Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Imus and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Imus: $647 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $14,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

32

Cost of Living Index in Imus
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Imus Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Imus

🇵🇭 Philippines

$647

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $647 per month in Imus vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Imus $647
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $965 per month in Imus vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Imus $965
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $1,283 per month in Imus vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Imus $1,283
Nosara $3,818

Imus is about 65% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Imus sits 52% below the global median, while Nosara is 36% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.96 ₱249

$12.35 ₡5,539

-67.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$17.00 ₱1,070

$61.2 ₡27.4K

-72.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.85 ₱179

$7.52 ₡3,373

-62.10%

Cappuccino

$1.86 ₱117

$4.41 ₡1,978

-57.82%

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

$0.56 ₱35.19

$1.74 ₡780

-67.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ₱20.78

$1.31 ₡587

-74.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.02 ₱64.2

$3.28 ₡1,471

-68.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.70 ₱107

$4.47 ₡2,004

-61.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.68 ₱106

$1.56 ₡701

7.69%

White Bread (500g)

$1.13 ₱71.0

$3.02 ₡1,355

-62.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.03 ₱64.7

$2.51 ₡1,125

-58.96%

Eggs

$2.08 ₱131

$3.57 ₡1,603

-41.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.18 ₱326

$7.43 ₡3,333

-30.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.33 ₱210

$10.52 ₡4,717

-68.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.85 ₱494

$13.97 ₡6,265

-43.81%

Apples (1kg)

$2.27 ₱143

$2.35 ₡1,052

-3.40%

Banana (1kg)

$1.60 ₱101

$1.61 ₡720

-0.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.35 ₱148

$4.80 ₡2,152

-51.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.78 ₱112

$1.61 ₡724

10.56%

Potato (1kg)

$1.72 ₱108

$3.80 ₡1,703

-54.74%

Onion (1kg)

$1.73 ₱109

$3.69 ₡1,657

-53.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.66 ₱41.73

$1.13 ₡507

-41.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ₱31.10

$2.66 ₡1,191

-81.58%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.14 ₱198

$5.18 ₡2,321

-39.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.99 ₱566

$19.88 ₡8,916

-54.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 ₱71.4

$2.90 ₡1,300

-61.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.98 ₱125

$3.63 ₡1,626

-45.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 ₱16.16

$1.12 ₡504

-76.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$10.94 ₱689

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-84.94%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.80 ₱50.2

$2.14 ₡958

-62.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.23 ₱14.50

$1.57 ₡703

-85.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.92 ₱121

$8.52 ₡3,823

-77.46%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.22 ₱76.7

$1.52 ₡682

-19.74%

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

$21.7K ₱1.4M

$21.6K ₡9.7M

0.27%

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

$19.5K ₱1.2M

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-43.56%

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

$123 ₱7,715

$96.3 ₡43.2K

27.25%

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

$15.62 ₱983

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-56.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.34 ₱1,469

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-56.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$27.55 ₱1,735

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-61.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.07 ₱319

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-85.48%

Cinema Ticket

$5.29 ₱333

$7.89 ₡3,539

-32.95%

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

$134 ₱8,428

$494 ₡221.6K

-72.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,820 ₱555.3K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-25.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$29.14 ₱1,834

$53.9 ₡24.2K

-45.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.72 ₱1,241

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-64.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.7 ₱4,574

$77.9 ₡34.9K

-6.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$54.8 ₱3,453

$79.6 ₡35.7K

-31.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$122 ₱7,660

$788 ₡353.4K

-84.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$99.7 ₱6,274

$794 ₡356.2K

-87.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$202 ₱12.7K

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-94.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$166 ₱10.4K

$1,419 ₡636.5K

-88.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,138 ₱134.6K

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-69.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,101 ₱69.3K

$1,224 ₡549.0K

-10.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$172 ₱10.8K

$864 ₡387.3K

-80.14%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

8.62

-21.69%

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

Last update for Imus: October 12, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Imus

$180 27.9%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 95.4% $172

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Imus

$161 24.9%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 15% $24

Accommodation & Living

Imus

$100 15.4%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 697% $695

Clothing & Footwear

Imus

$79 12.3%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 51.3% $41

Eating Out

Imus

$75 11.5%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 184% $137

Sport & Entertainment

Imus

$38 5.9%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 129% $49

Getting Around

Imus

$14 2.2%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 526% $73

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $122 in Imus 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 403% 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 $17.00 in Imus versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $180 vs $352 – making Imus the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Imus

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

02:00 2:00 AM

12:00 12:00 PM

14 h behind Imus

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

496,794

4,912

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to PHP – Philippine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇭 Philippine Peso (₱)

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.79 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 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).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Imus Nosara 16,020 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Imus
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

Imus vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $647 in Imus, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 184% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $971 per month in Imus 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 Imus, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 95% 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 mid-range dinner for two costs $17.00 in Imus and $61.0 in Nosara. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Imus, where all-in costs run around $647, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Imus it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara 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 $647 in Imus to $1,839 in Nosara. 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 Imus. 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.