Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Charleville and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,835 a month against $2,497 in Charleville, rent and utilities included – about $7,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Charleville
🇦🇺 Australia
$2,497
/mo nomad
Nosara
🇨🇷 Costa Rica
$1,835
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,497 in Charleville versus $1,835 in Nosara.

  • Charleville $2,497
  • Nosara $1,835

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,594 in Charleville versus $2,825 in Nosara.

  • Charleville $3,594
  • Nosara $2,825

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,690 in Charleville versus $3,814 in Nosara.

  • Charleville $4,690
  • Nosara $3,814

Living in Charleville is roughly 36% more expensive than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Charleville 84% above, Nosara 35% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Charleville
Nosara
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$17.71 A$25.49
$12.34 ₡5,535
43.52%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$83.1 A$120
$61.3 ₡27.5K
35.44%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.59 A$15.24
$7.76 ₡3,481
36.47%
Cappuccino
$4.05 A$5.82
$4.44 ₡1,992
-8.78%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.91 A$4.19
$1.79 ₡803
62.57%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.27 A$3.26
$1.29 ₡580
75.97%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$7.42 A$10.68
$3.24 ₡1,451
129.01%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.62 A$10.97
$4.43 ₡1,985
72.01%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Charleville
Nosara
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.55 A$2.23
$1.55 ₡696
-
White Bread (500g)
$2.66 A$3.83
$3.08 ₡1,380
-13.64%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.28 A$3.28
$2.53 ₡1,133
-9.88%
Eggs
$4.78 A$6.87
$3.45 ₡1,546
38.55%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.41 A$13.54
$7.32 ₡3,284
28.55%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.17 A$13.19
$10.24 ₡4,594
-10.45%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$14.68 A$21.13
$14.10 ₡6,326
4.11%
Apples (1kg)
$3.98 A$5.73
$2.29 ₡1,027
73.80%
Banana (1kg)
$2.98 A$4.29
$1.64 ₡737
81.71%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.33 A$4.79
$4.79 ₡2,149
-30.48%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.70 A$6.76
$1.64 ₡735
186.59%
Potato (1kg)
$2.82 A$4.05
$3.85 ₡1,727
-26.75%
Onion (1kg)
$2.42 A$3.48
$3.75 ₡1,681
-35.47%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.39 A$3.44
$1.09 ₡488
119.27%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.53 A$2.20
$2.59 ₡1,160
-40.93%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$42.26 A$60.8
$5.12 ₡2,295
725.39%
Wine (Bottle)
$14.04 A$20.20
$19.92 ₡8,931
-29.52%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$4.65 A$6.69
$2.80 ₡1,255
66.07%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.15 A$7.41
$3.52 ₡1,580
46.31%
🚌 Getting Around
Charleville
Nosara
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.79 A$4.01
$1.22 ₡549
128.69%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$80.8 A$116
$73.9 ₡33.1K
9.30%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.41 A$4.91
$2.17 ₡973
57.14%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.61 A$2.32
$1.56 ₡698
3.21%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$39.31 A$56.6
$8.67 ₡3,886
353.40%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.35 A$1.95
$1.55 ₡697
-12.90%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$26.6K A$38.3K
$34.5K ₡15.5M
-23.04%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$30.0K A$43.1K
$38.7K ₡17.4M
-22.69%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Charleville
Nosara
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$201 A$289
$94.8 ₡42.5K
111.82%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$28.01 A$40.31
$36.15 ₡16.2K
-22.52%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$57.4 A$82.6
$53.1 ₡23.8K
8.12%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Charleville
Nosara
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$54.6 A$78.6
$73.8 ₡33.1K
-25.96%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$17.92 A$25.79
$35.63 ₡16.0K
-49.71%
Cinema Ticket
$14.60 A$21.01
$7.91 ₡3,548
84.58%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Charleville
Nosara
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$2,171 A$3,124
$490 ₡219.9K
342.80%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$20.4K A$29.3K
$11.9K ₡5.3M
71.54%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Charleville
Nosara
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$77.8 A$112
$54.8 ₡24.6K
42.07%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$53.9 A$77.5
$55.9 ₡25.1K
-3.58%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$107 A$154
$80.4 ₡36.0K
32.99%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$122 A$176
$77.9 ₡34.9K
57.11%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Charleville
Nosara
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,358 A$1,955
$801 ₡359.1K
69.61%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,201 A$1,728
$790 ₡354.1K
52.05%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,101 A$3,023
$4,005 ₡1.8M
-47.54%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,781 A$2,563
$1,409 ₡632.0K
26.41%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$5,873 A$8,451
$7,064 ₡3.2M
-16.86%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$4,989 A$7,179
$1,236 ₡554.3K
303.68%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Charleville
Nosara
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$887 ₡397.6K
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.84
8.62
-32.25%

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

Last update for Charleville: October 17, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Charleville
$1.2K
Nosara
$790 34.2% $411
Groceries & Markets
Charleville
$366
Nosara
$350 4.4% $16
Eating Out
Charleville
$295
Nosara
$213 27.9% $82
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Charleville
$286
Nosara
$184 35.7% $102
Clothing & Footwear
Charleville
$162
Nosara
$121 25.5% $41
Getting Around
Charleville
$103
Nosara
$89 14.2% $15
Sport & Entertainment
Charleville
$84
Nosara
$90 6.9% $5.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,358 in Charleville and $801 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $83.0 in Charleville vs $61.0 in Nosara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $366 vs $350 per month, with Nosara cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇦🇺 Charleville
🇨🇷 Nosara
🕒 Local time
00:14 12:14 AM
08:14 8:14 AM
16 h behind Charleville
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
3,300
4,912
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.695 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 AUD (1 AUD = 0.618 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 20, 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
  • Charleville Nosara 14,280 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Charleville
  • 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
Charleville vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Nosara cheaper than Charleville?
Nosara is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 36% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
What income do you need for each city?
You'd need roughly $3,746 in Charleville and $2,753 in Nosara to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.
What is the rent difference between Charleville and Nosara?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,358 in Charleville versus $801 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
What are total monthly expenses in Charleville and in Nosara?
All in, you'll spend $2,497 per month in Charleville versus $1,835 in Nosara – a 36% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
A monthly transit pass in Nosara runs roughly 9% less than in Charleville. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.
Is $3,000 a realistic budget for living in Charleville or in Nosara?
At $1,835 in Nosara versus $2,497 in Charleville, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Nosara but tight or insufficient in Charleville. The gap between the two cities makes Nosara the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is Charleville or Nosara more family-friendly?
For families, Nosara is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Charleville, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.
Which city is safer, Charleville or Nosara?
Safety-wise, Charleville 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.
Which city is easier to live in as a foreigner?
Expats usually find Nosara gentler on the wallet – expenses run 36% less than in Charleville. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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