Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Calella and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Calella: $1,596 a month against $1,835 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $2,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

77

Cost of Living Index in Calella
Learn more

Calella Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index

Jump to prices

Calella

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,596

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,596 per month in Calella vs $1,835 in Nosara, rent included.

Calella $1,596
Nosara $1,835

A couple spends around $2,366 per month in Calella vs $2,825 in Nosara, rent included.

Calella $2,366
Nosara $2,825

A family of three spends $3,137 per month in Calella vs $3,814 in Nosara, rent included.

Calella $3,137
Nosara $3,814

Calella is about 13% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Calella and Nosara sit above the global median – Calella by 18%, Nosara by 35%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.73 €13.13

$12.34 ₡5,584

19.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$56.4 €50.3

$61.3 ₡27.7K

-8.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.03 €7.15

$7.76 ₡3,512

3.48%

Cappuccino

$2.49 €2.22

$4.44 ₡2,009

-43.92%

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

$2.33 €2.08

$1.79 ₡810

30.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.79 €1.59

$1.29 ₡585

38.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.46 €3.08

$3.24 ₡1,464

6.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.95

$4.43 ₡2,003

-25.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.11 €0.99

$1.55 ₡702

-28.39%

White Bread (500g)

$2.09 €1.86

$3.08 ₡1,392

-32.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.88 €2.57

$2.53 ₡1,143

13.83%

Eggs

$3.03 €2.70

$3.45 ₡1,560

-12.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.61 €13.03

$7.32 ₡3,313

99.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.31 €7.41

$10.24 ₡4,635

-18.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.33 €13.66

$14.10 ₡6,382

8.72%

Apples (1kg)

$2.48 €2.21

$2.29 ₡1,036

8.30%

Banana (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$1.64 ₡744

20.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.58 €1.41

$4.79 ₡2,168

-67.01%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.42 €2.15

$1.64 ₡742

47.56%

Potato (1kg)

$1.79 €1.60

$3.85 ₡1,743

-53.51%

Onion (1kg)

$1.86 €1.65

$3.75 ₡1,696

-50.40%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.38 €1.23

$1.09 ₡492

26.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.62 €0.55

$2.59 ₡1,170

-76.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.96 €6.21

$5.12 ₡2,315

35.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.56 €4.96

$19.92 ₡9,010

-72.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 €0.95

$2.80 ₡1,266

-61.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.43 €2.17

$3.52 ₡1,594

-30.97%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.46 €1.30

$1.22 ₡554

19.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$31.71 €28.26

$73.9 ₡33.4K

-57.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.77 €3.36

$2.17 ₡982

73.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.24 €1.11

$1.56 ₡704

-20.51%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.51 €12.93

$8.67 ₡3,921

67.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.83 €1.63

$1.55 ₡703

18.06%

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

$39.4K €35.1K

$34.5K ₡15.6M

14.05%

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

$31.0K €27.6K

$38.7K ₡17.5M

-19.94%

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

$117 €104

$94.8 ₡42.9K

23.31%

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

$13.52 €12.05

$36.15 ₡16.4K

-62.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.05 €22.32

$53.1 ₡24.0K

-52.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.23 €41.20

$73.8 ₡33.4K

-37.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.63 €15.71

$35.63 ₡16.1K

-50.52%

Cinema Ticket

$8.35 €7.44

$7.91 ₡3,579

5.56%

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

$560 €499

$490 ₡221.8K

14.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,945 €8,864

$11.9K ₡5.4M

-16.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.6 €55.8

$54.8 ₡24.8K

14.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$21.12 €18.82

$55.9 ₡25.3K

-62.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 €101

$80.4 ₡36.4K

41.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$160 €143

$77.9 ₡35.2K

105.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$904 €805

$801 ₡362.3K

12.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$684 €610

$790 ₡357.2K

-13.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,356 €1,208

$4,005 ₡1.8M

-66.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,011 €901

$1,409 ₡637.6K

-28.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,081 €2,746

$7,064 ₡3.2M

-56.39%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,932 €1,722

$1,236 ₡559.2K

56.35%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,725 €1,537

$887 ₡401.1K

94.53%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.3

8.62

-61.72%

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

Last update for Calella: October 17, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Calella

$684 42.9%

Nosara

$790 43% 15.4% $106

Groceries & Markets

Calella

$273 17.1%

Nosara

$350 19.1% 28.1% $77

Eating Out

Calella

$212 13.3%

Nosara

$213 11.6% 0.2% $0.4

Clothing & Footwear

Calella

$161 10.1%

Nosara

$121 6.6% 24.8% $40

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Calella

$155 9.7%

Nosara

$184 10% 18.4% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Calella

$63 3.9%

Nosara

$90 4.9% 42.4% $27

Getting Around

Calella

$48 3%

Nosara

$89 4.8% 86.6% $41

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $904 in Calella versus $801 in Nosara. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 95% higher in Calella, 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 $56 in Calella versus $61 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $273 vs $350 – making Calella the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Calella

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

10:34 10:34 AM

03:34 3:34 AM

7 h behind Calella

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

19,862

4,912

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1,000 CRC = 2.21 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.97 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 26, 2026: 1 USD = 0.891 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 26, 2026: 1 USD = 452 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.21 USD). 1 EUR = 508 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.97 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Calella Nosara 9,130 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Calella
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

Calella vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Nosara is pricier by about 15%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,394 per month in Calella and $2,753 in Nosara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Nosara, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $801 there versus $904 in Calella.

Public transport costs about 57% less in Calella. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $560 per month in Calella and $490 in Nosara. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,500 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,596 in Calella and $1,835 in Nosara. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Nosara has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,596 in Calella to $1,835 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.