Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Esmeraldas and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Esmeraldas: $789 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.

38

Cost of Living Index in Esmeraldas
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Esmeraldas Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index

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Esmeraldas

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$789

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $789 in Esmeraldas versus $1,839 in Nosara.

Esmeraldas $789
Nosara $1,839

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,359 in Esmeraldas versus $2,828 in Nosara.

Esmeraldas $1,359
Nosara $2,828

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,929 in Esmeraldas versus $3,818 in Nosara.

Esmeraldas $1,929
Nosara $3,818

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

The two cities straddle the global median: Esmeraldas is 42% below, Nosara is 36% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.05 $3.05

$12.35 ₡5,539

-75.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$53.6 $53.6

$61.2 ₡27.4K

-12.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.96 $3.96

$7.52 ₡3,373

-47.34%

Cappuccino

$3.30 $3.30

$4.41 ₡1,978

-25.17%

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

$0.52 $0.52

$1.74 ₡780

-70.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 $0.49

$1.31 ₡587

-62.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.53 $3.53

$3.28 ₡1,471

7.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.87 $5.87

$4.47 ₡2,004

31.32%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.02 $1.02

$1.56 ₡701

-34.62%

White Bread (500g)

$1.55 $1.55

$3.02 ₡1,355

-48.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 $1.51

$2.51 ₡1,125

-39.84%

Eggs

$2.18 $2.18

$3.57 ₡1,603

-38.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.38 $6.38

$7.43 ₡3,333

-14.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.75 $5.75

$10.52 ₡4,717

-45.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.94 $7.94

$13.97 ₡6,265

-43.16%

Apples (1kg)

$2.28 $2.28

$2.35 ₡1,052

-2.98%

Banana (1kg)

$1.19 $1.19

$1.61 ₡720

-26.09%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.32 $1.32

$4.80 ₡2,152

-72.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.08 $1.08

$1.61 ₡724

-32.92%

Potato (1kg)

$1.25 $1.25

$3.80 ₡1,703

-67.11%

Onion (1kg)

$1.02 $1.02

$3.69 ₡1,657

-72.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.48 $0.48

$1.13 ₡507

-57.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.06 $1.06

$2.66 ₡1,191

-60.15%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.85 $5.85

$5.18 ₡2,321

12.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.89 $9.89

$19.88 ₡8,916

-50.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.53 $1.53

$2.90 ₡1,300

-47.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.20 $3.20

$3.63 ₡1,626

-11.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.35 $0.35

$1.12 ₡504

-68.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.82 $15.82

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-78.22%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.54 $1.54

$2.14 ₡958

-28.04%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.22 $1.22

$1.57 ₡703

-22.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.81 $9.81

$8.52 ₡3,823

15.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.87 $0.87

$1.52 ₡682

-42.76%

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

$21.1K $21.1K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

-2.51%

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

$28.2K $28.2K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-18.43%

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

$28.51 $28.51

$96.3 ₡43.2K

-70.39%

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

$17.81 $17.81

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-50.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.81 $28.81

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-46.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.46 $30.46

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-57.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.98 $16.98

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-51.36%

Cinema Ticket

$6.53 $6.53

$7.89 ₡3,539

-17.24%

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

$228 $228

$494 ₡221.6K

-53.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,109 $9,109

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-23.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$69.9 $69.9

$53.9 ₡24.2K

29.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.87 $49.87

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-10.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 $117

$77.9 ₡34.9K

50.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 $107

$79.6 ₡35.7K

33.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$297 $297

$788 ₡353.4K

-62.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$186 $186

$794 ₡356.2K

-76.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$622 $622

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-84.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$416 $416

$1,419 ₡636.5K

-70.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,353 $1,353

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-80.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$706 $706

$1,224 ₡549.0K

-42.36%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$451 $451

$864 ₡387.3K

-47.80%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.12

8.62

17.40%

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

Last update for Esmeraldas: October 13, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Esmeraldas

$196 24.8%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 80% $157

Accommodation & Living

Esmeraldas

$186 23.5%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 328% $609

Clothing & Footwear

Esmeraldas

$154 19.6%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 22.3% $34

Eating Out

Esmeraldas

$109 13.9%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 93.8% $103

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Esmeraldas

$75 9.5%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 147% $111

Sport & Entertainment

Esmeraldas

$44 5.5%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 101% $44

Getting Around

Esmeraldas

$25 3.2%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 250% $62

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $297 in Esmeraldas and $788 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Nosara pays 92% 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: $54.0 in Esmeraldas vs $61.0 in Nosara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $196 vs $352 per month, with Esmeraldas cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇨 Esmeraldas

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

22:37 10:37 PM

21:37 9:37 PM

1 h behind Esmeraldas

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

95,216

4,912

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 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).

CRC to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Esmeraldas Nosara 1,200 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Esmeraldas
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

Esmeraldas vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Esmeraldas is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and utilities. The 133% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 92% 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: $297 in Esmeraldas versus $788 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 80% higher in Nosara. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Esmeraldas – a meal for two runs $54.0 versus $61.0 in Nosara. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $789 in Esmeraldas versus $1,839 in Nosara, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Esmeraldas but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Esmeraldas the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Esmeraldas is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Nosara, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Esmeraldas 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 Esmeraldas gentler on the wallet – expenses run 133% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.