Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between General Santos and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in General Santos: $628 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $14,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

31

Cost of Living Index in General Santos
Learn more

General Santos Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index

Jump to prices

General Santos

🇵🇭 Philippines

$628

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $628 in General Santos versus $1,839 in Nosara.

General Santos $628
Nosara $1,839

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,009 in General Santos versus $2,828 in Nosara.

General Santos $1,009
Nosara $2,828

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,391 in General Santos versus $3,818 in Nosara.

General Santos $1,391
Nosara $3,818

Living in General Santos costs roughly 66% less than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: General Santos is 53% below, Nosara is 36% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.38 ₱213

$12.35 ₡5,539

-72.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$27.40 ₱1,725

$61.2 ₡27.4K

-55.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.72 ₱172

$7.52 ₡3,373

-63.83%

Cappuccino

$2.56 ₱161

$4.41 ₡1,978

-41.95%

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

$0.28 ₱17.41

$1.74 ₡780

-83.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.25 ₱15.83

$1.31 ₡587

-80.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.58 ₱99.3

$3.28 ₡1,471

-51.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.34 ₱147

$4.47 ₡2,004

-47.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.00 ₱126

$1.56 ₡701

28.21%

White Bread (500g)

$1.08 ₱68.2

$3.02 ₡1,355

-64.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.87 ₱54.7

$2.51 ₡1,125

-65.34%

Eggs

$1.86 ₱117

$3.57 ₡1,603

-47.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.38 ₱402

$7.43 ₡3,333

-14.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.77 ₱300

$10.52 ₡4,717

-54.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.25 ₱582

$13.97 ₡6,265

-33.79%

Apples (1kg)

$2.74 ₱172

$2.35 ₡1,052

16.60%

Banana (1kg)

$1.07 ₱67.2

$1.61 ₡720

-33.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.45 ₱154

$4.80 ₡2,152

-48.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.19 ₱74.6

$1.61 ₡724

-26.09%

Potato (1kg)

$1.98 ₱125

$3.80 ₡1,703

-47.89%

Onion (1kg)

$3.28 ₱207

$3.69 ₡1,657

-11.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.24 ₱78.2

$1.13 ₡507

9.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.68 ₱42.60

$2.66 ₡1,191

-74.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.46 ₱155

$5.18 ₡2,321

-52.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.76 ₱488

$19.88 ₡8,916

-60.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 ₱78.5

$2.90 ₡1,300

-56.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 ₱106

$3.63 ₡1,626

-53.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.39 ₱24.37

$1.12 ₡504

-65.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.15 ₱513

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-88.78%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.78 ₱49.25

$2.14 ₡958

-63.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.25 ₱15.79

$1.57 ₡703

-84.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$0.82 ₱51.4

$8.52 ₡3,823

-90.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.12 ₱70.7

$1.52 ₡682

-26.32%

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

$20.9K ₱1.3M

$21.6K ₡9.7M

-3.42%

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

$19.1K ₱1.2M

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-44.61%

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

$76.6 ₱4,825

$96.3 ₡43.2K

-20.41%

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

$6.53 ₱411

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-81.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.67 ₱1,994

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-40.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$4.91 ₱309

$7.89 ₡3,539

-37.77%

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

$109 ₱6,840

$494 ₡221.6K

-78.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,532 ₱474.2K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-36.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.8 ₱3,767

$53.9 ₡24.2K

10.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.67 ₱1,931

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-44.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.3 ₱4,428

$77.9 ₡34.9K

-9.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$60.7 ₱3,823

$79.6 ₡35.7K

-23.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$174 ₱11.0K

$788 ₡353.4K

-77.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$112 ₱7,068

$794 ₡356.2K

-85.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$359 ₱22.6K

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-90.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$238 ₱15.0K

$1,419 ₡636.5K

-83.21%

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 %)

8.31

8.62

-3.60%

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

Last update for General Santos: October 11, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

General Santos

$199 31.7%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 77% $153

Monthly Utilities & Internet

General Santos

$115 18.3%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 61.8% $71

Accommodation & Living

General Santos

$112 17.9%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 608% $682

Clothing & Footwear

General Santos

$100 15.9%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 20.5% $20

Eating Out

General Santos

$81 12.8%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 163% $131

Getting Around

General Santos

$12 1.9%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 642% $75

Sport & Entertainment

General Santos

$9.8 * 1.6%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 790% $78

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 $174 in General Santos and $788 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $27.00 in General Santos vs $61.0 in Nosara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $199 vs $352 per month, with General Santos cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 General Santos

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

07:24 7:24 AM

17:24 5:24 PM

14 h behind General Santos

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

697,315

4,912

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to PHP – Philippine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇭 Philippine Peso (₱)

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.78 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 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).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

General Santos Nosara 16,160 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

General Santos
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

General Santos vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

General Santos wins on cost – living expenses run 193% lower than in Nosara. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making General Santos the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $942 in General Santos 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: $174 in General Santos versus $788 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in General Santos – a meal for two runs $27.00 versus $61.0 in Nosara. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $628 per month in General Santos versus $1,839 in Nosara – a 193% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $628 in General Santos versus $1,839 in Nosara, a $1,000 budget is realistic in General Santos but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes General Santos the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but General Santos delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $628 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes General Santos hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, General Santos 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 General Santos gentler on the wallet – expenses run 193% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.