Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Iquique and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Iquique: $999 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $10,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

49

Cost of Living Index in Iquique
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Iquique Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Iquique

🇨🇱 Chile

$999

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $999 in Iquique versus $1,839 in Nosara.

Iquique $999
Nosara $1,839

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,590 in Iquique versus $2,828 in Nosara.

Iquique $1,590
Nosara $2,828

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,180 in Iquique versus $3,818 in Nosara.

Iquique $2,180
Nosara $3,818

Living in Iquique costs roughly 46% less than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Iquique is 26% below, Nosara is 36% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.48 CLP 7,359

$12.35 ₡5,539

-39.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.30 CLP 39.7K

$61.2 ₡27.4K

-34.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.04 CLP 6,934

$7.52 ₡3,373

-6.38%

Cappuccino

$3.44 CLP 3,384

$4.41 ₡1,978

-22.00%

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

$1.23 CLP 1,210

$1.74 ₡780

-29.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.95 CLP 937

$1.31 ₡587

-27.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.27 CLP 3,222

$3.28 ₡1,471

-0.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.61 CLP 3,552

$4.47 ₡2,004

-19.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.09 CLP 1,077

$1.56 ₡701

-30.13%

White Bread (500g)

$1.13 CLP 1,111

$3.02 ₡1,355

-62.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.31 CLP 1,285

$2.51 ₡1,125

-47.81%

Eggs

$3.02 CLP 2,972

$3.57 ₡1,603

-15.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.12 CLP 9,962

$7.43 ₡3,333

36.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.05 CLP 9,896

$10.52 ₡4,717

-4.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

Apples (1kg)

$2.31 CLP 2,273

$2.35 ₡1,052

-1.70%

Banana (1kg)

$2.15 CLP 2,121

$1.61 ₡720

33.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.51 CLP 1,484

$4.80 ₡2,152

-68.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.06 CLP 1,040

$1.61 ₡724

-34.16%

Potato (1kg)

$0.73 CLP 722

$3.80 ₡1,703

-80.79%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 CLP 628

$3.69 ₡1,657

-82.66%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.00 CLP 981

$1.13 ₡507

-11.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.35 CLP 1,326

$2.66 ₡1,191

-49.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.25 CLP 7,139

$5.18 ₡2,321

39.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.86 CLP 7,734

$19.88 ₡8,916

-60.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.84 CLP 828

$3.63 ₡1,626

-76.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.69 CLP 679

$1.12 ₡504

-38.39%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 CLP 1,419

$1.52 ₡682

-5.26%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

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

$88.6 CLP 87.2K

$96.3 ₡43.2K

-7.96%

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

$15.63 CLP 15.4K

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-56.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.17 CLP 22.8K

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-56.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.7 CLP 49.9K

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-29.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 CLP 6,803

$7.89 ₡3,539

-12.42%

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

$254 CLP 249.8K

$494 ₡221.6K

-48.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$30.11 CLP 29.6K

$53.9 ₡24.2K

-44.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$23.04 CLP 22.7K

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-58.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$46.57 CLP 45.8K

$77.9 ₡34.9K

-40.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$58.3 CLP 57.4K

$79.6 ₡35.7K

-26.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$422 CLP 415.4K

$788 ₡353.4K

-46.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 CLP 375.7K

$794 ₡356.2K

-51.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$683 CLP 671.9K

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-82.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$781 CLP 769.3K

$1,419 ₡636.5K

-44.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,718 CLP 1.7M

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-75.15%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,926 CLP 1.9M

$1,224 ₡549.0K

57.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$958 CLP 943.5K

$864 ₡387.3K

10.99%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.5

8.62

-12.99%

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

Last update for Iquique: 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

Iquique

$382 38.2%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 108% $413

Groceries & Markets

Iquique

$197 * 19.7%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 78.9% $155

Eating Out

Iquique

$155 15.5%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 37.1% $57

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Iquique

$127 12.8%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 45.8% $58

Clothing & Footwear

Iquique

$71 7.1%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 68.9% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Iquique

$65 6.5%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 35.4% $23

Getting Around

Iquique

$2.8 * 0.3%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 3056% $84

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $422 in Iquique and $788 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Iquique pays 11% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $40.00 in Iquique vs $61.0 in Nosara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $197 vs $352 per month, with Iquique cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇱 Iquique

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

09:31 9:31 AM

06:31 6:31 AM

3 h behind Iquique

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

188,003

4,912

💱 Currency

Chilean Peso CLP $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 CLP = 10.16 USD

10,000 CLP = 9.04 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to CLP – Chilean Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇱 Chilean Peso ($)

Chilean Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 984 CLP (1,000 CLP = 1.02 USD). 1 EUR = 1,107 CLP (10,000 CLP = 9.04 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 CLP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Iquique Nosara 3,760 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Iquique
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

Iquique vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Iquique and Nosara differ by about 84% in total monthly costs ($999 vs $1,839 including rent). Iquique is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 11% higher in Iquique, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $422 in Iquique versus $788 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 79% higher in Nosara. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $999 per month in Iquique versus $1,839 in Nosara – a 84% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $999 in Iquique versus $1,839 in Nosara, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Iquique but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Iquique the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Safety-wise, Iquique 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.

Expats usually find Iquique gentler on the wallet – expenses run 84% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.