Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cotabato City and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Cotabato City: $764 a month against $1,835 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $12,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

37

Cost of Living Index in Cotabato City
Learn more

Cotabato City Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index

Jump to prices

Cotabato City

🇵🇭 Philippines

$764

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $764 in Cotabato City versus $1,835 in Nosara.

Cotabato City $764
Nosara $1,835

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,169 in Cotabato City versus $2,825 in Nosara.

Cotabato City $1,169
Nosara $2,825

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,574 in Cotabato City versus $3,814 in Nosara.

Cotabato City $1,574
Nosara $3,814

Living in Cotabato City costs roughly 58% less than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Cotabato City is 44% below, Nosara is 35% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.65 ₱293

$12.34 ₡5,535

-62.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$16.57 ₱1,044

$61.3 ₡27.5K

-72.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.00 ₱252

$7.76 ₡3,481

-48.45%

Cappuccino

$2.23 ₱141

$4.44 ₡1,992

-49.77%

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

$1.04 ₱65.4

$1.79 ₡803

-41.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.64 ₱40.49

$1.29 ₡580

-50.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.17 ₱73.4

$3.24 ₡1,451

-63.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.91 ₱120

$4.43 ₡1,985

-56.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 ₱127

$1.55 ₡696

30.32%

White Bread (500g)

$1.08 ₱68.0

$3.08 ₡1,380

-64.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.78 ₱49.16

$2.53 ₡1,133

-69.17%

Eggs

$1.89 ₱119

$3.45 ₡1,546

-45.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.41 ₱404

$7.32 ₡3,284

-12.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.67 ₱294

$10.24 ₡4,594

-54.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.06 ₱570

$14.10 ₡6,326

-35.74%

Apples (1kg)

$2.73 ₱172

$2.29 ₡1,027

19.21%

Banana (1kg)

$1.11 ₱69.9

$1.64 ₡737

-32.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.44 ₱154

$4.79 ₡2,149

-49.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.20 ₱75.3

$1.64 ₡735

-26.83%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 ₱122

$3.85 ₡1,727

-49.61%

Onion (1kg)

$3.55 ₱224

$3.75 ₡1,681

-5.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.20 ₱75.4

$1.09 ₡488

10.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.71 ₱44.58

$2.59 ₡1,160

-72.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.47 ₱156

$5.12 ₡2,295

-51.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.06 ₱507

$19.92 ₡8,931

-59.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 ₱77.1

$2.80 ₡1,255

-56.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 ₱106

$3.52 ₡1,580

-52.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 ₱16.40

$1.22 ₡549

-78.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.02 ₱694

$73.9 ₡33.1K

-85.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.84 ₱52.8

$2.17 ₡973

-61.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.23 ₱14.37

$1.56 ₡698

-85.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.94 ₱122

$8.67 ₡3,886

-77.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.18 ₱74.4

$1.55 ₡697

-23.87%

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

$21.5K ₱1.4M

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-37.83%

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

$18.7K ₱1.2M

$38.7K ₡17.4M

-51.79%

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

$108 ₱6,788

$94.8 ₡42.5K

13.70%

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

$19.38 ₱1,220

$36.15 ₡16.2K

-46.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.55 ₱1,986

$53.1 ₡23.8K

-40.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.71 ₱2,060

$73.8 ₡33.1K

-55.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.78 ₱301

$35.63 ₡16.0K

-86.58%

Cinema Ticket

$4.64 ₱292

$7.91 ₡3,548

-41.34%

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

$107 ₱6,709

$490 ₡219.9K

-78.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,519 ₱473.4K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-36.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$33.49 ₱2,109

$54.8 ₡24.6K

-38.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.69 ₱1,240

$55.9 ₡25.1K

-64.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.2 ₱4,483

$80.4 ₡36.0K

-11.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$60.8 ₱3,825

$77.9 ₡34.9K

-22.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$270 ₱17.0K

$801 ₡359.1K

-66.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$174 ₱11.0K

$790 ₡354.1K

-77.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$524 ₱33.0K

$4,005 ₡1.8M

-86.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$357 ₱22.5K

$1,409 ₡632.0K

-74.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,445 ₱154.0K

$7,064 ₡3.2M

-65.38%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$999 ₱62.9K

$1,236 ₡554.3K

-19.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$887 ₡397.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.31

8.62

-3.60%

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

Last update for Cotabato City: October 19, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Cotabato City

$199 26.1%

Nosara

$350 19.1% 75.4% $150

Accommodation & Living

Cotabato City

$174 22.8%

Nosara

$790 43% 354% $616

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cotabato City

$159 20.8%

Nosara

$184 10% 15.9% $25

Eating Out

Cotabato City

$92 12.1%

Nosara

$213 11.6% 130% $120

Clothing & Footwear

Cotabato City

$83 10.9%

Nosara

$121 6.6% 45.3% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Cotabato City

$42 5.5%

Nosara

$90 4.9% 113% $48

Getting Around

Cotabato City

$14 1.8%

Nosara

$89 4.8% 532% $75

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $270 in Cotabato City and $801 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $17.00 in Cotabato City vs $61.0 in Nosara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $199 vs $350 per month, with Cotabato City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Cotabato City

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

01:13 1:13 AM

11:13 11:13 AM

14 h behind Cotabato City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

325,079

4,912

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to PHP – Philippine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇭 Philippine Peso (₱)

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 23, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.78 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 23, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cotabato City Nosara 16,190 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Cotabato City
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

Cotabato City vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cotabato City wins on cost – living expenses run 140% lower than in Nosara. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Cotabato City the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $1,146 in Cotabato City 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $270 in Cotabato City versus $801 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $764 per month in Cotabato City versus $1,835 in Nosara – a 140% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Cotabato City runs roughly 571% less than in Nosara. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $764 in Cotabato City versus $1,835 in Nosara, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Cotabato City but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Cotabato City the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Cotabato City delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $764 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Cotabato City hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Cotabato City 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 Cotabato City gentler on the wallet – expenses run 140% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.