Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Guaynabo and Nosara

For one person, living costs are similar in Guaynabo and in Nosara: $1,856 and $1,839 a month, rent and utilities included.

90

Cost of Living Index in Guaynabo
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Guaynabo Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Guaynabo

🇵🇷 Puerto Rico

$1,856

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,856 per month in Guaynabo vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Guaynabo $1,856
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $2,952 per month in Guaynabo vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Guaynabo $2,952
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $4,047 per month in Guaynabo vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Guaynabo $4,047
Nosara $3,818

Guaynabo costs about 1% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Guaynabo and Nosara sit above the global median – Guaynabo by 37%, Nosara by 36%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.42 $19.42

$12.35 ₡5,539

57.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.9 $79.9

$61.2 ₡27.4K

30.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.29 $9.29

$7.52 ₡3,373

23.54%

Cappuccino

$1.88 $1.88

$4.41 ₡1,978

-57.37%

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

$1.31 $1.31

$1.74 ₡780

-24.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.23 $1.23

$1.31 ₡587

-6.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.04 $2.04

$3.28 ₡1,471

-37.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.91 $3.91

$4.47 ₡2,004

-12.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.11 $2.11

$1.56 ₡701

35.26%

White Bread (500g)

$3.29 $3.29

$3.02 ₡1,355

8.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.32 $2.32

$2.51 ₡1,125

-7.57%

Eggs

$6.18 $6.18

$3.57 ₡1,603

73.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.29 $12.29

$7.43 ₡3,333

65.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.54 $9.54

$10.52 ₡4,717

-9.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.21 $13.21

$13.97 ₡6,265

-5.44%

Apples (1kg)

$4.94 $4.94

$2.35 ₡1,052

110.21%

Banana (1kg)

$2.62 $2.62

$1.61 ₡720

62.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.82 $4.82

$4.80 ₡2,152

0.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.93 $4.93

$1.61 ₡724

206.21%

Potato (1kg)

$2.65 $2.65

$3.80 ₡1,703

-30.26%

Onion (1kg)

$1.96 $1.96

$3.69 ₡1,657

-46.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 $1.47

$1.13 ₡507

30.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 $1.63

$2.66 ₡1,191

-38.72%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.23 $11.23

$5.18 ₡2,321

116.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.49 $15.49

$19.88 ₡8,916

-22.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.95 $2.95

$2.90 ₡1,300

1.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.02 $3.02

$3.63 ₡1,626

-16.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.56 $2.56

$2.14 ₡958

19.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.47 $1.47

$1.57 ₡703

-6.37%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.59 $41.59

$8.52 ₡3,823

388.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.52 ₡682

-37.50%

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

$39.4K $39.4K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

82.20%

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

$27.8K $27.8K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-19.37%

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

$322 $322

$96.3 ₡43.2K

234.50%

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

$50.7 $50.7

$35.89 ₡16.1K

41.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.3 $70.3

$53.6 ₡24.0K

31.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$10.41 $10.41

$7.89 ₡3,539

31.94%

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

$828 $828

$494 ₡221.6K

67.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K $12.8K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

7.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.3 $57.3

$53.9 ₡24.2K

6.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.9 $50.9

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-8.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 $101

$77.9 ₡34.9K

30.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 $112

$79.6 ₡35.7K

40.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$891 $891

$788 ₡353.4K

13.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$618 $618

$794 ₡356.2K

-22.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,495 $2,495

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-36.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,392 $1,392

$1,419 ₡636.5K

-1.89%

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)

$3,433 $3,433

$864 ₡387.3K

297.51%

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 Guaynabo: October 10, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Guaynabo

$618 33.3%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 28.6% $177

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Guaynabo

$443 23.9%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 58.1% $257

Groceries & Markets

Guaynabo

$386 20.8%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 8.7% $33

Eating Out

Guaynabo

$234 12.6%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 9.5% $22

Clothing & Footwear

Guaynabo

$145 7.8%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 17.1% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Guaynabo

$21 * 1.1%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 320% $67

Getting Around

Guaynabo

$9.9 * 0.5%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 778% $77

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $891 in Guaynabo 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.

Salaries run about 298% higher in Guaynabo, 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 $80.0 in Guaynabo versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $386 vs $352 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇷 Guaynabo

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

13:55 1:55 PM

11:55 11:55 AM

2 h behind Guaynabo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

68,491

4,912

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.889 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 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 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).

CRC to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Guaynabo Nosara 2,300 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Guaynabo
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

Guaynabo vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,856 in Guaynabo, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 1% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,784 per month in Guaynabo 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 Nosara, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $80.0 in Guaynabo and $61.0 in Nosara. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 9% more in Guaynabo, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Nosara, where all-in costs run around $1,839, than in Guaynabo at $1,856. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Guaynabo it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Nosara has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,839 in Nosara to $1,856 in Guaynabo. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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 Nosara. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Guaynabo makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.