Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Calama and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Calama: $595 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $14,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

29

Cost of Living Index in Calama
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Calama Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Calama

🇨🇱 Chile

$595

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $595 in Calama versus $1,839 in Nosara.

Calama $595
Nosara $1,839

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,203 in Calama versus $2,828 in Nosara.

Calama $1,203
Nosara $2,828

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,812 in Calama versus $3,818 in Nosara.

Calama $1,812
Nosara $3,818

Living in Calama costs roughly 68% less than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Calama is 56% below, Nosara is 36% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.95 CLP 6,841

$12.35 ₡5,539

-43.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.49 CLP 31.0K

$61.2 ₡27.4K

-48.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

Cappuccino

$2.05 CLP 2,018

$4.41 ₡1,978

-53.51%

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

$0.93 CLP 916

$1.74 ₡780

-46.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.94 CLP 929

$1.31 ₡587

-28.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.12 CLP 3,074

$3.28 ₡1,471

-4.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 CLP 5,149

$4.47 ₡2,004

17.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.10 CLP 1,087

$1.56 ₡701

-29.49%

White Bread (500g)

$0.84 CLP 825

$3.02 ₡1,355

-72.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.62 CLP 2,575

$2.51 ₡1,125

4.38%

Eggs

$4.95 CLP 4,876

$3.57 ₡1,603

38.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.36 CLP 9,217

$7.43 ₡3,333

25.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.22 CLP 6,119

$10.52 ₡4,717

-40.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.53 CLP 7,413

$13.97 ₡6,265

-46.10%

Apples (1kg)

$1.26 CLP 1,242

$2.35 ₡1,052

-46.38%

Banana (1kg)

$1.05 CLP 1,029

$1.61 ₡720

-34.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.55 CLP 1,523

$4.80 ₡2,152

-67.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.10 CLP 1,081

$1.61 ₡724

-31.68%

Potato (1kg)

$0.90 CLP 884

$3.80 ₡1,703

-76.32%

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 CLP 916

$3.69 ₡1,657

-74.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.25 CLP 5,170

$5.18 ₡2,321

1.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.19 CLP 4,128

$19.88 ₡8,916

-78.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.01 CLP 990

$2.90 ₡1,300

-65.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.25 CLP 1,235

$3.63 ₡1,626

-65.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.95 CLP 931

$1.12 ₡504

-15.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.43 CLP 1,412

$1.57 ₡703

-8.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 CLP 1,415

$1.52 ₡682

-5.26%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

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

$40.05 CLP 39.4K

$96.3 ₡43.2K

-58.41%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.28 CLP 13.1K

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-75.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.7 CLP 50.9K

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-27.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.74 CLP 20.4K

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-40.59%

Cinema Ticket

$4.69 CLP 4,617

$7.89 ₡3,539

-40.56%

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

$306 CLP 301.6K

$494 ₡221.6K

-37.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$36.08 CLP 35.5K

$53.9 ₡24.2K

-33.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.38 CLP 27.9K

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-48.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$45.82 CLP 45.1K

$77.9 ₡34.9K

-41.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$61.8 CLP 60.9K

$79.6 ₡35.7K

-22.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$327 CLP 322.3K

$788 ₡353.4K

-58.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$102 CLP 100.6K

$794 ₡356.2K

-87.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$807 CLP 794.0K

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-79.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$608 CLP 599.0K

$1,419 ₡636.5K

-57.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,403 CLP 1.4M

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-79.70%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,229 CLP 1.2M

$1,224 ₡549.0K

0.43%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,110 CLP 1.1M

$864 ₡387.3K

28.54%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

-42.00%

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

Last update for Calama: October 13, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Calama

$176 * 29.6%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 99.9% $176

Eating Out

Calama

$114 * 19.1%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 86.2% $98

Accommodation & Living

Calama

$102 17.2%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 677% $692

Clothing & Footwear

Calama

$77 13%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 55.1% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Calama

$61 10.3%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 43% $26

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Calama

$53 * 9%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 248% $132

Getting Around

Calama

$11 * 1.8%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 696% $76

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $327 in Calama and $788 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Calama pays 29% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $31.00 in Calama vs $61.0 in Nosara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $176 vs $352 per month, with Calama cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇱 Calama

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

18:03 6:03 PM

15:03 3:03 PM

3 h behind Calama

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

157,575

4,912

💱 Currency

Chilean Peso CLP $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 CLP = 10.16 USD

10,000 CLP = 9.04 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to CLP – Chilean Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇱 Chilean Peso ($)

Chilean Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 984 CLP (1,000 CLP = 1.02 USD). 1 EUR = 1,107 CLP (10,000 CLP = 9.04 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 CLP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Calama Nosara 4,040 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Calama
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

Calama vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Calama wins on cost – living expenses run 209% lower than in Nosara. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Calama the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 29% higher in Calama, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $327 in Calama versus $788 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 100% higher in Nosara. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $595 per month in Calama versus $1,839 in Nosara – a 209% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $595 in Calama versus $1,839 in Nosara, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Calama but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Calama the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Calama delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $595 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Calama hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Calama 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 Calama gentler on the wallet – expenses run 209% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.