Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Castro and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Castro: $875 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $11,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

50

Cost of Living Index in Castro
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Castro Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Castro

🇨🇱 Chile

$875

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $875 per month in Castro vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Castro $875
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $1,381 per month in Castro vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Castro $1,381
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $1,887 per month in Castro vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Castro $1,887
Nosara $3,818

Castro is about 52% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Castro sits 35% below the global median, while Nosara is 36% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.29 CLP 8,163

$12.35 ₡5,539

-32.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.10 CLP 45.4K

$61.2 ₡27.4K

-24.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.66 CLP 5,568

$7.52 ₡3,373

-24.73%

Cappuccino

$1.49 CLP 1,464

$4.41 ₡1,978

-66.21%

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

$1.20 CLP 1,181

$1.74 ₡780

-31.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.01 CLP 990

$1.31 ₡587

-22.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.15 CLP 5,066

$3.28 ₡1,471

57.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.29 CLP 7,173

$4.47 ₡2,004

63.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.08 CLP 1,065

$1.56 ₡701

-30.77%

White Bread (500g)

$3.51 CLP 3,451

$3.02 ₡1,355

16.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.25 CLP 1,232

$2.51 ₡1,125

-50.20%

Eggs

$4.12 CLP 4,056

$3.57 ₡1,603

15.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.67 CLP 9,523

$7.43 ₡3,333

30.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.03 CLP 3,965

$10.52 ₡4,717

-61.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.49 CLP 8,358

$13.97 ₡6,265

-39.23%

Apples (1kg)

$1.40 CLP 1,373

$2.35 ₡1,052

-40.43%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 CLP 2,268

$1.61 ₡720

42.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.48 CLP 1,461

$4.80 ₡2,152

-69.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.98 CLP 1,947

$1.61 ₡724

22.98%

Potato (1kg)

$1.13 CLP 1,109

$3.80 ₡1,703

-70.26%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.52 CLP 1,494

$1.13 ₡507

34.51%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.56 CLP 1,531

$2.66 ₡1,191

-41.35%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.75 CLP 3,688

$5.18 ₡2,321

-27.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.78 CLP 7,662

$19.88 ₡8,916

-60.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.00 CLP 987

$2.90 ₡1,300

-65.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.13 CLP 3,085

$3.63 ₡1,626

-13.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.66 CLP 654

$1.12 ₡504

-41.07%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 CLP 1,282

$1.52 ₡682

-14.47%

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

$15.5K CLP 15.2M

$21.6K ₡9.7M

-28.46%

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

$18.2K CLP 17.9M

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-47.21%

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

$131 CLP 128.8K

$96.3 ₡43.2K

35.90%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.25 CLP 30.8K

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-41.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

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

$494 ₡221.6K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.0 CLP 79.7K

$77.9 ₡34.9K

3.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$355 CLP 349.2K

$788 ₡353.4K

-54.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$290 CLP 285.5K

$794 ₡356.2K

-63.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,002 CLP 986.6K

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-74.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$576 CLP 566.8K

$1,419 ₡636.5K

-59.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$614 CLP 604.7K

$864 ₡387.3K

-28.87%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

-18.79%

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

Last update for Castro: October 13, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Castro

$290 33.2%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 174% $504

Groceries & Markets

Castro

$234 * 26.7%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 50.8% $119

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Castro

$162 * 18.5%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 14.6% $24

Eating Out

Castro

$150 17.2%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 40.9% $62

Clothing & Footwear

Castro

$36 * 4.2%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 230% $84

Getting Around

Castro

$2.7 * 0.3%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 3175% $84

Sport & Entertainment

Castro

- * 0%

Nosara

$87 4.8%

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $355 in Castro 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 41% 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 $46.00 in Castro versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $352 – making Castro the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇱 Castro

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

02:47 2:47 AM

23:47 11:47 PM

3 h behind Castro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

33,417

4,912

💱 Currency

Chilean Peso CLP $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 CLP = 10.16 USD

10,000 CLP = 9.04 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to CLP – Chilean Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇱 Chilean Peso ($)

Chilean Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 984 CLP (1,000 CLP = 1.02 USD). 1 EUR = 1,107 CLP (10,000 CLP = 9.04 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to CLP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Castro Nosara 5,960 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Castro
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

Castro vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara costs about 110% more than Castro, 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 $1,313 per month in Castro 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 Castro, 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 $875 in Castro and $1,839 in Nosara. That's a gap of about 110%.

Groceries cost about 51% 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 Castro, where all-in costs run around $875, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Castro it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Castro costs $875 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 Castro. 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.