Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Candelaria and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Candelaria: $1,327 a month against $1,846 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $6,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Nosara outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

64

Cost of Living Index in Candelaria
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Candelaria Living Index
88

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Candelaria

🇵🇷 Puerto Rico

$1,327

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,846

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,327 per month in Candelaria vs $1,846 in Nosara, rent included.

Candelaria $1,327
Nosara $1,846

A couple spends around $2,085 per month in Candelaria vs $2,833 in Nosara, rent included.

Candelaria $2,085
Nosara $2,833

A family of three spends $2,844 per month in Candelaria vs $3,820 in Nosara, rent included.

Candelaria $2,844
Nosara $3,820

Candelaria is about 28% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Candelaria sits 3% below the global median, while Nosara is 36% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.01 $19.01

$12.36 ₡5,575

53.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$81.5 $81.5

$60.8 ₡27.4K

34.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.21 $9.21

$7.88 ₡3,557

16.88%

Cappuccino

$3.70 $3.70

$4.40 ₡1,986

-15.91%

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

$1.88 $1.88

$1.72 ₡776

9.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.34 ₡603

8.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.06 $3.06

$3.34 ₡1,505

-8.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.97 $4.97

$4.54 ₡2,048

9.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.16 $2.16

$1.64 ₡739

31.71%

White Bread (500g)

$3.54 $3.54

$3.16 ₡1,426

12.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.33 $2.33

$2.39 ₡1,080

-2.51%

Eggs

$7.19 $7.19

$3.47 ₡1,564

107.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.35 $12.35

$7.13 ₡3,217

73.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.91 $9.91

$10.32 ₡4,655

-3.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.47 $13.47

$13.97 ₡6,302

-3.58%

Apples (1kg)

$5.11 $5.11

$2.29 ₡1,031

123.14%

Banana (1kg)

$2.57 $2.57

$1.62 ₡731

58.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.82 $4.82

$4.81 ₡2,169

0.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.87 $4.87

$1.68 ₡758

189.88%

Potato (1kg)

$3.71 $3.71

$3.91 ₡1,765

-5.12%

Onion (1kg)

$3.97 $3.97

$3.63 ₡1,640

9.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.38 $3.38

$1.13 ₡509

199.12%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 $1.66

$2.63 ₡1,188

-36.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.10 $12.10

$5.02 ₡2,267

141.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.81 $15.81

$19.71 ₡8,893

-19.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.12 $3.12

$2.91 ₡1,314

7.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.09 $4.09

$3.54 ₡1,597

15.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.21 ₡545

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.8 ₡33.3K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.46 $2.46

$2.15 ₡969

14.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.51 $1.51

$1.63 ₡738

-7.36%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.21 $41.21

$8.77 ₡3,958

369.90%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.17 $1.17

$1.55 ₡700

-24.52%

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

$34.0K $34.0K

$33.9K ₡15.3M

0.43%

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

$28.2K $28.2K

$38.5K ₡17.4M

-26.60%

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

$326 $326

$95.2 ₡43.0K

242.64%

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

$68.8 $68.8

$36.29 ₡16.4K

89.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.4 $69.4

$52.0 ₡23.5K

33.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.6 ₡30.5K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.55 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$10.69 $10.69

$7.54 ₡3,404

41.78%

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

$806 $806

$496 ₡224.0K

62.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K $12.3K

$11.8K ₡5.3M

4.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.7 $55.7

$55.1 ₡24.9K

0.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$61.3 $61.3

$56.1 ₡25.3K

9.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 $110

$77.8 ₡35.1K

40.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$114 $114

$79.1 ₡35.7K

44.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$817 ₡368.9K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$806 ₡363.6K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,988 ₡1.8M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,429 ₡644.9K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,068 ₡3.2M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,197 ₡540.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$888 ₡400.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.55

8.62

-24.01%

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

Last update for Candelaria: October 25, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Candelaria

$464 35%

Nosara

$184 9.9% 60.5% $281

Groceries & Markets

Candelaria

$415 31.3%

Nosara

$351 19% 15.3% $63

Eating Out

Candelaria

$263 19.8%

Nosara

$213 11.6% 18.8% $49

Clothing & Footwear

Candelaria

$153 11.6%

Nosara

$121 6.5% 21.3% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Candelaria

$21 * 1.6%

Nosara

$83 4.5% 287% $61

Getting Around

Candelaria

$10 * 0.8%

Nosara

$89 4.8% 788% $79

Accommodation & Living

Candelaria

- * 0%

Nosara

$806 43.7%

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $81 in Candelaria versus $61 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $415 vs $351 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇷 Candelaria

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

12:14 12:14 PM

10:14 10:14 AM

2 h behind Candelaria

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

17,631

4,912

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.899 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.899 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 502 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

CRC to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Candelaria Nosara 2,280 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Candelaria
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

Candelaria vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,327 in Candelaria, $1,846 in Nosara – roughly 39% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,990 per month in Candelaria and $2,769 in Nosara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,327 in Candelaria and $1,846 in Nosara. That’s a gap of about 39%.

Kindergarten costs $806 per month in Candelaria and $496 in Nosara. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

It depends on your priorities. Nosara has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,327 in Candelaria to $1,846 in Nosara. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.