Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Freeport and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,837 a month against $2,642 in Freeport, rent and utilities included – about $9,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

130

Cost of Living Index in Freeport
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Freeport Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Freeport

🇧🇸 Bahamas

$2,642

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,642 in Freeport versus $1,837 in Nosara.

Freeport $2,642
Nosara $1,837

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,318 in Freeport versus $2,775 in Nosara.

Freeport $4,318
Nosara $2,775

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,994 in Freeport versus $3,712 in Nosara.

Freeport $5,994
Nosara $3,712

Living in Freeport is roughly 44% more expensive than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Freeport 97% above, Nosara 37% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$47.39 BSD 47.39

$12.22 ₡5,509

287.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$101 BSD 101

$60.2 ₡27.1K

67.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.49 BSD 12.49

$7.54 ₡3,399

65.65%

Cappuccino

$6.53 BSD 6.53

$4.31 ₡1,941

51.51%

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

$3.09 BSD 3.09

$1.72 ₡773

79.65%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.81 BSD 2.81

$1.35 ₡608

108.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.74 BSD 4.74

$3.24 ₡1,459

46.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.16 BSD 7.16

$4.48 ₡2,018

59.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.38 BSD 2.38

$1.57 ₡707

51.59%

White Bread (500g)

$5.47 BSD 5.47

$3.17 ₡1,429

72.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$8.63 BSD 8.63

$2.42 ₡1,091

256.61%

Eggs

$8.82 BSD 8.82

$3.57 ₡1,609

147.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.83 BSD 16.83

$7.43 ₡3,349

126.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.94 BSD 6.94

$10.42 ₡4,697

-33.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.10 BSD 14.10

$13.66 ₡6,156

3.22%

Apples (1kg)

$10.02 BSD 10.02

$2.32 ₡1,044

331.90%

Banana (1kg)

$4.08 BSD 4.08

$1.61 ₡728

153.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$9.91 BSD 9.91

$4.74 ₡2,138

109.07%

Tomato (1kg)

$12.72 BSD 12.72

$1.66 ₡747

666.27%

Potato (1kg)

$4.43 BSD 4.43

$3.72 ₡1,679

19.09%

Onion (1kg)

$2.63 BSD 2.63

$3.57 ₡1,611

-26.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$4.33 BSD 4.33

$1.10 ₡497

293.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.20 BSD 3.20

$2.55 ₡1,149

25.49%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$15.05 BSD 15.05

$4.95 ₡2,232

204.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.64 BSD 19.64

$20.01 ₡9,020

-1.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.79 ₡1,256

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.60 BSD 4.60

$3.53 ₡1,589

30.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.85 BSD 1.85

$1.19 ₡537

55.46%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.1 ₡32.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.98 BSD 2.98

$2.24 ₡1,011

33.04%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.05 BSD 3.05

$1.55 ₡701

96.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$98.8 BSD 98.8

$8.86 ₡3,993

1014.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.68 BSD 1.68

$1.57 ₡708

7.01%

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

$37.5K BSD 37.5K

$21.8K ₡9.8M

72.13%

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

$34.8K BSD 34.8K

$34.6K ₡15.6M

0.36%

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

$278 BSD 278

$93.5 ₡42.1K

197.39%

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

$63.7 BSD 63.7

$35.11 ₡15.8K

81.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$66.2 BSD 66.2

$51.5 ₡23.2K

28.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 BSD 56.4

$71.4 ₡32.2K

-20.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$54.6 BSD 54.6

$35.44 ₡16.0K

53.92%

Cinema Ticket

$18.08 BSD 18.08

$7.84 ₡3,535

130.61%

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

$575 BSD 575

$490 ₡220.7K

17.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,515 BSD 8,515

$11.9K ₡5.4M

-28.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$47.85 BSD 47.85

$53.5 ₡24.1K

-10.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.8 ₡25.1K

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.6 BSD 92.6

$79.3 ₡35.7K

16.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$69.7 BSD 69.7

$78.9 ₡35.6K

-11.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$984 BSD 984

$786 ₡354.3K

25.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$930 BSD 930

$780 ₡351.6K

19.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,210 BSD 2,210

$3,860 ₡1.7M

-42.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,974 BSD 1,974

$1,407 ₡634.4K

40.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,289 BSD 4,289

$6,972 ₡3.1M

-38.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,253 BSD 3,253

$1,201 ₡541.3K

170.89%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,573 BSD 1,573

$876 ₡395.0K

79.48%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.72

8.62

47.56%

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

Last update for Freeport: 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

Freeport

$930 34.7%

Nosara

$780 43% 16.1% $150

Groceries & Markets

Freeport

$576 * 21.5%

Nosara

$350 19.3% 39.4% $227

Eating Out

Freeport

$557 20.7%

Nosara

$209 11.6% 62.4% $347

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Freeport

$408 15.2%

Nosara

$180 9.9% 55.8% $228

Clothing & Footwear

Freeport

$95 * 3.5%

Nosara

$120 6.6% 27.3% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Freeport

$93 3.5%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 5.9% $5.5

Getting Around

Freeport

$26 * 1%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 239% $61

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 $984 in Freeport and $786 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Freeport pays 79% 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: $101 in Freeport vs $60.0 in Nosara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $576 vs $350 per month, with Nosara cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇸 Freeport

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

06:24 6:24 AM

04:24 4:24 AM

2 h behind Freeport

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

45,945

4,912

💱 Currency

Bahamian Dollar BSD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 BSD = 1 USD

1 BSD = 0.892 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to BSD – Bahamian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇸 Bahamian Dollar ($)

Bahamian Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1 BSD (1 BSD = 1 USD). 1 EUR = 1.12 BSD (1 BSD = 0.892 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 505 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to BSD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Freeport Nosara 1,980 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Freeport
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

Freeport vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Freeport and Nosara differ by about 44% in total monthly costs ($2,642 vs $1,837 including rent). Nosara is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 79% higher in Freeport, 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: $984 in Freeport versus $786 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $575 in Freeport versus $490 in Nosara. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Nosara – a meal for two runs $60.0 versus $101 in Freeport. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,837 in Nosara versus $2,642 in Freeport, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Nosara but tight or insufficient in Freeport. The gap between the two cities makes Nosara the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Freeport 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 Nosara gentler on the wallet – expenses run 44% less than in Freeport. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.