Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Iquitos and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Iquitos: $663 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $14,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Iquitos

🇵🇪 Peru

$663

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $663 per month in Iquitos vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Iquitos $663
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $1,185 per month in Iquitos vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Iquitos $1,185
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $1,707 per month in Iquitos vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Iquitos $1,707
Nosara $3,818

Iquitos is about 64% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Iquitos sits 51% below the global median, while Nosara is 36% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.31 PEN 14.81

$12.35 ₡5,539

-65.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$38.44 PEN 132

$61.2 ₡27.4K

-37.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.30 PEN 25.06

$7.52 ₡3,373

-2.93%

Cappuccino

$3.57 PEN 12.26

$4.41 ₡1,978

-19.05%

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

$0.85 PEN 2.92

$1.74 ₡780

-51.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 PEN 1.91

$1.31 ₡587

-57.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.82 PEN 9.69

$3.28 ₡1,471

-14.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.41 PEN 25.45

$4.47 ₡2,004

65.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.76 PEN 6.05

$1.56 ₡701

12.82%

White Bread (500g)

$2.30 PEN 7.91

$3.02 ₡1,355

-23.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

Eggs

$2.56 PEN 8.80

$3.57 ₡1,603

-28.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.28 PEN 11.26

$10.52 ₡4,717

-68.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 PEN 3.07

$2.66 ₡1,191

-66.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

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)

$1.52 ₡682

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)

$34.73 PEN 119

$96.3 ₡43.2K

-63.93%

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

$11.34 PEN 38.95

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-68.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$8.74 PEN 30.03

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-83.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.05 PEN 99.8

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-59.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.75 PEN 30.06

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-74.94%

Cinema Ticket

$5.64 PEN 19.37

$7.89 ₡3,539

-28.52%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,789 PEN 9,576

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-76.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.7 PEN 301

$53.9 ₡24.2K

62.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.24 PEN 121

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-36.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$52.9 PEN 182

$77.9 ₡34.9K

-32.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$26.21 PEN 90.0

$79.6 ₡35.7K

-67.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$343 PEN 1,180

$788 ₡353.4K

-56.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$265 PEN 909

$794 ₡356.2K

-66.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$882 PEN 3,029

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-77.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$712 PEN 2,445

$1,419 ₡636.5K

-49.83%

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)

$573 PEN 1,968

$864 ₡387.3K

-33.65%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

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

Last update for Iquitos: October 11, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Iquitos

–

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Groceries & Markets

Iquitos

–

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Eating Out

Iquitos

–

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Iquitos

–

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Clothing & Footwear

Iquitos

–

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Sport & Entertainment

Iquitos

–

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Getting Around

Iquitos

–

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $343 in Iquitos 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 51% 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 $38.00 in Iquitos versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $78.0 vs $352 – making Iquitos the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇪 Iquitos

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

13:53 1:53 PM

12:53 12:53 PM

1 h behind Iquitos

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

32,853

4,912

💱 Currency

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 PEN = 0.291 USD

1 PEN = 0.259 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to PEN – Peruvian Sol Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇪 Peruvian Sol (S/)

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 3.43 PEN (1 PEN = 0.291 USD). 1 EUR = 3.86 PEN (1 PEN = 0.259 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 PEN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Iquitos Nosara 2,050 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Iquitos
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

Iquitos vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Nosara is pricier by about 177%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $994 per month in Iquitos 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 Iquitos, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 352% 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 $38.00 in Iquitos and $61.0 in Nosara. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Iquitos, where all-in costs run around $663, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Iquitos it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Iquitos – 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 Iquitos. 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.