Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between El Medano and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in El Medano: $1,447 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $4,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

71

Cost of Living Index in El Medano
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El Medano Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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El Medano

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,447

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,447 per month in El Medano vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

El Medano $1,447
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $2,394 per month in El Medano vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

El Medano $2,394
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $3,342 per month in El Medano vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

El Medano $3,342
Nosara $3,818

El Medano is about 21% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both El Medano and Nosara sit above the global median – El Medano by 7%, Nosara by 36%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.37 €18.12

$12.35 ₡5,539

64.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €54.9

$61.2 ₡27.4K

0.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.38 €10.13

$7.52 ₡3,373

51.33%

Cappuccino

$1.99 €1.77

$4.41 ₡1,978

-54.88%

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

$1.90 €1.69

$1.74 ₡780

9.20%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.30 €1.16

$1.31 ₡587

-0.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.76 €2.45

$3.28 ₡1,471

-15.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.28 €2.91

$4.47 ₡2,004

-26.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 €1.18

$1.56 ₡701

-15.38%

White Bread (500g)

$2.41 €2.14

$3.02 ₡1,355

-20.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.59 €1.41

$2.51 ₡1,125

-36.65%

Eggs

$4.18 €3.72

$3.57 ₡1,603

17.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.57 €12.96

$7.43 ₡3,333

96.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 €8.23

$10.52 ₡4,717

-12.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.98 €15.99

$13.97 ₡6,265

28.70%

Apples (1kg)

$2.48 €2.21

$2.35 ₡1,052

5.53%

Banana (1kg)

$2.28 €2.03

$1.61 ₡720

41.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 €2.00

$4.80 ₡2,152

-53.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.53 €2.25

$1.61 ₡724

57.14%

Potato (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$3.80 ₡1,703

-44.74%

Onion (1kg)

$1.93 €1.72

$3.69 ₡1,657

-47.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.64 €1.46

$1.13 ₡507

45.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 €0.87

$2.66 ₡1,191

-63.16%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.52 €4.91

$5.18 ₡2,321

6.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.73 €6.88

$19.88 ₡8,916

-61.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.68 €1.50

$2.90 ₡1,300

-42.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 €1.23

$3.63 ₡1,626

-61.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.67 €1.49

$1.12 ₡504

49.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.49 €22.67

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-64.91%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.08 €3.63

$2.14 ₡958

90.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.73 €1.54

$1.57 ₡703

10.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.58 €14.75

$8.52 ₡3,823

94.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.25 €1.11

$1.52 ₡682

-17.76%

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

$27.1K €24.1K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

25.59%

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

$28.8K €25.7K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-16.42%

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

$98.8 €87.9

$96.3 ₡43.2K

2.60%

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

$22.46 €19.98

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-37.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.17 €31.28

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-34.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.58 €39.66

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-37.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.75 €14.01

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-54.88%

Cinema Ticket

$9.90 €8.81

$7.89 ₡3,539

25.48%

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

$407 €362

$494 ₡221.6K

-17.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,118 €4,553

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-56.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$92.2 €82.0

$53.9 ₡24.2K

70.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.86 €37.24

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-24.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.2 €80.3

$77.9 ₡34.9K

15.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$114 €102

$79.6 ₡35.7K

43.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$895 €796

$788 ₡353.4K

13.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$468 €416

$794 ₡356.2K

-41.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,354 €1,205

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-65.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,027 €913

$1,419 ₡636.5K

-27.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,258 €2,898

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-52.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,228 €1,982

$1,224 ₡549.0K

82.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.56

8.62

-58.70%

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

Last update for El Medano: October 11, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

El Medano

$468 32.3%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 69.8% $326

Groceries & Markets

El Medano

$307 21.2%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 14.7% $45

Eating Out

El Medano

$254 17.6%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 16.6% $42

Monthly Utilities & Internet

El Medano

$156 10.8%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 18.8% $29

Clothing & Footwear

El Medano

$152 10.5%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 21.2% $32

Sport & Entertainment

El Medano

$64 4.5%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 35.7% $23

Getting Around

El Medano

$45 3.1%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 94% $42

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $895 in El Medano versus $788 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 $62.0 in El Medano versus $61.0 in Nosara. Groceries tell a different story – $307 in El Medano vs $352 in Nosara – so El Medano wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇪🇸 El Medano

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

01:51 1:51 AM

18:51 6:51 PM

7 h behind El Medano

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,500

4,912

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

El Medano Nosara 7,450 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

El Medano
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

El Medano vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,447 in El Medano, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 27% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,171 per month in El Medano and $2,758 in Nosara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in El Medano, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $407 per month in El Medano and $494 in Nosara. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 15% 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 $2,000 monthly budget goes further in El Medano, where all-in costs run around $1,447, than in Nosara at $1,839. In El Medano it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Nosara has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,447 in El Medano to $1,839 in Nosara. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with El Medano. 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.