Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dasmarinas and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Dasmarinas: $496 a month against $1,835 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $16,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

24

Cost of Living Index in Dasmarinas
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Dasmarinas Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Dasmarinas

🇵🇭 Philippines

$496

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $496 in Dasmarinas versus $1,835 in Nosara.

Dasmarinas $496
Nosara $1,835

Estimated couple costs with rent: $738 in Dasmarinas versus $2,825 in Nosara.

Dasmarinas $738
Nosara $2,825

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $980 in Dasmarinas versus $3,814 in Nosara.

Dasmarinas $980
Nosara $3,814

Living in Dasmarinas costs roughly 73% less than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Dasmarinas is 63% below, Nosara is 35% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.08 ₱257

$12.34 ₡5,535

-66.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$16.95 ₱1,067

$61.3 ₡27.5K

-72.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.71 ₱171

$7.76 ₡3,481

-65.08%

Cappuccino

$1.75 ₱110

$4.44 ₡1,992

-60.59%

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

$0.57 ₱35.76

$1.79 ₡803

-68.16%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ₱19.30

$1.29 ₡580

-75.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.96 ₱60.1

$3.24 ₡1,451

-70.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.58 ₱99.4

$4.43 ₡1,985

-64.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.39 ₱87.5

$1.55 ₡696

-10.32%

White Bread (500g)

$1.10 ₱69.5

$3.08 ₡1,380

-64.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.66 ₱41.36

$2.53 ₡1,133

-73.91%

Eggs

$1.79 ₱113

$3.45 ₡1,546

-48.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.94 ₱311

$7.32 ₡3,284

-32.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.49 ₱219

$10.24 ₡4,594

-65.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.72 ₱297

$14.10 ₡6,326

-66.52%

Apples (1kg)

$2.26 ₱143

$2.29 ₡1,027

-1.31%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₱102

$1.64 ₡737

-1.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.38 ₱150

$4.79 ₡2,149

-50.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.07 ₱67.3

$1.64 ₡735

-34.76%

Potato (1kg)

$1.75 ₱110

$3.85 ₡1,727

-54.55%

Onion (1kg)

$1.72 ₱108

$3.75 ₡1,681

-54.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.61 ₱38.39

$1.09 ₡488

-44.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ₱32.54

$2.59 ₡1,160

-79.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.88 ₱181

$5.12 ₡2,295

-43.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.59 ₱541

$19.92 ₡8,931

-56.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 ₱58.5

$2.80 ₡1,255

-66.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.99 ₱125

$3.52 ₡1,580

-43.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.22 ₡549

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.9 ₡33.1K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.78 ₱48.96

$2.17 ₡973

-64.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.25 ₱15.76

$1.56 ₡698

-83.97%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.85 ₱117

$8.67 ₡3,886

-78.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 ₱70.1

$1.55 ₡697

-28.39%

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

$21.4K ₱1.3M

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-38.09%

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

$18.9K ₱1.2M

$38.7K ₡17.4M

-51.21%

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

$48.45 ₱3,050

$94.8 ₡42.5K

-48.90%

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

$17.55 ₱1,105

$36.15 ₡16.2K

-51.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.72 ₱1,494

$53.1 ₡23.8K

-55.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.43 ₱2,105

$73.8 ₡33.1K

-54.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.63 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$5.30 ₱334

$7.91 ₡3,548

-33.00%

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

$134 ₱8,415

$490 ₡219.9K

-72.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.7K ₱674.0K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-9.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$28.53 ₱1,796

$54.8 ₡24.6K

-47.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.55 ₱1,231

$55.9 ₡25.1K

-65.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.5 ₱4,561

$80.4 ₡36.0K

-9.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$56.4 ₱3,552

$77.9 ₡34.9K

-27.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$801 ₡359.1K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$46.95 ₱2,956

$790 ₡354.1K

-94.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,005 ₡1.8M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,409 ₡632.0K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,064 ₡3.2M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,236 ₡554.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$353 ₱22.2K

$887 ₡397.6K

-60.21%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.4

8.62

-25.75%

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

Last update for Dasmarinas: October 18, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Dasmarinas

$160 32.3%

Nosara

$350 19.1% 118% $190

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dasmarinas

$90 18.1%

Nosara

$184 10% 105% $94

Clothing & Footwear

Dasmarinas

$80 16.1%

Nosara

$121 6.6% 52% $41

Eating Out

Dasmarinas

$73 14.8%

Nosara

$213 11.6% 190% $139

Accommodation & Living

Dasmarinas

$47 9.5%

Nosara

$790 43% 1582% $743

Sport & Entertainment

Dasmarinas

$44 8.9%

Nosara

$90 4.9% 104% $46

Getting Around

Dasmarinas

$2 * 0.4%

Nosara

$89 4.8% 4271% $87

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

Cost Breakdown

Nosara pays 151% 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: $17.00 in Dasmarinas vs $61.0 in Nosara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $160 vs $350 per month, with Dasmarinas cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Dasmarinas

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

05:26 5:26 AM

15:26 3:26 PM

14 h behind Dasmarinas

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

659,019

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 20, 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 20, 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

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Highest

Between locations

Dasmarinas Nosara 16,030 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Dasmarinas
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

Dasmarinas vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dasmarinas and Nosara differ by about 270% in total monthly costs ($496 vs $1,835 including rent). Dasmarinas is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 151% 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.

Childcare runs $134 in Dasmarinas versus $490 in Nosara. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Dasmarinas – a meal for two runs $17.00 versus $61.0 in Nosara. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $496 in Dasmarinas versus $1,835 in Nosara, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Dasmarinas but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Dasmarinas the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Dasmarinas 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 Dasmarinas gentler on the wallet – expenses run 270% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.