Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Fontainebleau and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Fontainebleau: $1,127 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $8,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

55

Cost of Living Index in Fontainebleau
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Fontainebleau Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Fontainebleau

🇫🇷 France

$1,127

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,127 in Fontainebleau versus $1,839 in Nosara.

Fontainebleau $1,127
Nosara $1,839

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,529 in Fontainebleau versus $2,828 in Nosara.

Fontainebleau $2,529
Nosara $2,828

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,931 in Fontainebleau versus $3,818 in Nosara.

Fontainebleau $3,931
Nosara $3,818

Living in Fontainebleau costs roughly 39% less than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Fontainebleau is 17% below, Nosara is 36% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.58 €15.64

$12.35 ₡5,539

42.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.3 €59.0

$61.2 ₡27.4K

8.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.29 €11.82

$7.52 ₡3,373

76.73%

Cappuccino

$3.85 €3.42

$4.41 ₡1,978

-12.70%

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

$3.13 €2.79

$1.74 ₡780

79.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.65 €1.47

$1.31 ₡587

25.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.04 €7.15

$3.28 ₡1,471

145.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.64 €5.01

$4.47 ₡2,004

26.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 €1.17

$1.56 ₡701

-15.38%

White Bread (500g)

$1.97 €1.76

$3.02 ₡1,355

-34.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.80 €2.49

$2.51 ₡1,125

11.55%

Eggs

$4.03 €3.58

$3.57 ₡1,603

12.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.50 €19.12

$7.43 ₡3,333

189.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.19 €10.84

$10.52 ₡4,717

15.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$23.50 €20.90

$13.97 ₡6,265

68.22%

Apples (1kg)

$3.33 €2.96

$2.35 ₡1,052

41.70%

Banana (1kg)

$2.11 €1.88

$1.61 ₡720

31.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.38 €2.11

$4.80 ₡2,152

-50.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.17 €2.82

$1.61 ₡724

96.89%

Potato (1kg)

$1.92 €1.71

$3.80 ₡1,703

-49.47%

Onion (1kg)

$2.06 €1.83

$3.69 ₡1,657

-44.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.52 €1.36

$1.13 ₡507

34.51%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.68 €0.61

$2.66 ₡1,191

-74.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.91 €12.37

$5.18 ₡2,321

168.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.74 €6.89

$19.88 ₡8,916

-61.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 €2.13

$2.90 ₡1,300

-17.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.27 €3.80

$3.63 ₡1,626

17.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.27 €2.02

$2.14 ₡958

6.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.09 €1.85

$1.57 ₡703

33.12%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.36 €21.67

$8.52 ₡3,823

185.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.21 €1.97

$1.52 ₡682

45.39%

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

$33.9K €30.2K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

57.04%

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

$34.2K €30.4K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-0.85%

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

$206 €184

$96.3 ₡43.2K

114.40%

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

$15.25 €13.57

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-57.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.23 €27.78

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-41.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$22.61 €20.11

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-68.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.32 €11.85

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-61.84%

Cinema Ticket

$10.52 €9.36

$7.89 ₡3,539

33.33%

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

$633 €563

$494 ₡221.6K

28.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,147 €7,247

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-31.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.8 €78.1

$53.9 ₡24.2K

62.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.29 €35.83

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-27.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 €89.7

$77.9 ₡34.9K

29.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 €92.4

$79.6 ₡35.7K

30.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$936 €833

$788 ₡353.4K

18.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,670 €1,485

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-57.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,405 €1,250

$1,419 ₡636.5K

-0.97%

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)

$3,045 €2,709

$864 ₡387.3K

252.65%

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 Fontainebleau: October 12, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Fontainebleau

$371 32.9%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 5% $19

Eating Out

Fontainebleau

$297 26.4%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 28.7% $85

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Fontainebleau

$253 22.4%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 26.6% $67

Clothing & Footwear

Fontainebleau

$150 13.3%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 19.8% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Fontainebleau

$44 3.9%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 100% $44

Getting Around

Fontainebleau

$13 * 1.1%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 586% $74

Accommodation & Living

Fontainebleau

- * 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 $936 in Fontainebleau and $788 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Fontainebleau pays 253% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $66.0 in Fontainebleau vs $61.0 in Nosara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $371 vs $352 per month, with Nosara cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇫🇷 Fontainebleau

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

17:42 5:42 PM

09:42 9:42 AM

8 h behind Fontainebleau

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,945

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

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).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Fontainebleau Nosara 9,060 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Fontainebleau
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

Fontainebleau vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Fontainebleau wins on cost – living expenses run 63% lower than in Nosara. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Fontainebleau the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 253% higher in Fontainebleau, 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: $936 in Fontainebleau versus $788 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Nosara pay roughly 5% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you'll spend $1,127 per month in Fontainebleau versus $1,839 in Nosara – a 63% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,127 in Fontainebleau versus $1,839 in Nosara, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Fontainebleau but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Fontainebleau the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Fontainebleau delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,127 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Fontainebleau hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Fontainebleau 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 Fontainebleau gentler on the wallet – expenses run 63% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.