Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Castries and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Castries: $1,413 a month against $1,837 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $5,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Nosara outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

70

Cost of Living Index in Castries
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Castries Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Castries

🇱🇨 Saint Lucia

$1,413

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,413 per month in Castries vs $1,837 in Nosara, rent included.

Castries $1,413
Nosara $1,837

A couple spends around $2,371 per month in Castries vs $2,775 in Nosara, rent included.

Castries $2,371
Nosara $2,775

A family of three spends $3,330 per month in Castries vs $3,712 in Nosara, rent included.

Castries $3,330
Nosara $3,712

Castries is about 23% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Castries and Nosara sit above the global median – Castries by 5%, Nosara by 37%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.42 EC$25.43

$12.22 ₡5,509

-22.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.5 EC$201

$60.2 ₡27.1K

23.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.41 EC$22.72

$7.54 ₡3,399

11.54%

Cappuccino

$3.67 EC$9.90

$4.31 ₡1,941

-14.85%

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

$1.97 EC$5.31

$1.72 ₡773

14.53%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.01 EC$2.73

$1.35 ₡608

-25.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.86 EC$7.72

$3.24 ₡1,459

-11.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.28 EC$8.86

$4.48 ₡2,018

-26.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 EC$5.46

$1.57 ₡707

28.66%

White Bread (500g)

$1.85 EC$4.99

$3.17 ₡1,429

-41.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 EC$4.65

$2.42 ₡1,091

-28.93%

Eggs

$4.51 EC$12.19

$3.57 ₡1,609

26.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.29 EC$30.47

$7.43 ₡3,349

51.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.08 EC$24.51

$10.42 ₡4,697

-12.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.92 EC$40.29

$13.66 ₡6,156

9.22%

Apples (1kg)

$8.61 EC$23.25

$2.32 ₡1,044

271.12%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 EC$4.38

$1.61 ₡728

0.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$8.09 EC$21.84

$4.74 ₡2,138

70.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$14.83 EC$40.04

$1.66 ₡747

793.37%

Potato (1kg)

$3.50 EC$9.44

$3.72 ₡1,679

-5.91%

Onion (1kg)

$2.06 EC$5.56

$3.57 ₡1,611

-42.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.20 EC$5.94

$1.10 ₡497

100.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 EC$3.46

$2.55 ₡1,149

-49.80%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.35 EC$25.25

$4.95 ₡2,232

88.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.95 EC$29.57

$20.01 ₡9,020

-45.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.31 EC$6.23

$2.79 ₡1,256

-17.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.70 EC$15.38

$3.53 ₡1,589

61.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.08 EC$2.91

$1.19 ₡537

-9.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.1 ₡32.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$9.49 EC$25.63

$2.24 ₡1,011

323.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 ₡701

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₡3,993

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 EC$4.11

$1.57 ₡708

-3.18%

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

$26.3K EC$70.9K

$21.8K ₡9.8M

20.49%

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

$36.5K EC$98.6K

$34.6K ₡15.6M

5.39%

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

$124 EC$334

$93.5 ₡42.1K

32.45%

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

$89.6 EC$242

$35.11 ₡15.8K

155.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$47.85 EC$129

$51.5 ₡23.2K

-7.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.35 EC$114

$71.4 ₡32.2K

-40.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.44 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$5.68 EC$15.33

$7.84 ₡3,535

-27.55%

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

$211 EC$570

$490 ₡220.7K

-56.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.4M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$83.9 EC$226

$53.5 ₡24.1K

56.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.2 EC$135

$55.8 ₡25.1K

-10.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 EC$299

$79.3 ₡35.7K

39.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$111 EC$299

$78.9 ₡35.6K

40.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$450 EC$1,216

$786 ₡354.3K

-42.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$340 EC$918

$780 ₡351.6K

-56.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,184 EC$3,195

$3,860 ₡1.7M

-69.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$708 EC$1,912

$1,407 ₡634.4K

-49.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$101 EC$273

$6,972 ₡3.1M

-98.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$63.4 EC$171

$1,201 ₡541.3K

-94.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,122 EC$3,028

$876 ₡395.0K

27.98%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.75

8.62

-10.09%

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

Last update for Castries: October 4, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Castries

$431 30%

Nosara

$350 19.3% 18.8% $81

Accommodation & Living

Castries

$340 23.7%

Nosara

$780 43% 129% $440

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Castries

$261 18.2%

Nosara

$180 9.9% 31.1% $81

Eating Out

Castries

$177 12.4%

Nosara

$209 11.6% 18.1% $32

Clothing & Footwear

Castries

$160 11.1%

Nosara

$120 6.6% 24.8% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Castries

$54 3.7%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 62.2% $33

Getting Around

Castries

$14 * 1%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 529% $73

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $450 in Castries versus $786 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 28% higher in Castries, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $74.0 in Castries versus $60.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $431 vs $350 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇱🇨 Castries

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

03:10 3:10 AM

01:10 1:10 AM

2 h behind Castries

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

22,000 Capital

4,912

💱 Currency

East Caribbean Dollar XCD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 XCD = 0.37 USD

1 XCD = 0.33 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to XCD – East Caribbean Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🌐 East Caribbean Dollar ($)

East Caribbean Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 2.7 XCD (1 XCD = 0.37 USD). 1 EUR = 3.03 XCD (1 XCD = 0.33 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 506 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to XCD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Castries Nosara 2,720 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Castries
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

Castries vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara costs about 30% more than Castries, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,119 per month in Castries and $2,756 in Nosara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,413 in Castries and $1,837 in Nosara. That's a gap of about 30%.

Kindergarten costs $211 per month in Castries and $490 in Nosara. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Castries, where all-in costs run around $1,413, than in Nosara at $1,837. In Castries it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Castries costs $1,413 versus $1,837 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 Castries. 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.