Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cento and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Cento: $1,634 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Nosara outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

80

Cost of Living Index in Cento
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Cento Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Cento

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,634

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,634 in Cento versus $1,839 in Nosara.

Cento $1,634
Nosara $1,839

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,647 in Cento versus $2,828 in Nosara.

Cento $2,647
Nosara $2,828

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,660 in Cento versus $3,818 in Nosara.

Cento $3,660
Nosara $3,818

Living in Cento costs roughly 11% less than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Cento 21% above, Nosara 36% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.84 €17.65

$12.35 ₡5,539

60.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$87.8 €78.1

$61.2 ₡27.4K

43.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.20 €11.74

$7.52 ₡3,373

75.53%

Cappuccino

$2.20 €1.96

$4.41 ₡1,978

-50.11%

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

$3.36 €2.99

$1.74 ₡780

93.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.55 €1.38

$1.31 ₡587

18.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.10 €5.42

$3.28 ₡1,471

85.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.56 €4.95

$4.47 ₡2,004

24.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.36 €1.21

$1.56 ₡701

-12.82%

White Bread (500g)

$2.85 €2.54

$3.02 ₡1,355

-5.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.57 €2.29

$2.51 ₡1,125

2.39%

Eggs

$3.89 €3.46

$3.57 ₡1,603

8.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.10 €16.10

$7.43 ₡3,333

143.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.11 €10.77

$10.52 ₡4,717

15.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.33 €15.42

$13.97 ₡6,265

24.05%

Apples (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$2.35 ₡1,052

-8.09%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 €1.52

$1.61 ₡720

5.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.88 €1.68

$4.80 ₡2,152

-60.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.47 €2.20

$1.61 ₡724

53.42%

Potato (1kg)

$1.32 €1.17

$3.80 ₡1,703

-65.26%

Onion (1kg)

$1.36 €1.21

$3.69 ₡1,657

-63.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.70 €1.51

$1.13 ₡507

50.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 €0.50

$2.66 ₡1,191

-78.95%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.79 €6.04

$5.18 ₡2,321

31.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.02 €7.13

$19.88 ₡8,916

-59.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 €1.43

$2.90 ₡1,300

-44.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 €1.66

$3.63 ₡1,626

-48.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.65 €1.47

$1.12 ₡504

47.32%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.56 €39.63

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-38.66%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.55 €4.05

$2.14 ₡958

112.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.42 €1.27

$1.57 ₡703

-9.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.64 €24.59

$8.52 ₡3,823

224.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.03 €1.81

$1.52 ₡682

33.55%

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

$36.8K €32.7K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

70.31%

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

$35.6K €31.7K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

3.20%

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

$234 €208

$96.3 ₡43.2K

142.70%

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

$11.00 €9.78

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-69.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.90 €24.82

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-47.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.9 €50.6

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-20.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.47 €20.87

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-32.77%

Cinema Ticket

$9.89 €8.80

$7.89 ₡3,539

25.35%

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

$547 €487

$494 ₡221.6K

10.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,422 €3,933

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-62.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.6 €78.8

$53.9 ₡24.2K

64.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.28 €37.61

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-23.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.9 €85.3

$77.9 ₡34.9K

23.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$150 €134

$79.6 ₡35.7K

88.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$533 €474

$788 ₡353.4K

-32.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$443 €394

$794 ₡356.2K

-44.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,047 €932

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-73.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$918 €817

$1,419 ₡636.5K

-35.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,197 €2,844

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-53.75%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,863 €1,657

$1,224 ₡549.0K

52.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,766 €1,571

$864 ₡387.3K

104.52%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.19

8.62

-62.99%

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

Last update for Cento: 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

Cento

$443 27.1%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 79.5% $352

Groceries & Markets

Cento

$324 19.8%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 8.8% $29

Eating Out

Cento

$286 17.5%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 25.9% $74

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cento

$273 16.7%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 31.9% $87

Clothing & Footwear

Cento

$170 10.4%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 29.2% $50

Sport & Entertainment

Cento

$77 4.7%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 14% $11

Getting Around

Cento

$63 3.9%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 38.6% $24

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $533 in Cento and $788 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cento pays 105% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $88.0 in Cento vs $61.0 in Nosara. Groceries flip the comparison at $324 vs $352, with Cento cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Cento

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

16:24 4:24 PM

08:24 8:24 AM

8 h behind Cento

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

35,582

4,912

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cento Nosara 9,770 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Cento
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

Cento vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cento wins on cost – living expenses run 13% lower than in Nosara. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Cento the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 105% higher in Cento, 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: $533 in Cento versus $788 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Cento runs roughly 63% less than in Nosara. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $547 in Cento versus $494 in Nosara. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,634 in Cento versus $1,839 in Nosara, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Cento but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Cento the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Cento delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,634 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Cento hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Cento 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 Cento gentler on the wallet – expenses run 13% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.