Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cayey and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $2,166 in Cayey, rent and utilities included – about $3,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

105

Cost of Living Index in Cayey
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Cayey Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Cayey

🇵🇷 Puerto Rico

$2,166

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,166 in Cayey versus $1,839 in Nosara.

Cayey $2,166
Nosara $1,839

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,465 in Cayey versus $2,828 in Nosara.

Cayey $3,465
Nosara $2,828

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,764 in Cayey versus $3,818 in Nosara.

Cayey $4,764
Nosara $3,818

Living in Cayey is roughly 18% more expensive than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Cayey 60% above, Nosara 36% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.96 $18.96

$12.35 ₡5,539

53.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$83.0 $83.0

$61.2 ₡27.4K

35.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.37 $9.37

$7.52 ₡3,373

24.60%

Cappuccino

$3.66 $3.66

$4.41 ₡1,978

-17.01%

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

$1.86 $1.86

$1.74 ₡780

6.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.31 ₡587

11.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.01 $3.01

$3.28 ₡1,471

-8.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.91 $4.91

$4.47 ₡2,004

9.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.20 $2.20

$1.56 ₡701

41.03%

White Bread (500g)

$3.60 $3.60

$3.02 ₡1,355

19.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.45 $2.45

$2.51 ₡1,125

-2.39%

Eggs

$7.56 $7.56

$3.57 ₡1,603

111.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.75 $12.75

$7.43 ₡3,333

71.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.50 $9.50

$10.52 ₡4,717

-9.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.37 $13.37

$13.97 ₡6,265

-4.29%

Apples (1kg)

$5.20 $5.20

$2.35 ₡1,052

121.28%

Banana (1kg)

$2.56 $2.56

$1.61 ₡720

59.01%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.94 $4.94

$4.80 ₡2,152

2.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.85 $4.85

$1.61 ₡724

201.24%

Potato (1kg)

$3.68 $3.68

$3.80 ₡1,703

-3.16%

Onion (1kg)

$4.05 $4.05

$3.69 ₡1,657

9.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.50 $3.50

$1.13 ₡507

209.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.65 $1.65

$2.66 ₡1,191

-37.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.05 $12.05

$5.18 ₡2,321

132.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.37 $15.37

$19.88 ₡8,916

-22.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.12 $3.12

$2.90 ₡1,300

7.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.97 $3.97

$3.63 ₡1,626

9.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.55 $2.55

$2.14 ₡958

19.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.52 $1.52

$1.57 ₡703

-3.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$42.36 $42.36

$8.52 ₡3,823

397.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.02 $1.02

$1.52 ₡682

-32.89%

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

$40.6K $40.6K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

87.89%

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

$28.2K $28.2K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-18.26%

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

$326 $326

$96.3 ₡43.2K

238.30%

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

$68.5 $68.5

$35.89 ₡16.1K

90.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.2 $70.2

$53.6 ₡24.0K

31.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.45 $40.45

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-43.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$9.81 $9.81

$7.89 ₡3,539

24.33%

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

$822 $822

$494 ₡221.6K

66.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K $12.3K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

3.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.2 $55.2

$53.9 ₡24.2K

2.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$60.4 $60.4

$55.4 ₡24.8K

9.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 $108

$77.9 ₡34.9K

39.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 $113

$79.6 ₡35.7K

41.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 $1,190

$788 ₡353.4K

51.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$802 $802

$794 ₡356.2K

0.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,429 $2,429

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-38.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,836 $1,836

$1,419 ₡636.5K

29.36%

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)

$3,661 $3,661

$864 ₡387.3K

323.94%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.55

8.62

-24.01%

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

Last update for Cayey: October 12, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cayey

$802 37%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 0.9% $7.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cayey

$464 21.4%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 60% $279

Groceries & Markets

Cayey

$416 19.2%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 15.4% $64

Eating Out

Cayey

$262 12.1%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 19.1% $50

Clothing & Footwear

Cayey

$151 7%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 20.7% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Cayey

$60 2.8%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 45.4% $27

Getting Around

Cayey

$10 * 0.5%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 759% $77

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,190 in Cayey and $788 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cayey pays 324% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $83.0 in Cayey vs $61.0 in Nosara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $416 vs $352 per month, with Nosara cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇷 Cayey

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

14:40 2:40 PM

12:40 12:40 PM

2 h behind Cayey

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

13,999

4,912

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.889 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.889 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).

CRC to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cayey Nosara 2,290 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Cayey
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

Cayey vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cayey and Nosara differ by about 18% in total monthly costs ($2,166 vs $1,839 including rent). Nosara is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 324% higher in Cayey, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,190 in Cayey versus $788 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $822 in Cayey versus $494 in Nosara. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Nosara – a meal for two runs $61.0 versus $83.0 in Cayey. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,839 in Nosara versus $2,166 in Cayey, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Nosara but tight or insufficient in Cayey. The gap between the two cities makes Nosara the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Cayey and Nosara are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Nosara gentler on the wallet – expenses run 18% less than in Cayey. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.