Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cayo Coco and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Cayo Coco: $1,224 a month against $1,837 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $7,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

60

Cost of Living Index in Cayo Coco
Learn more

Cayo Coco Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index

Jump to prices

Cayo Coco

🇨🇺 Cuba

$1,224

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,224 in Cayo Coco versus $1,837 in Nosara.

Cayo Coco $1,224
Nosara $1,837

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,695 in Cayo Coco versus $2,775 in Nosara.

Cayo Coco $1,695
Nosara $2,775

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,166 in Cayo Coco versus $3,712 in Nosara.

Cayo Coco $2,166
Nosara $3,712

Living in Cayo Coco costs roughly 33% less than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

The two cities straddle the global median: Cayo Coco is 9% below, Nosara is 37% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.05 CUP 121

$12.22 ₡5,509

-58.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$15.06 CUP 361

$60.2 ₡27.1K

-74.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.07 CUP 170

$7.54 ₡3,399

-6.23%

Cappuccino

$0.98 CUP 23.43

$4.31 ₡1,941

-77.26%

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

$1.95 CUP 46.88

$1.72 ₡773

13.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 CUP 24.67

$1.35 ₡608

-23.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.05 CUP 49.15

$3.24 ₡1,459

-36.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.08 CUP 73.8

$4.48 ₡2,018

-31.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.94 CUP 70.6

$1.57 ₡707

87.26%

White Bread (500g)

$1.01 CUP 24.27

$3.17 ₡1,429

-68.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.95 CUP 46.77

$2.42 ₡1,091

-19.42%

Eggs

$3.58 CUP 85.9

$3.57 ₡1,609

0.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.12 CUP 147

$7.43 ₡3,349

-17.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.86 CUP 117

$10.42 ₡4,697

-53.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.94 CUP 239

$13.66 ₡6,156

-27.23%

Apples (1kg)

$4.91 CUP 118

$2.32 ₡1,044

111.64%

Banana (1kg)

$1.01 CUP 24.28

$1.61 ₡728

-37.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.01 CUP 24.28

$4.74 ₡2,138

-78.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.99 CUP 23.72

$1.66 ₡747

-40.36%

Potato (1kg)

$1.01 CUP 24.26

$3.72 ₡1,679

-72.85%

Onion (1kg)

$3.05 CUP 73.2

$3.57 ₡1,611

-14.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.03 CUP 24.61

$1.10 ₡497

-6.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 CUP 23.70

$2.55 ₡1,149

-61.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.96 CUP 71.0

$4.95 ₡2,232

-40.20%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.06 CUP 241

$20.01 ₡9,020

-49.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.04 CUP 48.93

$2.79 ₡1,256

-26.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.05 CUP 49.27

$3.53 ₡1,589

-41.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.19 ₡537

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.65 CUP 472

$72.1 ₡32.5K

-72.73%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.02 CUP 24.52

$2.24 ₡1,011

-54.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 CUP 24.57

$1.55 ₡701

-34.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.61 CUP 471

$8.86 ₡3,993

121.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.97 CUP 23.38

$1.57 ₡708

-38.22%

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

$68.9K CUP 1.7M

$21.8K ₡9.8M

216.07%

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

$79.5K CUP 1.9M

$34.6K ₡15.6M

129.39%

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

$39.37 CUP 945

$93.5 ₡42.1K

-57.87%

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

$40.66 CUP 976

$35.11 ₡15.8K

15.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$216 CUP 5,191

$51.5 ₡23.2K

320.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.22 CUP 941

$71.4 ₡32.2K

-45.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.85 CUP 236

$35.44 ₡16.0K

-72.21%

Cinema Ticket

$0.98 CUP 23.44

$7.84 ₡3,535

-87.50%

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

$89.9 CUP 2,158

$490 ₡220.7K

-81.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K CUP 355.5K

$11.9K ₡5.4M

24.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$40.14 CUP 963

$53.5 ₡24.1K

-25.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.02 CUP 720

$55.8 ₡25.1K

-46.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.7 CUP 1,793

$79.3 ₡35.7K

-5.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$80.7 CUP 1,937

$78.9 ₡35.6K

2.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$403 CUP 9,664

$786 ₡354.3K

-48.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$426 CUP 10.2K

$780 ₡351.6K

-45.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,030 CUP 24.7K

$3,860 ₡1.7M

-73.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$622 CUP 14.9K

$1,407 ₡634.4K

-55.81%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$302 CUP 7,243

$6,972 ₡3.1M

-95.67%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$356 CUP 8,541

$1,201 ₡541.3K

-70.36%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$20.21 CUP 485

$876 ₡395.0K

-97.69%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

16.01%

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

Last update for Cayo Coco: October 3, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cayo Coco

$426 34.8%

Nosara

$780 43% 82.9% $354

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cayo Coco

$296 24.2%

Nosara

$180 9.9% 39.2% $116

Groceries & Markets

Cayo Coco

$233 19%

Nosara

$350 19.3% 49.8% $116

Eating Out

Cayo Coco

$102 8.3%

Nosara

$209 11.6% 106% $108

Clothing & Footwear

Cayo Coco

$102 8.3%

Nosara

$120 6.6% 18.6% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Cayo Coco

$41 3.4%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 112% $46

Getting Around

Cayo Coco

$26 * 2.1%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 237% $61

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 $403 in Cayo Coco and $786 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Nosara pays 4236% 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: $15.00 in Cayo Coco vs $60.0 in Nosara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $233 vs $350 per month, with Cayo Coco cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇺 Cayo Coco

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

00:59 12:59 AM

22:59 10:59 PM

2 h behind Cayo Coco

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

💱 Currency

Cuban Peso CUP $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

100 CUP = 4.17 USD

100 CUP = 3.72 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to CUP – Cuban Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇺 Cuban Peso ($)

Cuban Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 24 CUP (100 CUP = 4.17 USD). 1 EUR = 26.92 CUP (100 CUP = 3.72 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 CUP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cayo Coco Nosara 1,590 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Cayo Coco
Nosara

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated March 2026)

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

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Cayo Coco vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cayo Coco wins on cost – living expenses run 50% lower than in Nosara. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Cayo Coco the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 4236% lower in Nosara. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $403 in Cayo Coco versus $786 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Cayo Coco runs roughly 267% less than in Nosara. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $89.9 in Cayo Coco versus $490 in Nosara. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,224 in Cayo Coco versus $1,837 in Nosara, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Cayo Coco but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Cayo Coco the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Cayo Coco delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,224 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Cayo Coco hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Cayo Coco 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 Cayo Coco gentler on the wallet – expenses run 50% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.