Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Gran Canaria, Canary Islands and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Gran Canaria, Canary Islands: $1,600 a month against $1,837 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $2,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Gran Canaria, Canary Islands
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Gran Canaria, Canary Islands Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Gran Canaria, Canary Islands

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,600

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,600 per month in Gran Canaria, Canary Islands vs $1,837 in Nosara, rent included.

Gran Canaria, Canary Islands $1,600
Nosara $1,837

A couple spends around $2,345 per month in Gran Canaria, Canary Islands vs $2,775 in Nosara, rent included.

Gran Canaria, Canary Islands $2,345
Nosara $2,775

A family of three spends $3,090 per month in Gran Canaria, Canary Islands vs $3,712 in Nosara, rent included.

Gran Canaria, Canary Islands $3,090
Nosara $3,712

Gran Canaria, Canary Islands is about 13% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Gran Canaria, Canary Islands and Nosara sit above the global median – Gran Canaria, Canary Islands by 19%, Nosara by 37%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.29 €13.70

$12.22 ₡5,498

25.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.5 €51.5

$60.2 ₡27.1K

-4.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.40 €9.32

$7.54 ₡3,391

37.93%

Cappuccino

$2.13 €1.91

$4.31 ₡1,937

-50.58%

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

$2.41 €2.16

$1.72 ₡772

40.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.71 €1.54

$1.35 ₡606

26.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.23 €2.90

$3.24 ₡1,456

-0.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.38 €3.03

$4.48 ₡2,014

-24.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.20 €1.08

$1.57 ₡705

-23.57%

White Bread (500g)

$1.35 €1.21

$3.17 ₡1,426

-57.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.62 €1.45

$2.42 ₡1,089

-33.06%

Eggs

$2.80 €2.51

$3.57 ₡1,605

-21.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.71 €12.28

$7.43 ₡3,342

84.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.26 €7.40

$10.42 ₡4,687

-20.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.30 €13.71

$13.66 ₡6,143

12.01%

Apples (1kg)

$2.46 €2.21

$2.32 ₡1,042

6.03%

Banana (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$1.61 ₡726

22.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.98 €1.77

$4.74 ₡2,133

-58.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.56 €2.29

$1.66 ₡746

54.22%

Potato (1kg)

$1.71 €1.53

$3.72 ₡1,675

-54.03%

Onion (1kg)

$2.05 €1.84

$3.57 ₡1,608

-42.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.10 ₡496

19.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.76 €0.68

$2.55 ₡1,147

-70.20%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.27 €5.61

$4.95 ₡2,227

26.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.68 €5.09

$20.01 ₡9,001

-71.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 €1.12

$2.79 ₡1,253

-55.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.04 €1.83

$3.53 ₡1,586

-42.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.70 €1.52

$1.19 ₡536

42.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$34.53 €30.93

$72.1 ₡32.4K

-52.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.00 €3.58

$2.24 ₡1,009

78.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.24 €1.11

$1.55 ₡699

-20.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.63 €22.06

$8.86 ₡3,985

177.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.61

$1.57 ₡706

14.65%

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

$38.4K €34.4K

$21.8K ₡9.8M

75.98%

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

$30.4K €27.3K

$34.6K ₡15.6M

-12.16%

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

$133 €119

$93.5 ₡42.0K

42.45%

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

$21.10 €18.90

$35.11 ₡15.8K

-39.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.91 €27.69

$51.5 ₡23.2K

-39.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.28 €42.36

$71.4 ₡32.1K

-33.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.31 €13.72

$35.44 ₡15.9K

-56.80%

Cinema Ticket

$9.19 €8.23

$7.84 ₡3,528

17.22%

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

$409 €366

$490 ₡220.2K

-16.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,292 €7,428

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-30.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$85.1 €76.2

$53.5 ₡24.1K

58.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.30 €31.62

$55.8 ₡25.1K

-36.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.1 €79.8

$79.3 ₡35.7K

12.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 €96.6

$78.9 ₡35.5K

36.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$843 €755

$786 ₡353.6K

7.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$689 €618

$780 ₡350.8K

-11.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,304 €1,168

$3,860 ₡1.7M

-66.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$995 €891

$1,407 ₡633.0K

-29.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,345 €2,996

$6,972 ₡3.1M

-52.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,308 €2,068

$1,201 ₡540.2K

92.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$876 ₡394.2K

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 Gran Canaria, Canary Islands: October 3, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Gran Canaria, Canary Islands

$689 42.7%

Nosara

$780 43% 13.1% $90

Groceries & Markets

Gran Canaria, Canary Islands

$262 16.2%

Nosara

$350 19.3% 33.6% $88

Eating Out

Gran Canaria, Canary Islands

$218 13.5%

Nosara

$209 11.6% 4.1% $9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Gran Canaria, Canary Islands

$185 11.5%

Nosara

$180 9.9% 2.7% $5.1

Clothing & Footwear

Gran Canaria, Canary Islands

$143 8.8%

Nosara

$120 6.6% 15.7% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Gran Canaria, Canary Islands

$66 4.1%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 32.6% $21

Getting Around

Gran Canaria, Canary Islands

$52 3.2%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 68.5% $35

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $843 in Gran Canaria, Canary Islands versus $786 in Nosara. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $57.0 in Gran Canaria, Canary Islands versus $60.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $262 vs $350 – making Gran Canaria, Canary Islands the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Gran Canaria, Canary Islands

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

08:51 8:51 AM

01:51 1:51 AM

7 h behind Gran Canaria, Canary Islands

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

862,893

4,912

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1,000 CRC = 2.22 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 13, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 USD = 450 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Gran Canaria, Canary Islands Nosara 7,540 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Gran Canaria, Canary Islands
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

Gran Canaria, Canary Islands vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Nosara is pricier by about 15%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,401 per month in Gran Canaria, Canary Islands and $2,756 in Nosara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Gran Canaria, Canary Islands, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $409 per month in Gran Canaria, Canary Islands and $490 in Nosara. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 34% more in Nosara, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Gran Canaria, Canary Islands, where all-in costs run around $1,600, than in Nosara at $1,837. In Gran Canaria, Canary Islands it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Gran Canaria, Canary Islands – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Gran Canaria, Canary Islands. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Nosara makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.