Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Isabela and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Isabela: $1,271 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $6,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Isabela
Learn more

Isabela Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index

Jump to prices

Isabela

🇵🇷 Puerto Rico

$1,271

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,271 in Isabela versus $1,839 in Nosara.

Isabela $1,271
Nosara $1,839

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,989 in Isabela versus $2,828 in Nosara.

Isabela $1,989
Nosara $2,828

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,707 in Isabela versus $3,818 in Nosara.

Isabela $2,707
Nosara $3,818

Living in Isabela costs roughly 31% less than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Isabela is 6% below, Nosara is 36% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.06 $19.06

$12.35 ₡5,539

54.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$82.1 $82.1

$61.2 ₡27.4K

34.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.24 $9.24

$7.52 ₡3,373

22.87%

Cappuccino

$3.67 $3.67

$4.41 ₡1,978

-16.78%

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

$1.89 $1.89

$1.74 ₡780

8.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.47 $1.47

$1.31 ₡587

12.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.09 $3.09

$3.28 ₡1,471

-5.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.07 $5.07

$4.47 ₡2,004

13.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.94 $1.94

$1.56 ₡701

24.36%

White Bread (500g)

$2.89 $2.89

$3.02 ₡1,355

-4.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.22 $1.22

$2.51 ₡1,125

-51.39%

Eggs

$2.95 $2.95

$3.57 ₡1,603

-17.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.08 $11.08

$7.43 ₡3,333

49.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.56 $6.56

$10.52 ₡4,717

-37.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.14 $13.14

$13.97 ₡6,265

-5.94%

Apples (1kg)

$4.30 $4.30

$2.35 ₡1,052

82.98%

Banana (1kg)

$2.54 $2.54

$1.61 ₡720

57.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.00 $5.00

$4.80 ₡2,152

4.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.89 $4.89

$1.61 ₡724

203.73%

Potato (1kg)

$3.89 $3.89

$3.80 ₡1,703

2.37%

Onion (1kg)

$3.94 $3.94

$3.69 ₡1,657

6.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.37 $3.37

$1.13 ₡507

198.23%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 $1.58

$2.66 ₡1,191

-40.60%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.06 $12.06

$5.18 ₡2,321

132.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.85 $15.85

$19.88 ₡8,916

-20.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.14 $3.14

$2.90 ₡1,300

8.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.98 $3.98

$3.63 ₡1,626

9.64%

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)

$1.53 $1.53

$1.57 ₡703

-2.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.80 $41.80

$8.52 ₡3,823

390.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.82 $0.82

$1.52 ₡682

-46.05%

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

$40.2K $40.2K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

85.83%

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

$27.7K $27.7K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-19.62%

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

$326 $326

$96.3 ₡43.2K

238.48%

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

$68.5 $68.5

$35.89 ₡16.1K

90.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.6 $70.6

$53.6 ₡24.0K

31.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$10.54 $10.54

$7.89 ₡3,539

33.59%

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

$814 $814

$494 ₡221.6K

64.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.5K $12.5K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

5.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.2 $57.2

$53.9 ₡24.2K

6.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$60.9 $60.9

$55.4 ₡24.8K

9.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 $107

$77.9 ₡34.9K

37.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 $115

$79.6 ₡35.7K

43.93%

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

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 Isabela: October 10, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Isabela

$465 36.6%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 60.1% $279

Groceries & Markets

Isabela

$359 28.2%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 1.8% $6.6

Eating Out

Isabela

$263 20.7%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 19.5% $51

Clothing & Footwear

Isabela

$153 12%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 21.5% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Isabela

$21 * 1.7%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 315% $66

Getting Around

Isabela

$10 * 0.8%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 753% $77

Accommodation & Living

Isabela

- * 0%

Nosara

$794 43.2%

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $82.0 in Isabela vs $61.0 in Nosara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $359 vs $352 per month, with Nosara cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇷 Isabela

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

14:01 2:01 PM

12:01 12:01 PM

2 h behind Isabela

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

45,000

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

Isabela Nosara 2,220 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Isabela
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

Isabela vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Isabela wins on cost – living expenses run 45% lower than in Nosara. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Isabela the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $1,907 in Isabela and $2,758 in Nosara to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Childcare runs $814 in Isabela versus $494 in Nosara. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Isabela – a meal for two runs $82.0 versus $61.0 in Nosara. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,271 in Isabela versus $1,839 in Nosara, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Isabela but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Isabela the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Isabela delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,271 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Isabela hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Isabela 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 Isabela gentler on the wallet – expenses run 45% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.