Cost of Living Comparison Between Cartago and Nosara Cost of Living Comparison Between Cartago and Nosara

😐 Solo nomad: Cartago is 4.5% more expensive than Nosara without rent, and 10.1% cheaper with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: Cartago is 19.3% cheaper than Nosara without rent, and 21% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.12 ₡3,832

$11.02 ₡5,204

-26.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.23 ₡15.2K

$60.3 ₡28.5K

-46.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.11 ₡4,303

$6.90 ₡3,260

32.03%

Cappuccino

$3.82 ₡1,803

$3.89 ₡1,839

-1.80%

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

$2.03 ₡960

$1.56 ₡736

30.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.24 ₡584

$1.18 ₡557

5.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.00 ₡945

$3.01 ₡1,423

-33.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.59 ₡2,166

$4.74 ₡2,239

-3.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.06 ₡973

$1.46 ₡688

41.10%

White Bread (500g)

$2.15 ₡1,015

$2.78 ₡1,312

-22.66%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.25 ₡1,065

$2.13 ₡1,005

5.63%

Eggs

$2.94 ₡1,389

$2.98 ₡1,408

-1.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.15 ₡3,847

$6.59 ₡3,112

23.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.98 ₡4,240

$9.19 ₡4,341

-2.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.47 ₡6,363

$13.73 ₡6,482

-1.89%

Apples (1kg)

$4.42 ₡2,088

$2.03 ₡959

117.73%

Banana (1kg)

$1.21 ₡572

$1.41 ₡665

-14.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.08 ₡1,928

$4.36 ₡2,058

-6.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.61 ₡1,233

$1.51 ₡712

72.85%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 ₡914

$3.53 ₡1,665

-45.04%

Onion (1kg)

$1.95 ₡921

$3.19 ₡1,507

-38.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.96 ₡453

$0.97 ₡456

-1.03%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.03 ₡957

$2.40 ₡1,133

-15.42%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.41 ₡2,554

$4.52 ₡2,135

19.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.90 ₡7,035

$19.94 ₡9,415

-25.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.48 ₡1,172

$2.40 ₡1,132

3.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.80 ₡851

$2.83 ₡1,335

-36.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.05 ₡496

$0.96 ₡455

9.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$69.6 ₡32.9K

$66.2 ₡31.2K

5.20%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.37 ₡648

$1.81 ₡857

-24.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.80 ₡849

$1.86 ₡880

-3.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.06 ₡3,808

$7.82 ₡3,692

3.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₡694

$1.30 ₡615

13.08%

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

$38.2K ₡18.0M

$31.7K ₡15.0M

20.33%

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

$32.4K ₡15.3M

$33.2K ₡15.7M

-2.42%

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

$49.17 ₡23.2K

$94.2 ₡44.5K

-47.78%

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

$26.22 ₡12.4K

$25.83 ₡12.2K

1.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.7 ₡27.3K

$47.52 ₡22.4K

21.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.9 ₡26.9K

$56.0 ₡26.4K

1.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.07 ₡11.4K

$23.82 ₡11.3K

1.05%

Cinema Ticket

$6.58 ₡3,107

$9.91 ₡4,680

-33.60%

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

$488 ₡230.4K

$452 ₡213.5K

7.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,079 ₡3.3M

$10.8K ₡5.1M

-34.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.9 ₡29.2K

$49.00 ₡23.1K

26.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.1 ₡24.6K

$50.8 ₡24.0K

2.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 ₡51.1K

$71.7 ₡33.9K

51.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.6 ₡37.1K

$73.0 ₡34.5K

7.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$763 ₡360.3K

$776 ₡366.5K

-1.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$589 ₡278.3K

$742 ₡350.4K

-20.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$728 ₡343.8K

$1,538 ₡726.2K

-52.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$776 ₡366.2K

$1,335 ₡630.4K

-41.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,726 ₡3.2M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,155 ₡545.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,269 ₡599.4K

$835 ₡394.3K

52.03%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.17

-1.67%

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

Last update for Cartago: March 1, 2026

Last update for Nosara: March 2, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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