Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Guayaquil and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Guayaquil: $1,140 a month against $1,837 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $8,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

55

Cost of Living Index in Guayaquil
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Guayaquil Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Guayaquil

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$1,140

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,140 per month in Guayaquil vs $1,837 in Nosara, rent included.

Guayaquil $1,140
Nosara $1,837

A couple spends around $1,766 per month in Guayaquil vs $2,775 in Nosara, rent included.

Guayaquil $1,766
Nosara $2,775

A family of three spends $2,392 per month in Guayaquil vs $3,712 in Nosara, rent included.

Guayaquil $2,392
Nosara $3,712

Guayaquil is about 38% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Guayaquil sits 15% below the global median, while Nosara is 37% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.90 $3.90

$12.22 ₡5,509

-68.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$52.0 $52.0

$60.2 ₡27.1K

-13.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.25 $9.25

$7.54 ₡3,399

22.68%

Cappuccino

$2.80 $2.80

$4.31 ₡1,941

-35.03%

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

$0.87 $0.87

$1.72 ₡773

-49.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.71 $0.71

$1.35 ₡608

-47.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.07 $3.07

$3.24 ₡1,459

-5.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.20 $4.20

$4.48 ₡2,018

-6.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 $1.16

$1.57 ₡707

-26.11%

White Bread (500g)

$1.98 $1.98

$3.17 ₡1,429

-37.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.43 $1.43

$2.42 ₡1,091

-40.91%

Eggs

$2.04 $2.04

$3.57 ₡1,609

-42.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.09 $7.09

$7.43 ₡3,349

-4.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.09 $5.09

$10.42 ₡4,697

-51.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.98 $8.98

$13.66 ₡6,156

-34.26%

Apples (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$2.32 ₡1,044

-37.07%

Banana (1kg)

$1.19 $1.19

$1.61 ₡728

-26.09%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.98 $0.98

$4.74 ₡2,138

-79.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.96 $0.96

$1.66 ₡747

-42.17%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 $1.24

$3.72 ₡1,679

-66.67%

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 $0.93

$3.57 ₡1,611

-73.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.83 $0.83

$1.10 ₡497

-24.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.03 $1.03

$2.55 ₡1,149

-59.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.86 $5.86

$4.95 ₡2,232

18.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.93 $11.93

$20.01 ₡9,020

-40.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.49 $1.49

$2.79 ₡1,256

-46.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$3.53 ₡1,589

-37.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.33 $0.33

$1.19 ₡537

-72.27%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.95 $19.95

$72.1 ₡32.5K

-72.32%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.70 $2.70

$2.24 ₡1,011

20.54%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.74 $1.74

$1.55 ₡701

12.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.08 $12.08

$8.86 ₡3,993

36.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.89 $0.89

$1.57 ₡708

-43.31%

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

$20.9K $20.9K

$21.8K ₡9.8M

-4.26%

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

$30.9K $30.9K

$34.6K ₡15.6M

-10.65%

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

$127 $127

$93.5 ₡42.1K

35.87%

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

$15.01 $15.01

$35.11 ₡15.8K

-57.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.75 $25.75

$51.5 ₡23.2K

-49.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.73 $46.73

$71.4 ₡32.2K

-34.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.66 $26.66

$35.44 ₡16.0K

-24.77%

Cinema Ticket

$7.57 $7.57

$7.84 ₡3,535

-3.44%

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

$403 $403

$490 ₡220.7K

-17.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,002 $6,002

$11.9K ₡5.4M

-49.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.6 $64.6

$53.5 ₡24.1K

20.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.19 $40.19

$55.8 ₡25.1K

-27.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$125 $125

$79.3 ₡35.7K

57.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.6 $93.6

$78.9 ₡35.6K

18.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$477 $477

$786 ₡354.3K

-39.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$390 $390

$780 ₡351.6K

-49.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$795 $795

$3,860 ₡1.7M

-79.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$739 $739

$1,407 ₡634.4K

-47.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,298 $2,298

$6,972 ₡3.1M

-67.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,445 $1,445

$1,201 ₡541.3K

20.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$626 $626

$876 ₡395.0K

-28.54%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.05

8.62

16.59%

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

Last update for Guayaquil: October 4, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Guayaquil

$390 34.8%

Nosara

$780 43% 99.9% $390

Groceries & Markets

Guayaquil

$199 17.8%

Nosara

$350 19.3% 75.6% $150

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Guayaquil

$168 15%

Nosara

$180 9.9% 7.3% $12

Clothing & Footwear

Guayaquil

$146 13%

Nosara

$120 6.6% 17.3% $25

Eating Out

Guayaquil

$123 11%

Nosara

$209 11.6% 70.8% $87

Sport & Entertainment

Guayaquil

$62 5.5%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 40.7% $25

Getting Around

Guayaquil

$33 2.9%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 166% $54

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $477 in Guayaquil 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.

Salaries run about 40% higher in Nosara, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $52.0 in Guayaquil versus $60.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $199 vs $350 – making Guayaquil the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇨 Guayaquil

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

08:45 8:45 AM

07:45 7:45 AM

1 h behind Guayaquil

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,500,000

4,912

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 505 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

CRC to USD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Guayaquil Nosara 1,500 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Guayaquil
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

Guayaquil vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Nosara is pricier by about 61%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,710 per month in Guayaquil 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 Guayaquil, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $403 per month in Guayaquil 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 76% 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 $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Guayaquil, where all-in costs run around $1,140, than in Nosara at $1,837. In Guayaquil it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Guayaquil – 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 Guayaquil. 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.