Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cartagena and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Cartagena: $1,427 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $4,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

69

Cost of Living Index in Cartagena
Learn more

Cartagena Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index

Jump to prices

Cartagena

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,427

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,427 in Cartagena versus $1,839 in Nosara.

Cartagena $1,427
Nosara $1,839

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,095 in Cartagena versus $2,828 in Nosara.

Cartagena $2,095
Nosara $2,828

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,762 in Cartagena versus $3,818 in Nosara.

Cartagena $2,762
Nosara $3,818

Living in Cartagena costs roughly 22% less than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Cartagena 6% above, Nosara 36% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.84 €12.31

$12.35 ₡5,539

12.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.0 €48.90

$61.2 ₡27.4K

-10.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.60 €6.76

$7.52 ₡3,373

1.06%

Cappuccino

$2.56 €2.27

$4.41 ₡1,978

-41.95%

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

$2.45 €2.18

$1.74 ₡780

40.80%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.84 €1.64

$1.31 ₡587

40.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.43 €3.05

$3.28 ₡1,471

4.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.98 €3.54

$4.47 ₡2,004

-10.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 €1.07

$1.56 ₡701

-22.44%

White Bread (500g)

$1.18 €1.05

$3.02 ₡1,355

-60.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.55 €2.26

$2.51 ₡1,125

1.59%

Eggs

$3.96 €3.52

$3.57 ₡1,603

10.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.91 €11.48

$7.43 ₡3,333

73.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.94 €6.18

$10.52 ₡4,717

-34.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.67 €16.60

$13.97 ₡6,265

33.64%

Apples (1kg)

$2.39 €2.13

$2.35 ₡1,052

1.70%

Banana (1kg)

$2.52 €2.24

$1.61 ₡720

56.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.61 €1.43

$4.80 ₡2,152

-66.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.09 €2.75

$1.61 ₡724

91.93%

Potato (1kg)

$1.25 €1.11

$3.80 ₡1,703

-67.11%

Onion (1kg)

$1.24 €1.10

$3.69 ₡1,657

-66.40%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.57 €1.40

$1.13 ₡507

38.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.69 €0.62

$2.66 ₡1,191

-74.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.64 €5.02

$5.18 ₡2,321

8.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.24 €5.55

$19.88 ₡8,916

-68.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 €1.11

$2.90 ₡1,300

-56.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.13 €1.00

$3.63 ₡1,626

-68.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.43 €1.27

$1.12 ₡504

27.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.14 €9.91

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-84.66%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.50 €4.90

$2.14 ₡958

157.01%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.25 €2.00

$1.57 ₡703

43.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.49 €24.45

$8.52 ₡3,823

222.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.77 €1.58

$1.52 ₡682

16.45%

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

$35.1K €31.2K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

62.47%

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

$30.2K €26.8K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-12.63%

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

$210 €187

$96.3 ₡43.2K

118.12%

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

$19.74 €17.56

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-45.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.70 €25.53

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-46.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.14 €36.59

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-42.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.80 €11.39

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-63.33%

Cinema Ticket

$7.70 €6.85

$7.89 ₡3,539

-2.41%

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

$416 €370

$494 ₡221.6K

-15.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,726 €2,425

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-77.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$47.17 €41.96

$53.9 ₡24.2K

-12.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.38 €31.47

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-36.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$61.1 €54.3

$77.9 ₡34.9K

-21.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 €89.7

$79.6 ₡35.7K

26.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$591 €525

$788 ₡353.4K

-25.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$492 €438

$794 ₡356.2K

-38.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$836 €743

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-78.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$708 €630

$1,419 ₡636.5K

-50.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,770 €1,574

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-74.39%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,433 €1,275

$1,224 ₡549.0K

17.06%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,720 €1,530

$864 ₡387.3K

99.14%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.06

8.62

-52.90%

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

Last update for Cartagena: October 10, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cartagena

$492 34.5%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 61.4% $302

Groceries & Markets

Cartagena

$270 18.9%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 30.4% $82

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cartagena

$258 18.1%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 28.1% $73

Eating Out

Cartagena

$206 14.5%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 2.6% $5.4

Clothing & Footwear

Cartagena

$110 7.7%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 9.2% $10

Sport & Entertainment

Cartagena

$57 4%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 54.5% $31

Getting Around

Cartagena

$34 2.4%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 159% $54

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $591 in Cartagena and $788 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cartagena pays 99% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $55.0 in Cartagena vs $61.0 in Nosara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $270 vs $352 per month, with Cartagena cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Cartagena

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

01:21 1:21 AM

17:21 5:21 PM

8 h behind Cartagena

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

218,050

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

Cartagena Nosara 8,870 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Cartagena
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

Cartagena vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cartagena wins on cost – living expenses run 29% lower than in Nosara. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Cartagena the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 99% higher in Cartagena, 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: $591 in Cartagena versus $788 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Cartagena – a meal for two runs $55.0 versus $61.0 in Nosara. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,427 per month in Cartagena versus $1,839 in Nosara – a 29% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,427 in Cartagena versus $1,839 in Nosara, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Cartagena but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Cartagena the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Cartagena delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,427 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Cartagena hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Cartagena 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 Cartagena gentler on the wallet – expenses run 29% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.