Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cerro de Pasco and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Cerro de Pasco: $555 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $15,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Cerro de Pasco
🇵🇪 Peru
$555
/mo nomad
Nosara
🇨🇷 Costa Rica
$1,839
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $555 per month in Cerro de Pasco vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

  • Cerro de Pasco $555
  • Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $891 per month in Cerro de Pasco vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

  • Cerro de Pasco $891
  • Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $1,227 per month in Cerro de Pasco vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

  • Cerro de Pasco $1,227
  • Nosara $3,818

Cerro de Pasco is about 70% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Cerro de Pasco sits 59% below the global median, while Nosara is 36% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Cerro de Pasco
Nosara
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.83 PEN 9.70
$12.35 ₡5,539
-77.09%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$29.34 PEN 101
$61.2 ₡27.4K
-52.04%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.74 PEN 23.16
$7.52 ₡3,373
-10.37%
Cappuccino
$2.05 PEN 7.03
$4.41 ₡1,978
-53.51%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.76 PEN 2.61
$1.74 ₡780
-56.32%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.45 PEN 1.55
$1.31 ₡587
-65.65%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.69 PEN 9.22
$3.28 ₡1,471
-17.99%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.44 PEN 15.27
$4.47 ₡2,004
-0.67%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Cerro de Pasco
Nosara
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.52 PEN 5.23
$1.56 ₡701
-2.56%
White Bread (500g)
$2.35 PEN 8.07
$3.02 ₡1,355
-22.19%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.26 PEN 4.34
$2.51 ₡1,125
-49.80%
Eggs
$2.47 PEN 8.47
$3.57 ₡1,603
-30.81%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.18 PEN 31.53
$7.43 ₡3,333
23.55%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.04 PEN 20.74
$10.52 ₡4,717
-42.59%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$7.92 PEN 27.20
$13.97 ₡6,265
-43.31%
Apples (1kg)
$2.00 PEN 6.86
$2.35 ₡1,052
-14.89%
Banana (1kg)
$0.76 PEN 2.61
$1.61 ₡720
-52.80%
Oranges (1kg)
$0.43 PEN 1.46
$4.80 ₡2,152
-91.04%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.14 PEN 3.91
$1.61 ₡724
-29.19%
Potato (1kg)
$0.70 PEN 2.41
$3.80 ₡1,703
-81.58%
Onion (1kg)
$0.54 PEN 1.87
$3.69 ₡1,657
-85.37%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.83 PEN 2.85
$1.13 ₡507
-26.55%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.84 PEN 2.88
$2.66 ₡1,191
-68.42%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$5.78 PEN 19.84
$5.18 ₡2,321
11.58%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.19 PEN 24.68
$19.88 ₡8,916
-63.83%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.92 PEN 6.60
$2.90 ₡1,300
-33.79%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.65 PEN 9.11
$3.63 ₡1,626
-27.00%
🚌 Getting Around
Cerro de Pasco
Nosara
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
-
$1.12 ₡504
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$72.6 ₡32.6K
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.98 PEN 13.68
$2.14 ₡958
85.98%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.99 PEN 6.84
$1.57 ₡703
26.75%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$7.46 PEN 25.62
$8.52 ₡3,823
-12.44%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.67 PEN 5.74
$1.52 ₡682
9.87%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$22.2K PEN 76.4K
$21.6K ₡9.7M
2.96%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.2K PEN 89.9K
$34.5K ₡15.5M
-24.18%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cerro de Pasco
Nosara
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$72.8 PEN 250
$96.3 ₡43.2K
-24.36%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$16.46 PEN 56.5
$35.89 ₡16.1K
-54.14%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$27.53 PEN 94.6
$53.6 ₡24.0K
-48.63%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Cerro de Pasco
Nosara
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
-
$71.6 ₡32.1K
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$34.91 ₡15.7K
-
Cinema Ticket
$7.15 PEN 24.56
$7.89 ₡3,539
-9.38%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Cerro de Pasco
Nosara
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$176 PEN 606
$494 ₡221.6K
-64.31%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$12.9K PEN 44.4K
$11.9K ₡5.3M
8.99%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Cerro de Pasco
Nosara
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$53.3 PEN 183
$53.9 ₡24.2K
-1.22%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$35.36 PEN 121
$55.4 ₡24.8K
-36.18%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$83.2 PEN 286
$77.9 ₡34.9K
6.72%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$77.6 PEN 267
$79.6 ₡35.7K
-2.50%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Cerro de Pasco
Nosara
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
-
$788 ₡353.4K
-
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
-
$794 ₡356.2K
-
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$408 PEN 1,400
$3,939 ₡1.8M
-89.65%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
-
$1,419 ₡636.5K
-
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$6,912 ₡3.1M
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$1,224 ₡549.0K
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Cerro de Pasco
Nosara
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$470 PEN 1,616
$864 ₡387.3K
-45.52%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
8.94
8.62
3.71%

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

Last update for Cerro de Pasco: October 12, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Groceries & Markets
Cerro de Pasco
$203
Nosara
$352 73.6% $149
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cerro de Pasco
$117
Nosara
$186 59% $69
Clothing & Footwear
Cerro de Pasco
$112
Nosara
$120 7% $7.9
Eating Out
Cerro de Pasco
$95
Nosara
$212 124% $117
Sport & Entertainment
Cerro de Pasco
$14 *
Nosara
$87 511% $73
Getting Around
Cerro de Pasco
$14 *
Nosara
$87 524% $73
Accommodation & Living
Cerro de Pasco
- *
Nosara
$794

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

Cost Breakdown

Salaries run about 84% 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 $29.00 in Cerro de Pasco versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $203 vs $352 – making Cerro de Pasco the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇵🇪 Cerro de Pasco
🇨🇷 Nosara
🕒 Local time
14:07 2:07 PM
13:07 1:07 PM
1 h behind Cerro de Pasco
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
58,899
4,912
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to PEN – Peruvian Sol Converter

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 3.43 PEN (1 PEN = 0.291 USD). 1 EUR = 3.86 PEN (1 PEN = 0.259 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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Cerro de Pasco Nosara 2,520 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Cerro de Pasco
  • 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
Cerro de Pasco vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Nosara cheaper than Cerro de Pasco?
Yes – Nosara is pricier by about 231%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $832 per month in Cerro de Pasco and $2,758 in Nosara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Is eating out cheaper in Cerro de Pasco or in Nosara?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $29.00 in Cerro de Pasco and $61.0 in Nosara. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
How do food prices compare in Cerro de Pasco and in Nosara?
Groceries cost about 74% more in Nosara, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Cerro de Pasco or in Nosara?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Cerro de Pasco, where all-in costs run around $555, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Cerro de Pasco it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Cerro de Pasco or Nosara more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Cerro de Pasco – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is safer, Cerro de Pasco or Nosara?
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.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Cerro de Pasco. 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.

Cerro de Pasco vs other spots: cost of living compared

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