Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between the Canary Islands and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in the Canary Islands: $1,650 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $2,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in the Canary Islands
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Canary Islands Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Canary Islands

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,650

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,650 in the Canary Islands versus $1,839 in Nosara.

Canary Islands $1,650
Nosara $1,839

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,373 in the Canary Islands versus $2,828 in Nosara.

Canary Islands $2,373
Nosara $2,828

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,095 in the Canary Islands versus $3,818 in Nosara.

Canary Islands $3,095
Nosara $3,818

Living in the Canary Islands costs roughly 10% less than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Canary Islands 22% above, Nosara 36% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.32 €18.07

$12.35 ₡5,539

64.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.1 €54.3

$61.2 ₡27.4K

-0.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.42 €8.38

$7.52 ₡3,373

25.27%

Cappuccino

$2.05 €1.83

$4.41 ₡1,978

-53.51%

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

$1.86 €1.65

$1.74 ₡780

6.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.10 €0.98

$1.31 ₡587

-16.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.85 €2.53

$3.28 ₡1,471

-13.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.42 €3.04

$4.47 ₡2,004

-23.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.36 €1.21

$1.56 ₡701

-12.82%

White Bread (500g)

$2.39 €2.13

$3.02 ₡1,355

-20.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.58 €1.40

$2.51 ₡1,125

-37.05%

Eggs

$2.18 €1.94

$3.57 ₡1,603

-38.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.31 €17.18

$7.43 ₡3,333

159.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.93 €8.83

$10.52 ₡4,717

-5.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.23 €15.33

$13.97 ₡6,265

23.34%

Apples (1kg)

$2.73 €2.43

$2.35 ₡1,052

16.17%

Banana (1kg)

$2.25 €2.00

$1.61 ₡720

39.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$4.80 ₡2,152

-55.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.51 €2.23

$1.61 ₡724

55.90%

Potato (1kg)

$2.14 €1.91

$3.80 ₡1,703

-43.68%

Onion (1kg)

$2.02 €1.80

$3.69 ₡1,657

-45.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.70 €1.51

$1.13 ₡507

50.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 €0.83

$2.66 ₡1,191

-65.04%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.66 €4.14

$5.18 ₡2,321

-10.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.86 €6.99

$19.88 ₡8,916

-60.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 €1.51

$2.90 ₡1,300

-41.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 €1.55

$3.63 ₡1,626

-51.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 €0.76

$1.12 ₡504

-23.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.24 €3.78

$2.14 ₡958

98.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.69 €1.50

$1.57 ₡703

7.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.59 €14.75

$8.52 ₡3,823

94.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.70 €1.51

$1.52 ₡682

11.84%

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

$24.9K €22.2K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

15.32%

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

$29.0K €25.8K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-16.08%

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

$126 €112

$96.3 ₡43.2K

30.94%

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

$20.91 €18.60

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-41.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.49 €31.57

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-33.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.49 €42.25

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-33.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.07 €21.41

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-31.05%

Cinema Ticket

$9.85 €8.76

$7.89 ₡3,539

24.84%

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

$400 €355

$494 ₡221.6K

-19.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,096 €4,533

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-57.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.3 €60.7

$53.9 ₡24.2K

26.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.65 €34.38

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-30.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.6 €79.7

$77.9 ₡34.9K

15.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$114 €101

$79.6 ₡35.7K

42.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,111 €988

$788 ₡353.4K

40.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$680 €605

$794 ₡356.2K

-14.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$825 €734

$1,419 ₡636.5K

-41.84%

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)

$1,369 €1,218

$864 ₡387.3K

58.57%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.33

8.62

-61.37%

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

Last update for the Canary Islands: 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

Canary Islands

$680 41.2%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 16.8% $114

Groceries & Markets

Canary Islands

$316 19.2%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 11.4% $36

Eating Out

Canary Islands

$248 15.1%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 14.7% $37

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Canary Islands

$182 11.1%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 1.8% $3.3

Clothing & Footwear

Canary Islands

$140 8.5%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 14% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Canary Islands

$67 4.1%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 30% $20

Getting Around

Canary Islands

$16 * 1%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 440% $71

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 $1,111 in the Canary Islands and $788 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Canary Islands pays 59% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $61.0 in the Canary Islands vs $61.0 in Nosara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $316 vs $352 per month, with the Canary Islands cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Canary Islands

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

18:38 6:38 PM

11:38 11:38 AM

7 h behind the Canary Islands

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,050

4,912

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

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 EUR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Canary Islands Nosara 7,420 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Canary Islands
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

Canary Islands vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Canary Islands wins on cost – living expenses run 11% lower than in Nosara. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Canary Islands the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 59% higher in the Canary Islands, 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: $1,111 in the Canary Islands versus $788 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 11% higher in Nosara. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,650 per month in the Canary Islands versus $1,839 in Nosara – a 11% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,650 in the Canary Islands versus $1,839 in Nosara, a $2,000 budget is realistic in the Canary Islands but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Canary Islands the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Canary Islands delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,650 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Canary Islands hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Canary Islands 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 Canary Islands gentler on the wallet – expenses run 11% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.