Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cauayan City and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Cauayan City: $749 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $13,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

35

Cost of Living Index in Cauayan City
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Cauayan City Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Cauayan City

🇵🇭 Philippines

$749

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $749 per month in Cauayan City vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Cauayan City $749
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $1,083 per month in Cauayan City vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Cauayan City $1,083
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $1,418 per month in Cauayan City vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Cauayan City $1,418
Nosara $3,818

Cauayan City is about 59% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Cauayan City sits 45% below the global median, while Nosara is 36% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.97 ₱250

$12.35 ₡5,539

-67.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$17.01 ₱1,071

$61.2 ₡27.4K

-72.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.78 ₱175

$7.52 ₡3,373

-63.03%

Cappuccino

$1.84 ₱116

$4.41 ₡1,978

-58.28%

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

$0.56 ₱35.29

$1.74 ₡780

-67.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ₱19.43

$1.31 ₡587

-76.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.02 ₱64.2

$3.28 ₡1,471

-68.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.55 ₱97.6

$4.47 ₡2,004

-65.32%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.61 ₱101

$1.56 ₡701

3.21%

White Bread (500g)

$1.16 ₱73.0

$3.02 ₡1,355

-61.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.04 ₱65.3

$2.51 ₡1,125

-58.57%

Eggs

$2.01 ₱127

$3.57 ₡1,603

-43.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.99 ₱314

$7.43 ₡3,333

-32.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.50 ₱221

$10.52 ₡4,717

-66.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.91 ₱499

$13.97 ₡6,265

-43.38%

Apples (1kg)

$2.24 ₱141

$2.35 ₡1,052

-4.68%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₱101

$1.61 ₡720

Oranges (1kg)

$2.36 ₱149

$4.80 ₡2,152

-50.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.02 ₱64.5

$1.61 ₡724

-36.65%

Potato (1kg)

$1.67 ₱105

$3.80 ₡1,703

-56.05%

Onion (1kg)

$1.76 ₱111

$3.69 ₡1,657

-52.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.66 ₱41.27

$1.13 ₡507

-41.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 ₱33.45

$2.66 ₡1,191

-80.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.01 ₱190

$5.18 ₡2,321

-41.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.72 ₱549

$19.88 ₡8,916

-56.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.91 ₱57.1

$2.90 ₡1,300

-68.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 ₱130

$3.63 ₡1,626

-43.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 ₱15.50

$1.12 ₡504

-77.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.80 ₱743

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-83.76%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.79 ₱49.70

$2.14 ₡958

-63.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.23 ₱14.44

$1.57 ₡703

-85.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.96 ₱123

$8.52 ₡3,823

-77.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 ₱59.6

$1.52 ₡682

-37.50%

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

$21.5K ₱1.4M

$21.6K ₡9.7M

-0.68%

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

$19.0K ₱1.2M

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-44.98%

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

$142 ₱8,913

$96.3 ₡43.2K

46.95%

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

$10.52 ₱663

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-70.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.89 ₱1,442

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-57.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.28 ₱2,285

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-49.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.48 ₱282

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-87.17%

Cinema Ticket

$5.31 ₱334

$7.89 ₡3,539

-32.70%

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

$133 ₱8,366

$494 ₡221.6K

-73.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.7K ₱671.5K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-10.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$29.37 ₱1,850

$53.9 ₡24.2K

-45.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.82 ₱1,249

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-64.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$56.1 ₱3,534

$77.9 ₡34.9K

-28.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$55.1 ₱3,468

$79.6 ₡35.7K

-30.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$271 ₱17.1K

$788 ₡353.4K

-65.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$191 ₱12.1K

$794 ₡356.2K

-75.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$587 ₱37.0K

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-85.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$302 ₱19.0K

$1,419 ₡636.5K

-78.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,173 ₱136.9K

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-68.56%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,075 ₱67.7K

$1,224 ₡549.0K

-12.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

8.62

-21.69%

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

Last update for Cauayan City: 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

Cauayan City

$191 25.6%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 315% $603

Groceries & Markets

Cauayan City

$175 23.4%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 101% $177

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cauayan City

$175 23.4%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 6.2% $11

Eating Out

Cauayan City

$74 9.9%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 187% $138

Clothing & Footwear

Cauayan City

$72 9.6%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 66.4% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Cauayan City

$47 6.3%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 86.3% $40

Getting Around

Cauayan City

$15 2%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 492% $72

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $271 in Cauayan City 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $17.00 in Cauayan City versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $175 vs $352 – making Cauayan City the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Cauayan City

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

02:11 2:11 AM

12:11 12:11 PM

14 h behind Cauayan City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,616

4,912

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to PHP – Philippine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇭 Philippine Peso (₱)

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 62.99 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.82 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 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 PHP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cauayan City Nosara 15,770 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Cauayan City
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

Cauayan City vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $749 in Cauayan City, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 145% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,124 per month in Cauayan City 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 Cauayan City, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $133 per month in Cauayan City 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 101% 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 $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Cauayan City, where all-in costs run around $749, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Cauayan City it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Nosara has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $749 in Cauayan City to $1,839 in Nosara. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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 Cauayan City. 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.