Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Desamparados and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Desamparados: $1,697 a month against $1,846 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Nosara outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

81

Cost of Living Index in Desamparados
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Desamparados Living Index
88

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Desamparados

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,697

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,846

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,697 per month in Desamparados vs $1,846 in Nosara, rent included.

Desamparados $1,697
Nosara $1,846

A couple spends around $2,731 per month in Desamparados vs $2,833 in Nosara, rent included.

Desamparados $2,731
Nosara $2,833

A family of three spends $3,765 per month in Desamparados vs $3,820 in Nosara, rent included.

Desamparados $3,765
Nosara $3,820

Desamparados is about 8% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Desamparados and Nosara sit above the global median – Desamparados by 25%, Nosara by 36%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.16 ₡5,489

$12.36 ₡5,578

-1.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$53.7 ₡24.3K

$60.8 ₡27.4K

-11.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.05 ₡4,990

$7.88 ₡3,558

40.23%

Cappuccino

$3.79 ₡1,710

$4.40 ₡1,987

-13.86%

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

$2.79 ₡1,259

$1.72 ₡776

62.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.70 ₡768

$1.34 ₡603

26.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.81 ₡1,269

$3.34 ₡1,506

-15.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.92 ₡1,771

$4.54 ₡2,049

-13.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.22 ₡1,003

$1.64 ₡739

35.37%

White Bread (500g)

$2.81 ₡1,270

$3.16 ₡1,427

-11.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.44 ₡1,101

$2.39 ₡1,080

2.09%

Eggs

$3.60 ₡1,624

$3.47 ₡1,564

3.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.27 ₡4,636

$7.13 ₡3,219

44.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.98 ₡4,505

$10.32 ₡4,657

-3.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.22 ₡5,969

$13.97 ₡6,305

-5.37%

Apples (1kg)

$5.05 ₡2,280

$2.29 ₡1,032

120.52%

Banana (1kg)

$1.56 ₡703

$1.62 ₡732

-3.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.52 ₡1,590

$4.81 ₡2,171

-26.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.09 ₡1,395

$1.68 ₡758

83.93%

Potato (1kg)

$2.82 ₡1,274

$3.91 ₡1,766

-27.88%

Onion (1kg)

$2.89 ₡1,304

$3.63 ₡1,641

-20.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡508

$1.13 ₡510

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.64 ₡1,190

$2.63 ₡1,188

0.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.78 ₡2,611

$5.02 ₡2,268

15.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.33 ₡8,273

$19.71 ₡8,897

-7.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.56 ₡1,156

$2.91 ₡1,315

-12.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.99 ₡1,352

$3.54 ₡1,598

-15.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.29 ₡583

$1.21 ₡545

6.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.8 ₡33.3K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.18 ₡986

$2.15 ₡970

1.40%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.82 ₡822

$1.63 ₡738

11.66%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.93 ₡4,033

$8.77 ₡3,960

1.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡686

$1.55 ₡701

-1.94%

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

$33.6K ₡15.2M

$33.9K ₡15.3M

-0.79%

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

$36.6K ₡16.5M

$38.5K ₡17.4M

-5.00%

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

$83.8 ₡37.8K

$95.2 ₡43.0K

-11.97%

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

$26.77 ₡12.1K

$36.29 ₡16.4K

-26.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$66.8 ₡30.2K

$52.0 ₡23.5K

28.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$63.1 ₡28.5K

$67.6 ₡30.5K

-6.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.55 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$7.25 ₡3,273

$7.54 ₡3,405

-3.85%

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

$846 ₡382.0K

$496 ₡224.1K

70.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.2K ₡7.8M

$11.8K ₡5.3M

46.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$76.4 ₡34.5K

$55.1 ₡24.9K

38.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.1 ₡26.2K

$56.1 ₡25.3K

3.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 ₡54.6K

$77.8 ₡35.1K

55.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$141 ₡63.5K

$79.1 ₡35.7K

78.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$824 ₡372.0K

$817 ₡369.0K

0.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$667 ₡301.1K

$806 ₡363.8K

-17.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,711 ₡772.6K

$3,988 ₡1.8M

-57.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,449 ₡654.1K

$1,429 ₡645.2K

1.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,068 ₡3.2M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,197 ₡540.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$888 ₡400.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

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

Last update for Desamparados: October 24, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Desamparados

$667 39.3%

Nosara

$806 43.7% 20.8% $139

Groceries & Markets

Desamparados

$365 21.5%

Nosara

$351 19% 3.7% $14

Eating Out

Desamparados

$216 12.7%

Nosara

$213 11.6% 1.1% $2.4

Clothing & Footwear

Desamparados

$178 10.5%

Nosara

$121 6.5% 32.3% $58

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Desamparados

$177 10.5%

Nosara

$184 9.9% 3.5% $6.1

Sport & Entertainment

Desamparados

$78 4.6%

Nosara

$83 4.5% 6.5% $5

Getting Around

Desamparados

$16 * 1%

Nosara

$89 4.8% 441% $72

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $824 in Desamparados versus $817 in Nosara. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $54 in Desamparados versus $61 in Nosara. Groceries tell a different story – $365 in Desamparados vs $351 in Nosara – so Nosara wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Desamparados

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

02:59 2:59 AM

Same time as Desamparados

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

38,000

4,912

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Desamparados Nosara 170 km

From you

Desamparados
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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

Desamparados vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,697 in Desamparados, $1,846 in Nosara – Desamparados comes out roughly 8% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,546 per month in Desamparados and $2,769 in Nosara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $824 in Desamparados and $817 in Nosara. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $54 in Desamparados and $61 in Nosara. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 4% cheaper in Nosara – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

$3,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,697 in Desamparados and $1,846 in Nosara, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Nosara has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,697 in Desamparados to $1,846 in Nosara. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.