Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Guanacaste and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Guanacaste: $1,548 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $3,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

75

Cost of Living Index in Guanacaste
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Guanacaste Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Guanacaste

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,548

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,548 per month in Guanacaste vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Guanacaste $1,548
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $2,428 per month in Guanacaste vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Guanacaste $2,428
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $3,309 per month in Guanacaste vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Guanacaste $3,309
Nosara $3,818

Guanacaste is about 16% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Guanacaste and Nosara sit above the global median – Guanacaste by 15%, Nosara by 36%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.82 ₡4,851

$12.35 ₡5,539

-12.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.68 ₡21.8K

$61.2 ₡27.4K

-20.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.68 ₡5,237

$7.52 ₡3,373

55.32%

Cappuccino

$4.53 ₡2,032

$4.41 ₡1,978

2.72%

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

$2.75 ₡1,234

$1.74 ₡780

58.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 ₡871

$1.31 ₡587

48.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.16 ₡1,417

$3.28 ₡1,471

-3.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.54 ₡2,037

$4.47 ₡2,004

1.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.00 ₡895

$1.56 ₡701

28.21%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 ₡1,363

$3.02 ₡1,355

0.66%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.43 ₡1,090

$2.51 ₡1,125

-3.19%

Eggs

$3.54 ₡1,588

$3.57 ₡1,603

-0.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.44 ₡2,438

$7.43 ₡3,333

-26.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.47 ₡2,002

$10.52 ₡4,717

-57.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.84 ₡4,861

$13.97 ₡6,265

-22.41%

Apples (1kg)

$2.56 ₡1,147

$2.35 ₡1,052

8.94%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 ₡735

$1.61 ₡720

1.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 ₡2,022

$4.80 ₡2,152

-6.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 ₡698

$1.61 ₡724

-3.11%

Potato (1kg)

$3.90 ₡1,749

$3.80 ₡1,703

2.63%

Onion (1kg)

$2.23 ₡1,002

$3.69 ₡1,657

-39.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.85 ₡383

$1.13 ₡507

-24.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.09 ₡1,386

$2.66 ₡1,191

16.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.42 ₡1,984

$5.18 ₡2,321

-14.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.31 ₡9,107

$19.88 ₡8,916

2.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$3.63 ₡1,626

-26.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.30 ₡582

$1.12 ₡504

16.07%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.45 ₡1,100

$2.14 ₡958

14.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 ₡696

$1.57 ₡703

-1.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.80 ₡3,945

$8.52 ₡3,823

3.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡695

$1.52 ₡682

1.97%

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

$21.8K ₡9.8M

$21.6K ₡9.7M

1.01%

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

$35.4K ₡15.9M

$34.5K ₡15.5M

2.67%

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

$96.5 ₡43.3K

$96.3 ₡43.2K

0.20%

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

$36.34 ₡16.3K

$35.89 ₡16.1K

1.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.76 ₡14.7K

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-38.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$72.0 ₡32.3K

$71.6 ₡32.1K

0.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$7.57 ₡3,395

$7.89 ₡3,539

-4.06%

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

$974 ₡436.7K

$494 ₡221.6K

97.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.4K ₡7.8M

$11.9K ₡5.3M

46.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$65.6 ₡29.4K

$53.9 ₡24.2K

21.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.46 ₡19.5K

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-21.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.9 ₡39.9K

$77.9 ₡34.9K

14.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$76.9 ₡34.5K

$79.6 ₡35.7K

-3.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$812 ₡364.2K

$788 ₡353.4K

3.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$625 ₡280.4K

$794 ₡356.2K

-21.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,920 ₡861.1K

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-51.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,264 ₡567.0K

$1,419 ₡636.5K

-10.91%

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 %)

8.62

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

Last update for Guanacaste: October 11, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Guanacaste

$625 40.4%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 27% $169

Groceries & Markets

Guanacaste

$311 20.1%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 13.3% $41

Eating Out

Guanacaste

$220 14.2%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 3.5% $7.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Guanacaste

$166 10.7%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 12.2% $20

Clothing & Footwear

Guanacaste

$124 8%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 2.9% $3.6

Sport & Entertainment

Guanacaste

$87 5.6%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 0.2% $0.2

Getting Around

Guanacaste

$15 * 1%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 465% $72

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $812 in Guanacaste versus $788 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 $49.00 in Guanacaste versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $311 vs $352 – making Guanacaste the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Guanacaste

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

13:36 1:36 PM

Same time as Guanacaste

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,823

4,912

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Guanacaste Nosara 29 km

From you

Guanacaste
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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

Guanacaste vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Nosara is pricier by about 19%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,321 per month in Guanacaste and $2,758 in Nosara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,548 in Guanacaste and $1,839 in Nosara. That's a gap of about 19%.

Kindergarten costs $974 per month in Guanacaste and $494 in Nosara. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Guanacaste, where all-in costs run around $1,548, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Guanacaste it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Guanacaste – 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 Guanacaste. 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.