Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between La Merced and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in La Merced: $565 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $15,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

28

Cost of Living Index in La Merced
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La Merced Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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La Merced

🇵🇪 Peru

$565

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $565 per month in La Merced vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

La Merced $565
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $917 per month in La Merced vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

La Merced $917
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $1,269 per month in La Merced vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

La Merced $1,269
Nosara $3,818

La Merced is about 69% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

La Merced sits 58% below the global median, while Nosara is 36% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.38 PEN 15.04

$12.35 ₡5,539

-64.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.69 PEN 119

$61.2 ₡27.4K

-43.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.77 PEN 23.26

$7.52 ₡3,373

-9.97%

Cappuccino

$3.16 PEN 10.84

$4.41 ₡1,978

-28.34%

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

$1.07 PEN 3.67

$1.74 ₡780

-38.51%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.64 PEN 2.20

$1.31 ₡587

-51.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.60 PEN 8.93

$3.28 ₡1,471

-20.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.33 PEN 14.87

$4.47 ₡2,004

-3.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.63 PEN 5.60

$1.56 ₡701

4.49%

White Bread (500g)

$1.98 PEN 6.79

$3.02 ₡1,355

-34.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 PEN 4.40

$2.51 ₡1,125

-49.00%

Eggs

$2.34 PEN 8.04

$3.57 ₡1,603

-34.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.09 PEN 24.34

$7.43 ₡3,333

-4.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.88 PEN 20.21

$10.52 ₡4,717

-44.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.65 PEN 29.69

$13.97 ₡6,265

-38.08%

Apples (1kg)

$1.01 PEN 3.45

$2.35 ₡1,052

-57.02%

Banana (1kg)

$0.46 PEN 1.58

$1.61 ₡720

-71.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.28 PEN 0.95

$4.80 ₡2,152

-94.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.75 PEN 2.57

$1.61 ₡724

-53.42%

Potato (1kg)

$0.30 PEN 1.05

$3.80 ₡1,703

-92.11%

Onion (1kg)

$0.42 PEN 1.45

$3.69 ₡1,657

-88.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.61 PEN 2.08

$1.13 ₡507

-46.02%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.91 PEN 3.14

$2.66 ₡1,191

-65.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.61 PEN 19.25

$5.18 ₡2,321

8.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.36 PEN 25.26

$19.88 ₡8,916

-62.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.87 PEN 6.43

$2.90 ₡1,300

-35.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.23 PEN 11.10

$3.63 ₡1,626

-11.02%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.82 PEN 13.12

$2.14 ₡958

78.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.08 PEN 7.14

$1.57 ₡703

32.48%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.40 PEN 25.41

$8.52 ₡3,823

-13.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.74 PEN 5.97

$1.52 ₡682

14.47%

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

$22.1K PEN 76.0K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

2.38%

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

$25.5K PEN 87.5K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-26.16%

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

$72.8 PEN 250

$96.3 ₡43.2K

-24.35%

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

$16.49 PEN 56.6

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-54.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.80 PEN 95.5

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-48.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$7.34 PEN 25.22

$7.89 ₡3,539

-6.97%

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

$181 PEN 622

$494 ₡221.6K

-63.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.2K PEN 45.3K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

11.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.6 PEN 181

$53.9 ₡24.2K

-2.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.20 PEN 121

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-36.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.0 PEN 282

$77.9 ₡34.9K

5.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.1 PEN 272

$79.6 ₡35.7K

-0.63%

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 %)

8.94

8.62

3.71%

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

Last update for La Merced: October 11, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

La Merced

$186 32.8%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 89.9% $167

Eating Out

La Merced

$122 21.5%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 74% $90

Monthly Utilities & Internet

La Merced

$117 20.7%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 58.6% $69

Clothing & Footwear

La Merced

$112 19.8%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 7.2% $8.1

Sport & Entertainment

La Merced

$15 * 2.6%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 495% $73

Getting Around

La Merced

$14 * 2.5%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 513% $73

Accommodation & Living

La Merced

- * 0%

Nosara

$794 43.2%

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $35.00 in La Merced versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $186 vs $352 – making La Merced the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇪 La Merced

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

15:45 3:45 PM

14:45 2:45 PM

1 h behind La Merced

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,000

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

La Merced Nosara 2,370 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

La Merced
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

La Merced vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara costs about 225% more than La Merced, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $848 per month in La Merced and $2,758 in Nosara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $565 in La Merced and $1,839 in Nosara. That's a gap of about 225%.

Kindergarten costs $181 per month in La Merced and $494 in Nosara. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in La Merced, where all-in costs run around $565, than in Nosara at $1,839. In La Merced it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. La Merced costs $565 versus $1,839 in Nosara. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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 La Merced. 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.