Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Fajardo and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Fajardo: $1,251 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $7,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

61

Cost of Living Index in Fajardo
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Fajardo Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Fajardo

🇵🇷 Puerto Rico

$1,251

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,251 in Fajardo versus $1,839 in Nosara.

Fajardo $1,251
Nosara $1,839

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,962 in Fajardo versus $2,828 in Nosara.

Fajardo $1,962
Nosara $2,828

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,674 in Fajardo versus $3,818 in Nosara.

Fajardo $2,674
Nosara $3,818

Living in Fajardo costs roughly 32% less than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Fajardo is 7% below, Nosara is 36% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.97 $9.97

$12.35 ₡5,539

-19.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$80.7 $80.7

$61.2 ₡27.4K

31.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.09 $9.09

$7.52 ₡3,373

20.88%

Cappuccino

$3.69 $3.69

$4.41 ₡1,978

-16.33%

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

$1.84 $1.84

$1.74 ₡780

5.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.45 $1.45

$1.31 ₡587

10.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.02 $3.02

$3.28 ₡1,471

-7.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.13 $5.13

$4.47 ₡2,004

14.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.14 $2.14

$1.56 ₡701

37.18%

White Bread (500g)

$3.72 $3.72

$3.02 ₡1,355

23.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.34 $2.34

$2.51 ₡1,125

-6.77%

Eggs

$7.62 $7.62

$3.57 ₡1,603

113.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.30 $12.30

$7.43 ₡3,333

65.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.37 $9.37

$10.52 ₡4,717

-10.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.16 $13.16

$13.97 ₡6,265

-5.80%

Apples (1kg)

$4.97 $4.97

$2.35 ₡1,052

111.49%

Banana (1kg)

$2.67 $2.67

$1.61 ₡720

65.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.97 $4.97

$4.80 ₡2,152

3.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.91 $4.91

$1.61 ₡724

204.97%

Potato (1kg)

$3.72 $3.72

$3.80 ₡1,703

-2.11%

Onion (1kg)

$3.87 $3.87

$3.69 ₡1,657

4.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.36 $3.36

$1.13 ₡507

197.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 $1.66

$2.66 ₡1,191

-37.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.26 $11.26

$5.18 ₡2,321

117.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.57 $15.57

$19.88 ₡8,916

-21.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.02 $3.02

$2.90 ₡1,300

4.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.06 $4.06

$3.63 ₡1,626

11.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.43 $2.43

$2.14 ₡958

13.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.57 ₡703

-7.01%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.97 $41.97

$8.52 ₡3,823

392.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.23 $1.23

$1.52 ₡682

-19.08%

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

$40.3K $40.3K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

86.53%

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

$27.5K $27.5K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-20.37%

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

$325 $325

$96.3 ₡43.2K

237.12%

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

$70.1 $70.1

$35.89 ₡16.1K

95.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.4 $69.4

$53.6 ₡24.0K

29.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$10.38 $10.38

$7.89 ₡3,539

31.56%

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

$809 $809

$494 ₡221.6K

63.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.4K $12.4K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

4.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.0 $56.0

$53.9 ₡24.2K

3.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$61.1 $61.1

$55.4 ₡24.8K

10.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 $109

$77.9 ₡34.9K

39.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$114 $114

$79.6 ₡35.7K

43.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$982 $982

$788 ₡353.4K

24.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.55

8.62

-24.01%

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

Last update for Fajardo: October 12, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Fajardo

$464 37.1%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 60% $278

Groceries & Markets

Fajardo

$414 33.1%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 14.8% $61

Eating Out

Fajardo

$190 15.2%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 11.6% $22

Clothing & Footwear

Fajardo

$153 12.2%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 21.5% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Fajardo

$21 * 1.7%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 321% $67

Getting Around

Fajardo

$9.7 * 0.8%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 798% $77

Accommodation & Living

Fajardo

- * 0%

Nosara

$794 43.2%

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 $982 in Fajardo and $788 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $81.0 in Fajardo vs $61.0 in Nosara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $414 vs $352 per month, with Nosara cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇷 Fajardo

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

14:40 2:40 PM

12:40 12:40 PM

2 h behind Fajardo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

11,647

4,912

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.889 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 17, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.889 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 17, 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Fajardo Nosara 2,340 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Fajardo
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

Fajardo vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Fajardo wins on cost – living expenses run 47% lower than in Nosara. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Fajardo the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $1,876 in Fajardo and $2,758 in Nosara to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $982 in Fajardo versus $788 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Nosara pay roughly 17% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you'll spend $1,251 per month in Fajardo versus $1,839 in Nosara – a 47% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,251 in Fajardo versus $1,839 in Nosara, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Fajardo but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Fajardo the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Fajardo delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,251 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Fajardo hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Fajardo 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 Fajardo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 47% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.