Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Gros Islet and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Gros Islet: $1,442 a month against $1,837 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $4,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Nosara outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

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Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Gros Islet

🇱🇨 Saint Lucia

$1,442

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,442 in Gros Islet versus $1,837 in Nosara.

Gros Islet $1,442
Nosara $1,837

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,177 in Gros Islet versus $2,775 in Nosara.

Gros Islet $2,177
Nosara $2,775

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,913 in Gros Islet versus $3,712 in Nosara.

Gros Islet $2,913
Nosara $3,712

Living in Gros Islet costs roughly 22% less than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Gros Islet 8% above, Nosara 37% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.31 EC$19.73

$12.22 ₡5,509

-40.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$59.6 EC$161

$60.2 ₡27.1K

-1.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.16 EC$24.72

$7.54 ₡3,399

21.49%

Cappuccino

$4.53 EC$12.23

$4.31 ₡1,941

5.10%

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

$1.87 EC$5.04

$1.72 ₡773

8.72%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 EC$5.10

$1.35 ₡608

40.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.82 EC$7.61

$3.24 ₡1,459

-12.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.79 EC$10.24

$4.48 ₡2,018

-15.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.53 EC$6.83

$1.57 ₡707

61.15%

White Bread (500g)

$1.72 EC$4.64

$3.17 ₡1,429

-45.74%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.99 EC$5.37

$2.42 ₡1,091

-17.77%

Eggs

$4.90 EC$13.22

$3.57 ₡1,609

37.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.34 EC$33.33

$7.43 ₡3,349

66.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.75 EC$42.52

$10.42 ₡4,697

51.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.83 EC$42.73

$13.66 ₡6,156

15.89%

Apples (1kg)

$5.90 EC$15.94

$2.32 ₡1,044

154.31%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 EC$4.38

$1.61 ₡728

0.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.24 EC$6.05

$4.74 ₡2,138

-52.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.21 EC$5.96

$1.66 ₡747

33.13%

Potato (1kg)

$2.24 EC$6.04

$3.72 ₡1,679

-39.78%

Onion (1kg)

$2.16 EC$5.83

$3.57 ₡1,611

-39.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$5.52 EC$14.90

$1.10 ₡497

401.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.84 EC$4.96

$2.55 ₡1,149

-27.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.89 EC$15.90

$4.95 ₡2,232

18.99%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.08 EC$40.72

$20.01 ₡9,020

-24.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.79 ₡1,256

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.56 EC$12.31

$3.53 ₡1,589

29.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.96 EC$2.58

$1.19 ₡537

-19.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.1 ₡32.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.24 ₡1,011

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 ₡701

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₡3,993

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡708

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

$33.9K EC$91.6K

$21.8K ₡9.8M

55.66%

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

$44.0K EC$118.9K

$34.6K ₡15.6M

27.12%

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

$242 EC$654

$93.5 ₡42.1K

159.05%

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

$39.58 EC$107

$35.11 ₡15.8K

12.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.9 EC$151

$51.5 ₡23.2K

8.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.44 EC$120

$71.4 ₡32.2K

-37.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.44 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$7.00 EC$18.91

$7.84 ₡3,535

-10.71%

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

$490 ₡220.7K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.4M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$18.75 EC$50.6

$53.5 ₡24.1K

-64.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$11.07 EC$29.90

$55.8 ₡25.1K

-80.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.5 EC$198

$79.3 ₡35.7K

-7.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$75.3 EC$203

$78.9 ₡35.6K

-4.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$590 EC$1,593

$786 ₡354.3K

-24.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$396 EC$1,070

$780 ₡351.6K

-49.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$985 EC$2,658

$3,860 ₡1.7M

-74.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$647 EC$1,746

$1,407 ₡634.4K

-54.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,972 ₡3.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,201 ₡541.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$743 EC$2,007

$876 ₡395.0K

-15.20%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

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

Last update for Gros Islet: October 5, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Gros Islet

–

Nosara

$780 43%

Groceries & Markets

Gros Islet

–

Nosara

$350 19.3%

Eating Out

Gros Islet

–

Nosara

$209 11.6%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Gros Islet

–

Nosara

$180 9.9%

Clothing & Footwear

Gros Islet

–

Nosara

$120 6.6%

Sport & Entertainment

Gros Islet

–

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Getting Around

Gros Islet

–

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $590 in Gros Islet and $786 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Nosara pays 18% 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: $60.0 in Gros Islet vs $60.0 in Nosara. Groceries flip the comparison at $387 vs $350, with Nosara cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇱🇨 Gros Islet

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

04:34 4:34 AM

02:34 2:34 AM

2 h behind Gros Islet

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

21,660

4,912

💱 Currency

East Caribbean Dollar XCD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 XCD = 0.37 USD

1 XCD = 0.33 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to XCD – East Caribbean Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🌐 East Caribbean Dollar ($)

East Caribbean Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 2.7 XCD (1 XCD = 0.37 USD). 1 EUR = 3.03 XCD (1 XCD = 0.33 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 506 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to XCD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Gros Islet Nosara 2,720 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Gros Islet
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

Gros Islet vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Gros Islet wins on cost – living expenses run 27% lower than in Nosara. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Gros Islet the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 18% lower in Nosara. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $590 in Gros Islet versus $786 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,442 per month in Gros Islet versus $1,837 in Nosara – a 27% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Shoppers in Nosara pay roughly 11% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,442 in Gros Islet versus $1,837 in Nosara, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Gros Islet but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Gros Islet the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Gros Islet delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,442 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Gros Islet hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Gros Islet 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 Gros Islet gentler on the wallet – expenses run 27% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.