Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Calamba and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Calamba: $518 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $15,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

25

Cost of Living Index in Calamba
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Calamba Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Calamba

🇵🇭 Philippines

$518

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $518 in Calamba versus $1,839 in Nosara.

Calamba $518
Nosara $1,839

Estimated couple costs with rent: $764 in Calamba versus $2,828 in Nosara.

Calamba $764
Nosara $2,828

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,010 in Calamba versus $3,818 in Nosara.

Calamba $1,010
Nosara $3,818

Living in Calamba costs roughly 72% less than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Calamba is 62% below, Nosara is 36% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.92 ₱247

$12.35 ₡5,539

-68.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$12.02 ₱757

$61.2 ₡27.4K

-80.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.82 ₱178

$7.52 ₡3,373

-62.50%

Cappuccino

$1.79 ₱113

$4.41 ₡1,978

-59.41%

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

$0.56 ₱35.44

$1.74 ₡780

-67.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ₱21.06

$1.31 ₡587

-74.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.94 ₱59.5

$3.28 ₡1,471

-71.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.55 ₱97.7

$4.47 ₡2,004

-65.32%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.60 ₱101

$1.56 ₡701

2.56%

White Bread (500g)

$1.11 ₱70.1

$3.02 ₡1,355

-63.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.97 ₱61.0

$2.51 ₡1,125

-61.35%

Eggs

$2.00 ₱126

$3.57 ₡1,603

-43.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.20 ₱327

$7.43 ₡3,333

-30.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ₱214

$10.52 ₡4,717

-67.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.80 ₱491

$13.97 ₡6,265

-44.17%

Apples (1kg)

$2.31 ₱145

$2.35 ₡1,052

-1.70%

Banana (1kg)

$1.54 ₱96.9

$1.61 ₡720

-4.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.40 ₱151

$4.80 ₡2,152

-50.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.06 ₱66.9

$1.61 ₡724

-34.16%

Potato (1kg)

$1.73 ₱109

$3.80 ₡1,703

-54.47%

Onion (1kg)

$1.78 ₱112

$3.69 ₡1,657

-51.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.61 ₱38.68

$1.13 ₡507

-46.02%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ₱31.10

$2.66 ₡1,191

-81.58%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.92 ₱184

$5.18 ₡2,321

-43.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.87 ₱558

$19.88 ₡8,916

-55.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 ₱60.3

$2.90 ₡1,300

-66.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.10 ₱132

$3.63 ₡1,626

-42.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.82 ₱51.9

$2.14 ₡958

-61.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.25 ₱15.75

$1.57 ₡703

-84.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.88 ₱119

$8.52 ₡3,823

-77.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.93 ₱58.7

$1.52 ₡682

-38.82%

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

$21.1K ₱1.3M

$21.6K ₡9.7M

-2.20%

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

$19.0K ₱1.2M

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-44.92%

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

$139 ₱8,759

$96.3 ₡43.2K

44.48%

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

$17.36 ₱1,093

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-51.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.85 ₱1,502

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-55.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$5.04 ₱317

$7.89 ₡3,539

-36.12%

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

$130 ₱8,193

$494 ₡221.6K

-73.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.6K ₱668.9K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-10.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$28.54 ₱1,797

$53.9 ₡24.2K

-47.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.73 ₱1,242

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-64.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.0 ₱4,468

$77.9 ₡34.9K

-8.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$55.3 ₱3,482

$79.6 ₡35.7K

-30.54%

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)

$260 ₱16.4K

$864 ₡387.3K

-69.91%

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 Calamba: October 12, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Calamba

$180 34.8%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 3% $5.4

Groceries & Markets

Calamba

$175 33.7%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 102% $178

Clothing & Footwear

Calamba

$79 15.2%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 52.9% $42

Eating Out

Calamba

$73 14%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 191% $139

Sport & Entertainment

Calamba

$10 * 1.9%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 767% $77

Getting Around

Calamba

$2.1 * 0.4%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 4088% $85

Accommodation & Living

Calamba

- * 0%

Nosara

$794 43.2%

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

Cost Breakdown

Nosara pays 232% 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: $12.00 in Calamba vs $61.0 in Nosara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $175 vs $352 per month, with Calamba cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Calamba

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

03:45 3:45 AM

13:45 1:45 PM

14 h behind Calamba

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

539,671

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

Calamba Nosara 16,020 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Calamba
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

Calamba vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Calamba wins on cost – living expenses run 255% lower than in Nosara. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Calamba the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 232% 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.

Supermarket bills run roughly 102% higher in Nosara. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $518 per month in Calamba versus $1,839 in Nosara – a 255% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $518 in Calamba versus $1,839 in Nosara, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Calamba but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Calamba the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Calamba delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $518 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Calamba hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Calamba 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 Calamba gentler on the wallet – expenses run 255% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.