Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Isla de Margarita and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Isla de Margarita: $656 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $14,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index

Jump to prices

Isla de Margarita

🇻🇪 Venezuela

$656

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $656 per month in Isla de Margarita vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Isla de Margarita $656
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $1,223 per month in Isla de Margarita vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Isla de Margarita $1,223
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $1,790 per month in Isla de Margarita vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Isla de Margarita $1,790
Nosara $3,818

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.12 VES 8,883

$12.35 ₡5,539

-18.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$80.7 VES 70.8K

$61.2 ₡27.4K

31.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

Cappuccino

$2.54 VES 2,229

$4.41 ₡1,978

-42.40%

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

$1.01 VES 890

$1.74 ₡780

-41.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.49 VES 1,308

$1.31 ₡587

13.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.02 VES 896

$3.28 ₡1,471

-68.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.98 VES 2,614

$4.47 ₡2,004

-33.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.03 VES 1,786

$1.56 ₡701

30.13%

White Bread (500g)

$2.92 VES 2,564

$3.02 ₡1,355

-3.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.98 VES 1,738

$2.51 ₡1,125

-21.12%

Eggs

$2.33 VES 2,045

$3.57 ₡1,603

-34.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.93 VES 6,958

$7.43 ₡3,333

6.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.93 VES 6,964

$10.52 ₡4,717

-24.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.13 VES 7,135

$13.97 ₡6,265

-41.80%

Apples (1kg)

$4.11 VES 3,608

$2.35 ₡1,052

74.89%

Banana (1kg)

$1.48 VES 1,303

$1.61 ₡720

-8.07%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.04 VES 1,793

$4.80 ₡2,152

-57.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.56 VES 2,249

$1.61 ₡724

59.01%

Potato (1kg)

$1.52 VES 1,337

$3.80 ₡1,703

-60.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.85 VES 1,627

$3.69 ₡1,657

-49.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.97 VES 852

$1.13 ₡507

-14.16%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

Wine (Bottle)

$5.03 VES 4,413

$19.88 ₡8,916

-74.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.03 VES 904

$2.90 ₡1,300

-64.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.53 VES 1,342

$3.63 ₡1,626

-57.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.08 VES 2,702

$2.14 ₡958

43.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.96 VES 2,597

$1.57 ₡703

88.54%

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)

$30.45 VES 26.7K

$96.3 ₡43.2K

-68.38%

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

$15.02 VES 13.2K

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-58.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.21 VES 34.4K

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-26.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.52 VES 43.5K

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-30.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.94 VES 13.1K

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-57.20%

Cinema Ticket

$5.01 VES 4,402

$7.89 ₡3,539

-36.50%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$79.8 VES 70.1K

$53.9 ₡24.2K

48.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.3 VES 86.3K

$77.9 ₡34.9K

26.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 VES 89.2K

$79.6 ₡35.7K

27.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$294 VES 258.2K

$788 ₡353.4K

-62.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$506 VES 444.1K

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-87.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$602 VES 528.6K

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-91.29%

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 %)

8.62

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

Last update for Isla de Margarita: October 12, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Isla de Margarita

–

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Groceries & Markets

Isla de Margarita

–

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Eating Out

Isla de Margarita

–

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Isla de Margarita

–

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Clothing & Footwear

Isla de Margarita

–

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Sport & Entertainment

Isla de Margarita

–

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Getting Around

Isla de Margarita

–

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $294 in Isla de Margarita 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $81.0 in Isla de Margarita versus $61.0 in Nosara. Groceries tell a different story – $235 in Isla de Margarita vs $352 in Nosara – so Isla de Margarita wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇻🇪 Isla de Margarita

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

07:56 7:56 AM

05:56 5:56 AM

2 h behind Isla de Margarita

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

90,387

4,912

💱 Currency

Venezuelan Bolívar VES Bs.S

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 VES = 1.14 USD

1,000 VES = 1.01 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to VES – Venezuelan Bolívar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇻🇪 Venezuelan Bolívar (Bs.S)

Venezuelan Bolívar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 878 VES (1,000 VES = 1.14 USD). 1 EUR = 987 VES (1,000 VES = 1.01 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to VES in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Isla de Margarita Nosara 2,380 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Isla de Margarita
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

Isla de Margarita vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Nosara is pricier by about 180%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $984 per month in Isla de Margarita 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 Isla de Margarita, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 50% 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 $81.0 in Isla de Margarita 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 Isla de Margarita, where all-in costs run around $656, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Isla de Margarita it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Isla de Margarita – 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 Isla de Margarita. 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.