Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Estepona and Nosara

For one person, living costs are similar in Estepona and in Nosara: $1,807 and $1,839 a month, rent and utilities included.

88

Cost of Living Index in Estepona
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Estepona Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Estepona

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,807

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,807 in Estepona versus $1,839 in Nosara.

Estepona $1,807
Nosara $1,839

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,759 in Estepona versus $2,828 in Nosara.

Estepona $2,759
Nosara $2,828

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,712 in Estepona versus $3,818 in Nosara.

Estepona $3,712
Nosara $3,818

Living in Estepona costs roughly 2% less than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Estepona 34% above, Nosara 36% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.42 €17.28

$12.35 ₡5,539

57.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$78.0 €69.4

$61.2 ₡27.4K

27.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.05 €8.94

$7.52 ₡3,373

33.64%

Cappuccino

$2.67 €2.37

$4.41 ₡1,978

-39.46%

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

$2.37 €2.11

$1.74 ₡780

36.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 €1.81

$1.31 ₡587

54.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.34 €3.86

$3.28 ₡1,471

32.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.42 €3.93

$4.47 ₡2,004

-1.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.24 €1.10

$1.56 ₡701

-20.51%

White Bread (500g)

$1.67 €1.49

$3.02 ₡1,355

-44.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.54 €1.37

$2.51 ₡1,125

-38.65%

Eggs

$3.47 €3.09

$3.57 ₡1,603

-2.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.51 €12.01

$7.43 ₡3,333

81.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.15 €7.25

$10.52 ₡4,717

-22.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.81 €14.07

$13.97 ₡6,265

13.17%

Apples (1kg)

$3.54 €3.15

$2.35 ₡1,052

50.64%

Banana (1kg)

$2.08 €1.85

$1.61 ₡720

29.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.20 €1.96

$4.80 ₡2,152

-54.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.11 €2.77

$1.61 ₡724

93.17%

Potato (1kg)

$2.24 €2.00

$3.80 ₡1,703

-41.05%

Onion (1kg)

$2.17 €1.93

$3.69 ₡1,657

-41.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.68 €1.50

$1.13 ₡507

48.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.09 €0.97

$2.66 ₡1,191

-59.02%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.72 €5.97

$5.18 ₡2,321

29.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.92 €5.27

$19.88 ₡8,916

-70.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.47 €1.31

$2.90 ₡1,300

-49.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.90 €2.58

$3.63 ₡1,626

-20.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.76 €2.46

$1.12 ₡504

146.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.75 €1.55

$2.14 ₡958

-18.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.04 €0.93

$1.57 ₡703

-33.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.38 €11.90

$8.52 ₡3,823

57.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.84 €1.64

$1.52 ₡682

21.05%

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

$35.5K €31.6K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

64.26%

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

$29.2K €26.0K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-15.39%

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

$120 €107

$96.3 ₡43.2K

24.56%

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

$15.97 €14.21

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-55.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.74 €27.34

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-42.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.96 €40.00

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-37.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.60 €20.11

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-35.26%

Cinema Ticket

$11.29 €10.04

$7.89 ₡3,539

43.09%

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

$554 €493

$494 ₡221.6K

12.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,051 €7,162

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-32.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.5 €50.3

$53.9 ₡24.2K

4.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.50 €36.91

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-25.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.9 €85.3

$77.9 ₡34.9K

23.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$99.5 €88.5

$79.6 ₡35.7K

24.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,186 €1,055

$788 ₡353.4K

50.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$869 €773

$794 ₡356.2K

9.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,227 €1,981

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-43.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,421 €1,264

$1,419 ₡636.5K

0.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,673 €4,157

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-32.39%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,540 €4,038

$1,224 ₡549.0K

270.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,459 €1,298

$864 ₡387.3K

68.94%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.5

8.62

-59.40%

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

Last update for Estepona: 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

Estepona

$869 48.1%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 8.6% $74

Groceries & Markets

Estepona

$288 16%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 22.2% $64

Eating Out

Estepona

$266 14.7%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 20.3% $54

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Estepona

$167 9.2%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 11.5% $19

Clothing & Footwear

Estepona

$132 7.3%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 9% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Estepona

$68 3.7%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 29.3% $20

Getting Around

Estepona

$18 * 1%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 384% $69

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,186 in Estepona and $788 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Estepona pays 69% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $78.0 in Estepona vs $61.0 in Nosara. Groceries flip the comparison at $288 vs $352, with Estepona cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Estepona

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

03:38 3:38 AM

19:38 7:38 PM

8 h behind Estepona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

76,975

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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

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 EUR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Estepona Nosara 8,510 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Estepona
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

Estepona vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Estepona is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, leisure, and utilities. The 2% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 69% higher in Estepona, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,186 in Estepona versus $788 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $554 in Estepona versus $494 in Nosara. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Estepona – a meal for two runs $78.0 versus $61.0 in Nosara. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,807 in Estepona versus $1,839 in Nosara, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Estepona but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Estepona the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Estepona 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, Estepona 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 Estepona gentler on the wallet – expenses run 2% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.