Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Guarda and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Guarda: $1,281 a month against $1,835 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $6,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Guarda
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Guarda Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Guarda

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,281

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,281 per month in Guarda vs $1,835 in Nosara, rent included.

Guarda $1,281
Nosara $1,835

A couple spends around $1,993 per month in Guarda vs $2,825 in Nosara, rent included.

Guarda $1,993
Nosara $2,825

A family of three spends $2,705 per month in Guarda vs $3,814 in Nosara, rent included.

Guarda $2,705
Nosara $3,814

Guarda is about 30% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Guarda sits 5% below the global median, while Nosara is 35% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.86 €11.44

$12.34 ₡5,535

4.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.18 €40.19

$61.3 ₡27.5K

-26.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.11 €9.89

$7.76 ₡3,481

43.17%

Cappuccino

$1.70 €1.51

$4.44 ₡1,992

-61.71%

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

$1.92 €1.71

$1.79 ₡803

7.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.67 €1.48

$1.29 ₡580

29.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.27 €2.02

$3.24 ₡1,451

-29.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.95 €3.52

$4.43 ₡1,985

-10.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.98 €0.87

$1.55 ₡696

-36.77%

White Bread (500g)

$1.67 €1.49

$3.08 ₡1,380

-45.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.60 €1.42

$2.53 ₡1,133

-36.76%

Eggs

$3.79 €3.37

$3.45 ₡1,546

9.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.34 €10.08

$7.32 ₡3,284

54.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.99 €10.67

$10.24 ₡4,594

17.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$23.90 €21.25

$14.10 ₡6,326

69.50%

Apples (1kg)

$2.41 €2.14

$2.29 ₡1,027

5.24%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 €1.50

$1.64 ₡737

3.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.11 €1.87

$4.79 ₡2,149

-55.95%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.34 €2.08

$1.64 ₡735

42.68%

Potato (1kg)

$2.34 €2.08

$3.85 ₡1,727

-39.22%

Onion (1kg)

$2.32 €2.07

$3.75 ₡1,681

-38.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.92 €0.82

$1.09 ₡488

-15.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 €1.01

$2.59 ₡1,160

-55.98%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.84 €6.08

$5.12 ₡2,295

33.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.13 €4.57

$19.92 ₡8,931

-74.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 €1.53

$2.80 ₡1,255

-38.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.51 €2.23

$3.52 ₡1,580

-28.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.69 €1.51

$1.22 ₡549

38.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.9 ₡33.1K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.96 €4.41

$2.17 ₡973

128.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 ₡698

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.02 €15.14

$8.67 ₡3,886

96.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.21 €1.96

$1.55 ₡697

42.58%

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

$32.4K €28.8K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-6.23%

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

$38.5K €34.3K

$38.7K ₡17.4M

-0.61%

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

$190 €169

$94.8 ₡42.5K

100.25%

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

$16.68 €14.83

$36.15 ₡16.2K

-53.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.92 €44.40

$53.1 ₡23.8K

-5.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.1 €49.94

$73.8 ₡33.1K

-23.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.63 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$6.92 €6.16

$7.91 ₡3,548

-12.52%

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

$429 €382

$490 ₡219.9K

-12.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.5K €12.0K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

13.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$33.49 €29.79

$54.8 ₡24.6K

-38.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$22.63 €20.13

$55.9 ₡25.1K

-59.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$134 €119

$80.4 ₡36.0K

66.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$165 €147

$77.9 ₡34.9K

112.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$398 €354

$801 ₡359.1K

-50.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$284 €253

$790 ₡354.1K

-64.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$736 €655

$4,005 ₡1.8M

-81.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$561 €499

$1,409 ₡632.0K

-60.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,364 €1,213

$7,064 ₡3.2M

-80.69%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,236 ₡554.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$887 ₡397.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.27

8.62

-62.06%

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

Last update for Guarda: October 18, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Guarda

$309 24.1%

Nosara

$350 19.1% 13.2% $41

Accommodation & Living

Guarda

$284 22.2%

Nosara

$790 43% 178% $506

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Guarda

$256 20%

Nosara

$184 10% 28.2% $72

Eating Out

Guarda

$190 14.9%

Nosara

$213 11.6% 11.8% $22

Clothing & Footwear

Guarda

$160 12.5%

Nosara

$121 6.6% 24.3% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Guarda

$70 5.5%

Nosara

$90 4.9% 28.1% $20

Getting Around

Guarda

$12 * 0.9%

Nosara

$89 4.8% 656% $77

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $398 in Guarda versus $801 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 $45.00 in Guarda versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $309 vs $350 – making Guarda the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Guarda

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

13:22 1:22 PM

06:22 6:22 AM

7 h behind Guarda

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

40,126

4,912

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1,000 CRC = 2.23 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 22, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Guarda Nosara 8,310 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Guarda
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

Guarda vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara costs about 43% more than Guarda, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,922 per month in Guarda and $2,753 in Nosara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Guarda, 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 $1,281 in Guarda and $1,835 in Nosara. That's a gap of about 43%.

Kindergarten costs $429 per month in Guarda and $490 in Nosara. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Guarda, where all-in costs run around $1,281, than in Nosara at $1,835. In Guarda it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Guarda costs $1,281 versus $1,835 in Nosara. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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 Guarda. 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.