Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dumaguete and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Dumaguete: $791 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $12,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

39

Cost of Living Index in Dumaguete
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Dumaguete Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index

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Dumaguete

🇵🇭 Philippines

$791

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $791 in Dumaguete versus $1,839 in Nosara.

Dumaguete $791
Nosara $1,839

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,202 in Dumaguete versus $2,828 in Nosara.

Dumaguete $1,202
Nosara $2,828

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,612 in Dumaguete versus $3,818 in Nosara.

Dumaguete $1,612
Nosara $3,818

Living in Dumaguete costs roughly 57% less than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Dumaguete is 41% below, Nosara is 36% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.85 ₱242

$12.35 ₡5,539

-68.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$16.19 ₱1,020

$61.2 ₡27.4K

-73.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.17 ₱262

$7.52 ₡3,373

-44.55%

Cappuccino

$2.27 ₱143

$4.41 ₡1,978

-48.53%

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

$0.72 ₱45.42

$1.74 ₡780

-58.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.44 ₱27.45

$1.31 ₡587

-66.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.34 ₱84.2

$3.28 ₡1,471

-59.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 ₱117

$4.47 ₡2,004

-58.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.61 ₱101

$1.56 ₡701

3.21%

White Bread (500g)

$1.33 ₱83.9

$3.02 ₡1,355

-55.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.95 ₱59.6

$2.51 ₡1,125

-62.15%

Eggs

$1.75 ₱110

$3.57 ₡1,603

-50.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.39 ₱528

$7.43 ₡3,333

12.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.40 ₱277

$10.52 ₡4,717

-58.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.01 ₱441

$13.97 ₡6,265

-49.82%

Apples (1kg)

$1.63 ₱103

$2.35 ₡1,052

-30.64%

Banana (1kg)

$1.30 ₱82.0

$1.61 ₡720

-19.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.51 ₱221

$4.80 ₡2,152

-26.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.25 ₱78.7

$1.61 ₡724

-22.36%

Potato (1kg)

$2.43 ₱153

$3.80 ₡1,703

-36.05%

Onion (1kg)

$1.57 ₱98.8

$3.69 ₡1,657

-57.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.79 ₱49.58

$1.13 ₡507

-30.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 ₱34.27

$2.66 ₡1,191

-79.70%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.32 ₱146

$5.18 ₡2,321

-55.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.84 ₱557

$19.88 ₡8,916

-55.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 ₱75.7

$2.90 ₡1,300

-58.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.26 ₱79.1

$3.63 ₡1,626

-65.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.41 ₱25.84

$1.12 ₡504

-63.39%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$10.09 ₱635

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-86.11%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.69 ₱43.64

$2.14 ₡958

-67.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 ₱10.41

$1.57 ₡703

-89.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.19 ₱138

$8.52 ₡3,823

-74.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.06 ₱66.7

$1.52 ₡682

-30.26%

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

$20.9K ₱1.3M

$21.6K ₡9.7M

-3.34%

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

$24.1K ₱1.5M

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-30.08%

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

$67.1 ₱4,227

$96.3 ₡43.2K

-30.27%

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

$10.05 ₱632

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-72.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.78 ₱1,623

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-51.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$23.76 ₱1,496

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-66.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.06 ₱256

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-88.37%

Cinema Ticket

$7.23 ₱455

$7.89 ₡3,539

-8.37%

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

$57.8 ₱3,639

$494 ₡221.6K

-88.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,698 ₱106.9K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-85.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$94.4 ₱5,945

$53.9 ₡24.2K

75.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.11 ₱2,022

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-42.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 ₱6,429

$77.9 ₡34.9K

31.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 ₱7,053

$79.6 ₡35.7K

40.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$238 ₱15.0K

$788 ₡353.4K

-69.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$207 ₱13.0K

$794 ₡356.2K

-73.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$429 ₱27.0K

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-89.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$359 ₱22.6K

$1,419 ₡636.5K

-74.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,082 ₱194.0K

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-55.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$693 ₱43.7K

$1,224 ₡549.0K

-43.36%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$276 ₱17.4K

$864 ₡387.3K

-68.03%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

-18.79%

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

Last update for Dumaguete: October 12, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dumaguete

$207 26.2%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 284% $587

Groceries & Markets

Dumaguete

$191 24.1%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 84.4% $161

Clothing & Footwear

Dumaguete

$153 19.4%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 21.7% $33

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dumaguete

$103 13%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 80.4% $83

Eating Out

Dumaguete

$86 10.8%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 148% $126

Sport & Entertainment

Dumaguete

$38 4.8%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 129% $49

Getting Around

Dumaguete

$13 1.7%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 557% $74

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $238 in Dumaguete and $788 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Nosara pays 213% 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: $16.00 in Dumaguete vs $61.0 in Nosara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $191 vs $352 per month, with Dumaguete cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Dumaguete

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

08:54 8:54 AM

18:54 6:54 PM

14 h behind Dumaguete

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

134,103

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 18, 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 18, 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

Dumaguete Nosara 16,160 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Dumaguete
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

Dumaguete vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dumaguete and Nosara differ by about 132% in total monthly costs ($791 vs $1,839 including rent). Dumaguete is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 213% 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $238 in Dumaguete versus $788 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $791 per month in Dumaguete versus $1,839 in Nosara – a 132% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Dumaguete runs roughly 620% less than in Nosara. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $791 in Dumaguete versus $1,839 in Nosara, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Dumaguete but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Dumaguete 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, Dumaguete 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 Dumaguete gentler on the wallet – expenses run 132% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.