Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dipolog and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Dipolog: $602 a month against $1,846 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $14,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

29

Cost of Living Index in Dipolog
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Dipolog Living Index
88

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Dipolog

🇵🇭 Philippines

$602

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,846

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $602 per month in Dipolog vs $1,846 in Nosara, rent included.

Dipolog $602
Nosara $1,846

A couple spends around $839 per month in Dipolog vs $2,833 in Nosara, rent included.

Dipolog $839
Nosara $2,833

A family of three spends $1,076 per month in Dipolog vs $3,820 in Nosara, rent included.

Dipolog $1,076
Nosara $3,820

Dipolog is about 67% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Dipolog sits 56% below the global median, while Nosara is 36% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.36 ₱86.9

$12.36 ₡5,575

-89.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.30 ₱1,233

$60.8 ₡27.4K

-68.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.72 ₱174

$7.88 ₡3,557

-65.48%

Cappuccino

$2.02 ₱129

$4.40 ₡1,986

-54.09%

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

$0.64 ₱40.78

$1.72 ₡776

-62.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.29 ₱18.75

$1.34 ₡603

-78.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.04 ₱66.6

$3.34 ₡1,505

-68.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 ₱110

$4.54 ₡2,048

-62.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.60 ₱102

$1.64 ₡739

-2.44%

White Bread (500g)

$0.77 ₱48.93

$3.16 ₡1,426

-75.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.82 ₱52.5

$2.39 ₡1,080

-65.69%

Eggs

$1.87 ₱119

$3.47 ₡1,564

-46.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.77 ₱369

$7.13 ₡3,217

-19.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.12 ₱263

$10.32 ₡4,655

-60.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.71 ₱365

$13.97 ₡6,302

-59.13%

Apples (1kg)

$1.60 ₱102

$2.29 ₡1,031

-30.13%

Banana (1kg)

$1.07 ₱68.7

$1.62 ₡731

-33.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.91 ₱186

$4.81 ₡2,169

-39.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.43 ₱91.5

$1.68 ₡758

-14.88%

Potato (1kg)

$1.84 ₱118

$3.91 ₡1,765

-52.94%

Onion (1kg)

$2.68 ₱171

$3.63 ₡1,640

-26.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 ₱93.6

$1.13 ₡509

30.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.61 ₱39.25

$2.63 ₡1,188

-76.81%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.04 ₱194

$5.02 ₡2,267

-39.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$3.93 ₱251

$19.71 ₡8,893

-80.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 ₱71.9

$2.91 ₡1,314

-61.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.26 ₱80.4

$3.54 ₡1,597

-64.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 ₱16.72

$1.21 ₡545

-78.51%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$10.99 ₱702

$73.8 ₡33.3K

-85.10%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.81 ₱51.5

$2.15 ₡969

-62.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.32 ₱20.72

$1.63 ₡738

-80.37%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.32 ₱148

$8.77 ₡3,958

-73.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.89 ₱57.0

$1.55 ₡700

-42.58%

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

$21.2K ₱1.4M

$33.9K ₡15.3M

-37.46%

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

$19.0K ₱1.2M

$38.5K ₡17.4M

-50.64%

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

$64.3 ₱4,106

$95.2 ₡43.0K

-32.51%

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

$7.73 ₱494

$36.29 ₡16.4K

-78.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.98 ₱1,532

$52.0 ₡23.5K

-53.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.70 ₱2,090

$67.6 ₡30.5K

-51.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.65 ₱297

$35.55 ₡16.0K

-86.92%

Cinema Ticket

$4.70 ₱300

$7.54 ₡3,404

-37.67%

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

$32.00 ₱2,045

$496 ₡224.0K

-93.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,107 ₱518.0K

$11.8K ₡5.3M

-31.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$33.03 ₱2,111

$55.1 ₡24.9K

-40.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.08 ₱1,219

$56.1 ₡25.3K

-65.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$55.9 ₱3,574

$77.8 ₡35.1K

-28.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$23.76 ₱1,518

$79.1 ₡35.7K

-69.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$156 ₱9,955

$817 ₡368.9K

-80.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$172 ₱11.0K

$806 ₡363.6K

-78.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$513 ₱32.7K

$3,988 ₡1.8M

-87.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$134 ₱8,589

$1,429 ₡644.9K

-90.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,401 ₱153.4K

$7,068 ₡3.2M

-66.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,119 ₱71.5K

$1,197 ₡540.1K

-6.50%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$234 ₱15.0K

$888 ₡400.7K

-73.63%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.33

8.62

-14.97%

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

Last update for Dipolog: October 25, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dipolog

$172 28.6%

Nosara

$806 43.7% 369% $634

Groceries & Markets

Dipolog

$163 27%

Nosara

$351 19% 116% $188

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dipolog

$96 15.9%

Nosara

$184 9.9% 91.2% $88

Clothing & Footwear

Dipolog

$59 9.9%

Nosara

$121 6.5% 103% $61

Eating Out

Dipolog

$56 9.2%

Nosara

$213 11.6% 283% $158

Sport & Entertainment

Dipolog

$42 7%

Nosara

$83 4.5% 96.3% $41

Getting Around

Dipolog

$14 2.4%

Nosara

$89 4.8% 514% $74

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $156 in Dipolog 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.

Salaries in Nosara are about 3.8 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Dipolog versus $61 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $163 vs $351 – making Dipolog the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Dipolog

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

20:56 8:56 PM

06:56 6:56 AM

14 h behind Dipolog

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

130,759

4,912

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.57 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 63.89 PHP (100 PHP = 1.57 USD). 1 EUR = 71.11 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 502 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Dipolog Nosara 16,200 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Dipolog
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

Dipolog vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara costs about 206% more than Dipolog, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $904 per month in Dipolog and $2,769 in Nosara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Dipolog, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $156 there versus $817 in Nosara.

Kindergarten costs $32 per month in Dipolog and $496 in Nosara. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 116% more in Nosara, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Dipolog, where all-in costs run around $602, than in Nosara at $1,846. In Dipolog it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Dipolog – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Dipolog. 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.