Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Gurabo and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Gurabo: $1,207 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $7,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Gurabo
🇵🇷 Puerto Rico
$1,207
/mo nomad
Nosara
🇨🇷 Costa Rica
$1,839
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,207 per month in Gurabo vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

  • Gurabo $1,207
  • Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $1,854 per month in Gurabo vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

  • Gurabo $1,854
  • Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $2,502 per month in Gurabo vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

  • Gurabo $2,502
  • Nosara $3,818

Gurabo is about 34% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Gurabo sits 11% below the global median, while Nosara is 36% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Gurabo
Nosara
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.19 $10.19
$12.35 ₡5,539
-17.49%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$64.0 $64.0
$61.2 ₡27.4K
4.67%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.24 $9.24
$7.52 ₡3,373
22.87%
Cappuccino
$2.97 $2.97
$4.41 ₡1,978
-32.65%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.52 $1.52
$1.74 ₡780
-12.64%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.97 $0.97
$1.31 ₡587
-25.95%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.07 $3.07
$3.28 ₡1,471
-6.40%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.53 $3.53
$4.47 ₡2,004
-21.03%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Gurabo
Nosara
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.21 $2.21
$1.56 ₡701
41.67%
White Bread (500g)
$2.97 $2.97
$3.02 ₡1,355
-1.66%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.42 $2.42
$2.51 ₡1,125
-3.59%
Eggs
$5.12 $5.12
$3.57 ₡1,603
43.42%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.47 $12.47
$7.43 ₡3,333
67.83%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.53 $9.53
$10.52 ₡4,717
-9.41%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.34 $13.34
$13.97 ₡6,265
-4.51%
Apples (1kg)
$4.94 $4.94
$2.35 ₡1,052
110.21%
Banana (1kg)
$2.15 $2.15
$1.61 ₡720
33.54%
Oranges (1kg)
$4.80 $4.80
$4.80 ₡2,152
-
Tomato (1kg)
$4.68 $4.68
$1.61 ₡724
190.68%
Potato (1kg)
$3.74 $3.74
$3.80 ₡1,703
-1.58%
Onion (1kg)
$4.05 $4.05
$3.69 ₡1,657
9.76%
Lettuce (1 head)
$3.40 $3.40
$1.13 ₡507
200.88%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.63 $1.63
$2.66 ₡1,191
-38.72%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$12.16 $12.16
$5.18 ₡2,321
134.75%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.24 $10.24
$19.88 ₡8,916
-48.49%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.77 $1.77
$2.90 ₡1,300
-38.97%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.55 $2.55
$3.63 ₡1,626
-29.75%
🚌 Getting Around
Gurabo
Nosara
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
-
$1.12 ₡504
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$72.6 ₡32.6K
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.55 $2.55
$2.14 ₡958
19.16%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.47 $1.47
$1.57 ₡703
-6.37%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$42.84 $42.84
$8.52 ₡3,823
402.82%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.97 $0.97
$1.52 ₡682
-36.18%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$40.3K $40.3K
$21.6K ₡9.7M
86.65%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$28.0K $28.0K
$34.5K ₡15.5M
-18.94%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Gurabo
Nosara
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$324 $324
$96.3 ₡43.2K
236.57%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$68.7 $68.7
$35.89 ₡16.1K
91.36%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$69.6 $69.6
$53.6 ₡24.0K
29.87%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Gurabo
Nosara
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$9.84 $9.84
$71.6 ₡32.1K
-86.26%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$34.91 ₡15.7K
-
Cinema Ticket
$10.49 $10.49
$7.89 ₡3,539
32.95%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Gurabo
Nosara
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$833 $833
$494 ₡221.6K
68.63%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$12.8K $12.8K
$11.9K ₡5.3M
7.72%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Gurabo
Nosara
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$57.1 $57.1
$53.9 ₡24.2K
5.82%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$60.8 $60.8
$55.4 ₡24.8K
9.76%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$107 $107
$77.9 ₡34.9K
37.86%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$114 $114
$79.6 ₡35.7K
42.86%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Gurabo
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
Gurabo
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 Gurabo: 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
Gurabo
$462
Nosara
$186 59.8% $277
Groceries & Markets
Gurabo
$374
Nosara
$352 5.8% $22
Eating Out
Gurabo
$177
Nosara
$212 19.5% $35
Clothing & Footwear
Gurabo
$153
Nosara
$120 21.3% $32
Sport & Entertainment
Gurabo
$31
Nosara
$87 184% $57
Getting Around
Gurabo
$9.9 *
Nosara
$87 780% $77
Accommodation & Living
Gurabo
- *
Nosara
$794

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $64.0 in Gurabo versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $374 vs $352 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇵🇷 Gurabo
🇨🇷 Nosara
🕒 Local time
14:40 2:40 PM
12:40 12:40 PM
2 h behind Gurabo
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
45,000
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
  • Gurabo Nosara 2,310 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Gurabo
  • 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
Gurabo vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Gurabo or Nosara?
Nosara costs about 52% more than Gurabo, 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.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Gurabo and in Nosara?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,810 per month in Gurabo and $2,758 in Nosara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do dining costs compare in Gurabo and in Nosara?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $64.0 in Gurabo and $61.0 in Nosara. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Are groceries more expensive in Gurabo or in Nosara?
Interestingly, groceries are about 6% cheaper in Nosara – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.
Can you live on $1,000/month in Gurabo or in Nosara?
A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Gurabo, where all-in costs run around $1,207, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Gurabo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Gurabo or Nosara?
For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Gurabo costs $1,207 versus $1,839 in Nosara. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.
How safe is Gurabo compared to Nosara?
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.
Should I move to Gurabo or to Nosara?
If budget matters most, go with Gurabo. 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.

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