.89 ₡16.1K
-36.56%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.51 ₱1,921
$53.6 ₡24.0K
-43.07%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Cagayan de Oro City
Nosara
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$20.70 ₱1,303
$71.6 ₡32.1K
-71.09%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$2.87 ₱181
$34.91 ₡15.7K
-91.78%
Cinema Ticket
$4.55 ₱286
$7.89 ₡3,539
-42.33%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Cagayan de Oro City
Nosara
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$66.4 ₱4,181
$494 ₡221.6K
-86.56%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$2,257 ₱142.1K
$11.9K ₡5.3M
-80.97%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Cagayan de Oro City
Nosara
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$31.71 ₱1,997
$53.9 ₡24.2K
-41.21%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$13.08 ₱824
$55.4 ₡24.8K
-76.39%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$52.4 ₱3,300
$77.9 ₡34.9K
-32.73%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$39.65 ₱2,496
$79.6 ₡35.7K
-50.19%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Cagayan de Oro City
Nosara
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$377 ₱23.8K
$788 ₡353.4K
-52.10%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$229 ₱14.4K
$794 ₡356.2K
-71.23%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$693 ₱43.7K
$3,939 ₡1.8M
-82.40%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$452 ₱28.5K
$1,419 ₡636.5K
-68.15%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,604 ₱101.0K
$6,912 ₡3.1M
-76.80%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$951 ₱59.9K
$1,224 ₡549.0K
-22.32%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Cagayan de Oro City
Nosara
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$302 ₱19.0K
$864 ₡387.3K
-64.99%
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 Cagayan de Oro City: 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
Cagayan de Oro City
$229
Nosara
$794 248% $566
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cagayan de Oro City
$190
Nosara
$186 2.2% $4.1
Groceries & Markets
Cagayan de Oro City
$165
Nosara
$352 113% $187
Eating Out
Cagayan de Oro City
$83
Nosara
$212 155% $129
Clothing & Footwear
Cagayan de Oro City
$62
Nosara
$120 95% $59
Sport & Entertainment
Cagayan de Oro City
$30
Nosara
$87 193% $58
Getting Around
Cagayan de Oro City
$13
Nosara
$87 561% $74

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $377 in Cagayan de Oro City and $788 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Nosara pays 186% 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: $13.00 in Cagayan de Oro City vs $61.0 in Nosara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $165 vs $352 per month, with Cagayan de Oro City cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇵🇭 Cagayan de Oro City
🇨🇷 Nosara
🕒 Local time
04:18 4:18 AM
14:18 2:18 PM
14 h behind Cagayan de Oro City
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
728,402
4,912
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to PHP – Philippine Peso Converter

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Cagayan de Oro City Nosara 16,080 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Cagayan de Oro City
  • 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
Cagayan de Oro City vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Cagayan de Oro City and in Nosara?
Cagayan de Oro City and Nosara differ by about 138% in total monthly costs ($771 vs $1,839 including rent). Cagayan de Oro City is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city has better-paying jobs?
On paper, salaries run 186% lower in Nosara. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
How do apartment prices compare in Cagayan de Oro City and in Nosara?
Rent for a central apartment: $377 in Cagayan de Oro City versus $788 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Supermarket bills run roughly 113% higher in Nosara. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
Dining out is cheaper in Cagayan de Oro City – a meal for two runs $13.00 versus $61.0 in Nosara. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Which city is more doable on $2,000 per month?
At $771 in Cagayan de Oro City versus $1,839 in Nosara, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Cagayan de Oro City but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Cagayan de Oro City the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Cagayan de Oro City and Nosara?
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.
Is Cagayan de Oro City or Nosara safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Cagayan de Oro City 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.
Where should expats move: Cagayan de Oro City or Nosara?
Expats usually find Cagayan de Oro City gentler on the wallet – expenses run 138% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

Cagayan de Oro City vs other spots: cost of living compared

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