Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Esperance and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,837 a month against $2,499 in Esperance, rent and utilities included – about $7,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

122

Cost of Living Index in Esperance
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Esperance Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Esperance

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,499

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,499 per month in Esperance vs $1,837 in Nosara, rent included.

Esperance $2,499
Nosara $1,837

A couple spends around $3,601 per month in Esperance vs $2,775 in Nosara, rent included.

Esperance $3,601
Nosara $2,775

A family of three spends $4,703 per month in Esperance vs $3,712 in Nosara, rent included.

Esperance $4,703
Nosara $3,712

Esperance costs about 36% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Esperance and Nosara sit above the global median – Esperance by 87%, Nosara by 37%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.21 A$24.63

$12.22 ₡5,509

40.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.8 A$121

$60.2 ₡27.1K

40.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 A$14.81

$7.54 ₡3,399

37.27%

Cappuccino

$3.97 A$5.68

$4.31 ₡1,941

-7.89%

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

$2.83 A$4.05

$1.72 ₡773

64.53%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.19 A$3.14

$1.35 ₡608

62.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.52 A$10.76

$3.24 ₡1,459

132.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.86 A$11.26

$4.48 ₡2,018

75.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.68 A$2.40

$1.57 ₡707

7.01%

White Bread (500g)

$2.77 A$3.97

$3.17 ₡1,429

-12.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.17 A$3.11

$2.42 ₡1,091

-10.33%

Eggs

$5.00 A$7.16

$3.57 ₡1,609

40.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.69 A$13.86

$7.43 ₡3,349

30.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.02 A$12.91

$10.42 ₡4,697

-13.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.03 A$21.51

$13.66 ₡6,156

10.03%

Apples (1kg)

$3.68 A$5.26

$2.32 ₡1,044

58.62%

Banana (1kg)

$3.00 A$4.29

$1.61 ₡728

86.34%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.28 A$4.70

$4.74 ₡2,138

-30.80%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.76 A$6.81

$1.66 ₡747

186.75%

Potato (1kg)

$2.67 A$3.83

$3.72 ₡1,679

-28.23%

Onion (1kg)

$2.38 A$3.40

$3.57 ₡1,611

-33.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.44 A$3.49

$1.10 ₡497

121.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.64 A$2.35

$2.55 ₡1,149

-35.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$38.25 A$54.7

$4.95 ₡2,232

672.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.91 A$19.91

$20.01 ₡9,020

-30.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.82 A$6.90

$2.79 ₡1,256

72.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.26 A$7.53

$3.53 ₡1,589

49.01%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.05 A$4.36

$1.19 ₡537

156.30%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$80.8 A$116

$72.1 ₡32.5K

12.13%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.60 A$5.16

$2.24 ₡1,011

60.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 A$2.33

$1.55 ₡701

5.16%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.54 A$58.0

$8.86 ₡3,993

357.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.22 A$1.75

$1.57 ₡708

-22.29%

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

$27.4K A$39.2K

$21.8K ₡9.8M

25.79%

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

$30.6K A$43.8K

$34.6K ₡15.6M

-11.72%

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

$210 A$301

$93.5 ₡42.1K

125.07%

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

$27.69 A$39.63

$35.11 ₡15.8K

-21.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$56.0 A$80.1

$51.5 ₡23.2K

8.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.8 A$79.9

$71.4 ₡32.2K

-21.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.12 A$25.94

$35.44 ₡16.0K

-48.87%

Cinema Ticket

$15.27 A$21.86

$7.84 ₡3,535

94.77%

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

$2,170 A$3,105

$490 ₡220.7K

343.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.2K A$28.9K

$11.9K ₡5.4M

69.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.0 A$112

$53.5 ₡24.1K

45.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.7 A$76.9

$55.8 ₡25.1K

-3.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 A$156

$79.3 ₡35.7K

37.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$125 A$178

$78.9 ₡35.6K

57.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,403 A$2,008

$786 ₡354.3K

78.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,173 A$1,679

$780 ₡351.6K

50.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,116 A$3,029

$3,860 ₡1.7M

-45.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,795 A$2,569

$1,407 ₡634.4K

27.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,784 A$8,278

$6,972 ₡3.1M

-17.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,940 A$7,069

$1,201 ₡541.3K

311.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,464 A$4,958

$876 ₡395.0K

295.31%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.84

8.62

-32.25%

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

Last update for Esperance: October 4, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Esperance

$1.2K 47.3%

Nosara

$780 43% 33.5% $393

Groceries & Markets

Esperance

$370 14.9%

Nosara

$350 19.3% 5.6% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Esperance

$294 11.8%

Nosara

$180 9.9% 38.8% $114

Eating Out

Esperance

$290 11.7%

Nosara

$209 11.6% 27.7% $80

Clothing & Footwear

Esperance

$164 6.6%

Nosara

$120 6.6% 26.7% $44

Getting Around

Esperance

$105 4.2%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 17.1% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Esperance

$86 3.5%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 0.8% $0.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,403 in Esperance versus $786 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 run about 295% higher in Esperance, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $85.0 in Esperance versus $60.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $370 vs $350 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Esperance

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

13:14 1:14 PM

23:14 11:14 PM

14 h behind Esperance

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

10,218

4,912

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.699 USD

1 AUD = 0.623 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 AUD (1 AUD = 0.699 USD). 1 EUR = 1.61 AUD (1 AUD = 0.623 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 506 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Esperance Nosara 16,150 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Esperance
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

Esperance vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,499 in Esperance, $1,837 in Nosara – roughly 36% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,749 per month in Esperance and $2,756 in Nosara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

A mid-range dinner for two costs $85.0 in Esperance and $60.0 in Nosara. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,499 in Esperance and $1,837 in Nosara. That's a gap of about 36%.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Nosara, where all-in costs run around $1,837, than in Esperance at $2,499. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Esperance 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 $1,837 in Nosara to $2,499 in Esperance. 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 Nosara. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Esperance makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.