Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Guayama and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Guayama: $1,266 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $6,900 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Nosara outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

Guayama
🇵🇷 Puerto Rico
$1,266
/mo nomad
Nosara
🇨🇷 Costa Rica
$1,839
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,266 in Guayama versus $1,839 in Nosara.

  • Guayama $1,266
  • Nosara $1,839

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,989 in Guayama versus $2,828 in Nosara.

  • Guayama $1,989
  • Nosara $2,828

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,711 in Guayama versus $3,818 in Nosara.

  • Guayama $2,711
  • Nosara $3,818

Living in Guayama costs roughly 31% less than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Guayama is 6% below, Nosara is 36% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Guayama
Nosara
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$19.36 $19.36
$12.35 ₡5,539
56.76%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$83.2 $83.2
$61.2 ₡27.4K
35.91%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.04 $9.04
$7.52 ₡3,373
20.21%
Cappuccino
$3.70 $3.70
$4.41 ₡1,978
-16.10%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.86 $1.86
$1.74 ₡780
6.90%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.46 $1.46
$1.31 ₡587
11.45%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.02 $3.02
$3.28 ₡1,471
-7.93%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.01 $5.01
$4.47 ₡2,004
12.08%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Guayama
Nosara
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.13 $2.13
$1.56 ₡701
36.54%
White Bread (500g)
$2.80 $2.80
$3.02 ₡1,355
-7.28%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.37 $2.37
$2.51 ₡1,125
-5.58%
Eggs
$4.70 $4.70
$3.57 ₡1,603
31.65%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$11.26 $11.26
$7.43 ₡3,333
51.55%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.86 $9.86
$10.52 ₡4,717
-6.27%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$8.55 $8.55
$13.97 ₡6,265
-38.80%
Apples (1kg)
$2.19 $2.19
$2.35 ₡1,052
-6.81%
Banana (1kg)
$2.55 $2.55
$1.61 ₡720
58.39%
Oranges (1kg)
$4.93 $4.93
$4.80 ₡2,152
2.71%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.95 $4.95
$1.61 ₡724
207.45%
Potato (1kg)
$3.85 $3.85
$3.80 ₡1,703
1.32%
Onion (1kg)
$3.84 $3.84
$3.69 ₡1,657
4.07%
Lettuce (1 head)
$3.50 $3.50
$1.13 ₡507
209.73%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.67 $1.67
$2.66 ₡1,191
-37.22%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$11.88 $11.88
$5.18 ₡2,321
129.34%
Wine (Bottle)
$15.37 $15.37
$19.88 ₡8,916
-22.69%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.07 $3.07
$2.90 ₡1,300
5.86%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.94 $3.94
$3.63 ₡1,626
8.54%
🚌 Getting Around
Guayama
Nosara
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
-
$1.12 ₡504
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$72.6 ₡32.6K
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.54 $2.54
$2.14 ₡958
18.69%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.94 $0.94
$1.57 ₡703
-40.13%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$41.78 $41.78
$8.52 ₡3,823
390.38%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.18 $1.18
$1.52 ₡682
-22.37%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$39.6K $39.6K
$21.6K ₡9.7M
83.04%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$27.5K $27.5K
$34.5K ₡15.5M
-20.35%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Guayama
Nosara
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$317 $317
$96.3 ₡43.2K
229.17%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$70.2 $70.2
$35.89 ₡16.1K
95.46%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$68.4 $68.4
$53.6 ₡24.0K
27.65%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Guayama
Nosara
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
-
$71.6 ₡32.1K
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$34.91 ₡15.7K
-
Cinema Ticket
$10.40 $10.40
$7.89 ₡3,539
31.81%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Guayama
Nosara
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$818 $818
$494 ₡221.6K
65.56%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$12.3K $12.3K
$11.9K ₡5.3M
4.13%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Guayama
Nosara
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$56.1 $56.1
$53.9 ₡24.2K
4.02%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$62.1 $62.1
$55.4 ₡24.8K
12.13%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$109 $109
$77.9 ₡34.9K
40.02%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$113 $113
$79.6 ₡35.7K
42.26%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Guayama
Nosara
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
-
$788 ₡353.4K
-
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
-
$794 ₡356.2K
-
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
-
$3,939 ₡1.8M
-
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
-
$1,419 ₡636.5K
-
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$6,912 ₡3.1M
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$1,224 ₡549.0K
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Guayama
Nosara
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$864 ₡387.3K
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.55
8.62
-24.01%

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

Last update for Guayama: October 13, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Guayama
$456
Nosara
$186 59.2% $270
Groceries & Markets
Guayama
$364
Nosara
$352 3.3% $12
Eating Out
Guayama
$265
Nosara
$212 20% $53
Clothing & Footwear
Guayama
$153
Nosara
$120 21.6% $33
Sport & Entertainment
Guayama
$21 *
Nosara
$87 320% $67
Getting Around
Guayama
$7.3 *
Nosara
$87 1102% $80
Accommodation & Living
Guayama
- *
Nosara
$794

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $83.0 in Guayama vs $61.0 in Nosara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $364 vs $352 per month, with Nosara cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇵🇷 Guayama
🇨🇷 Nosara
🕒 Local time
15:51 3:51 PM
13:51 1:51 PM
2 h behind Guayama
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
18,797
4,912
Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.889 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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Guayama Nosara 2,290 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Guayama
  • 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
Guayama vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Guayama and in Nosara?
Guayama and Nosara differ by about 45% in total monthly costs ($1,266 vs $1,839 including rent). Guayama is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
What salary covers living expenses in Guayama compared to Nosara?
You'd need roughly $1,899 in Guayama 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.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Guayama and Nosara?
Childcare runs $818 in Guayama versus $494 in Nosara. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
Dining out is cheaper in Guayama – a meal for two runs $83.0 versus $61.0 in Nosara. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Which city is more doable on $2,000 per month?
At $1,266 in Guayama versus $1,839 in Nosara, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Guayama but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Guayama the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Guayama and Nosara?
Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.
Is Guayama or Nosara safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Guayama 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.
Where should expats move: Guayama or Nosara?
Expats usually find Guayama gentler on the wallet – expenses run 45% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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