Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cartagena and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Cartagena: $1,292 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $6,600 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

54

Cost of Living Index in Cartagena
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Cartagena Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Cartagena

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,292

/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.

A single person spends $1,292 per month in Cartagena vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Cartagena $1,292
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $2,165 per month in Cartagena vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Cartagena $2,165
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $3,039 per month in Cartagena vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Cartagena $3,039
Nosara $3,818

Cartagena is about 30% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Cartagena sits 4% below the global median, while Nosara is 36% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.87 COP 18.6K

$12.35 ₡5,539

-52.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$143 COP 453.5K

$61.2 ₡27.4K

133.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.37 COP 32.9K

$7.52 ₡3,373

37.90%

Cappuccino

$4.26 COP 13.5K

$4.41 ₡1,978

-3.40%

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

$2.54 COP 8,063

$1.74 ₡780

45.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 COP 7,478

$1.31 ₡587

80.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.26 COP 10.3K

$3.28 ₡1,471

-0.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.96 COP 15.7K

$4.47 ₡2,004

10.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.91 COP 6,053

$1.56 ₡701

22.44%

White Bread (500g)

$2.74 COP 8,692

$3.02 ₡1,355

-9.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.45 COP 4,610

$2.51 ₡1,125

-42.23%

Eggs

$5.06 COP 16.0K

$3.57 ₡1,603

41.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.13 COP 41.6K

$7.43 ₡3,333

76.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$17.37 COP 55.1K

$10.52 ₡4,717

65.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.99 COP 6,304

$2.66 ₡1,191

-25.19%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

Wine (Bottle)

$14.64 COP 46.4K

$19.88 ₡8,916

-26.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.40 COP 4,436

$2.90 ₡1,300

-51.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.25 COP 3,972

$1.12 ₡504

11.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$58.4 COP 185.2K

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-19.60%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.74 COP 15.0K

$2.14 ₡958

121.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.68 COP 11.7K

$1.57 ₡703

134.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.49 COP 30.1K

$8.52 ₡3,823

11.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 COP 4,251

$1.52 ₡682

-11.84%

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

$23.4K COP 74.1M

$21.6K ₡9.7M

8.15%

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

$34.4K COP 109.2M

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-0.22%

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

$78.4 COP 248.6K

$96.3 ₡43.2K

-18.56%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$91.7 COP 290.8K

$71.6 ₡32.1K

28.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$8.02 COP 25.4K

$7.89 ₡3,539

1.65%

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

$630 COP 2.0M

$494 ₡221.6K

27.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,818 COP 18.4M

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-50.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,035 COP 3.3M

$788 ₡353.4K

31.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$585 COP 1.9M

$794 ₡356.2K

-26.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,287 COP 7.3M

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-41.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$944 COP 3.0M

$1,419 ₡636.5K

-33.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$924 COP 2.9M

$1,224 ₡549.0K

-24.50%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$467 COP 1.5M

$864 ₡387.3K

-45.93%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

74.01%

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

Last update for Cartagena: October 11, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cartagena

$585 45.3%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 35.7% $209

Groceries & Markets

Cartagena

$259 * 20%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 36.1% $93

Eating Out

Cartagena

$175 13.5%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 21.1% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Cartagena

$108 8.3%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 18.9% $20

Getting Around

Cartagena

$87 6.7%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 0.7% $0.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cartagena

$78 * 6.1%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 137% $107

Clothing & Footwear

Cartagena

- * 0%

Nosara

$120 6.5%

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,035 in Cartagena versus $788 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 85% higher in Nosara, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $143 in Cartagena versus $61.0 in Nosara. Groceries tell a different story – $259 in Cartagena vs $352 in Nosara – so Cartagena wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Cartagena

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

07:32 7:32 AM

06:32 6:32 AM

1 h behind Cartagena

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,028,736

4,912

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 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 COP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Cartagena Nosara 1,110 km ≈ 2 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

Nosara costs about 42% more than Cartagena, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from clothing. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,938 per month in Cartagena and $2,758 in Nosara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Cartagena, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $630 per month in Cartagena and $494 in Nosara. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 36% more in Nosara, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Cartagena, where all-in costs run around $1,292, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Cartagena it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Cartagena costs $1,292 versus $1,839 in Nosara. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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.

If budget matters most, go with Cartagena. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Nosara makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.