Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lugo and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Lugo: $1,535 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $3,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

74

Cost of Living Index in Lugo
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Lugo Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Lugo

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,535

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,535 in Lugo versus $1,839 in Nosara.

Lugo $1,535
Nosara $1,839

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,263 in Lugo versus $2,828 in Nosara.

Lugo $2,263
Nosara $2,828

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,991 in Lugo versus $3,818 in Nosara.

Lugo $2,991
Nosara $3,818

Living in Lugo costs roughly 17% less than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lugo 14% above, Nosara 36% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.65 €12.14

$12.35 ₡5,539

10.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.3 €49.16

$61.2 ₡27.4K

-9.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.13 €9.01

$7.52 ₡3,373

34.71%

Cappuccino

$2.10 €1.87

$4.41 ₡1,978

-52.38%

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

$2.93 €2.61

$1.74 ₡780

68.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.46 €1.30

$1.31 ₡587

11.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.34 €2.97

$3.28 ₡1,471

1.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.29 €2.04

$4.47 ₡2,004

-48.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 €1.06

$1.56 ₡701

-23.72%

White Bread (500g)

$1.12 €1.00

$3.02 ₡1,355

-62.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.38 €1.23

$2.51 ₡1,125

-45.02%

Eggs

$2.75 €2.45

$3.57 ₡1,603

-22.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.62 €12.12

$7.43 ₡3,333

83.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.00 €5.34

$10.52 ₡4,717

-42.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.45 €14.63

$13.97 ₡6,265

17.75%

Apples (1kg)

$2.80 €2.49

$2.35 ₡1,052

19.15%

Banana (1kg)

$2.01 €1.79

$1.61 ₡720

24.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.28 €2.03

$4.80 ₡2,152

-52.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.58 €3.19

$1.61 ₡724

122.36%

Potato (1kg)

$1.15 €1.02

$3.80 ₡1,703

-69.74%

Onion (1kg)

$2.18 €1.94

$3.69 ₡1,657

-40.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.42 €1.26

$1.13 ₡507

25.66%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.78 €0.70

$2.66 ₡1,191

-70.68%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.05 €5.38

$5.18 ₡2,321

16.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.52 €4.02

$19.88 ₡8,916

-77.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.51 €1.35

$2.90 ₡1,300

-47.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 €2.53

$3.63 ₡1,626

-21.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.69 €0.62

$1.12 ₡504

-38.39%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$33.79 €30.06

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-53.48%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.38 €4.78

$2.14 ₡958

151.40%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.33 €1.18

$1.57 ₡703

-15.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.53 €16.48

$8.52 ₡3,823

117.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.78 €1.58

$1.52 ₡682

17.11%

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

$29.8K €26.5K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

37.96%

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

$30.7K €27.3K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-11.13%

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

$145 €129

$96.3 ₡43.2K

50.15%

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

$19.39 €17.25

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-45.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.29 €29.61

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-37.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €39.63

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-37.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.36 €12.77

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-58.87%

Cinema Ticket

$9.13 €8.12

$7.89 ₡3,539

15.72%

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

$347 €308

$494 ₡221.6K

-29.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,223 €7,314

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-30.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$107 €95.5

$53.9 ₡24.2K

99.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$72.2 €64.3

$55.4 ₡24.8K

30.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$122 €109

$77.9 ₡34.9K

56.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$142 €126

$79.6 ₡35.7K

78.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$916 €815

$788 ₡353.4K

16.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$565 €502

$794 ₡356.2K

-28.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,315 €1,170

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-66.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$791 €704

$1,419 ₡636.5K

-44.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,282 €2,920

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-52.51%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,203 €1,960

$1,224 ₡549.0K

80.01%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,727 €1,536

$864 ₡387.3K

99.95%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.96

8.62

-65.66%

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

Last update for Lugo: 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

Lugo

$565 36.8%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 40.6% $230

Groceries & Markets

Lugo

$258 16.8%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 36.4% $94

Eating Out

Lugo

$204 13.3%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 4% $8.1

Clothing & Footwear

Lugo

$200 13%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 39.9% $80

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lugo

$197 12.9%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 5.8% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Lugo

$63 4.1%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 39.1% $25

Getting Around

Lugo

$49 3.2%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 79.3% $39

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $916 in Lugo and $788 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lugo pays 100% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $55.0 in Lugo vs $61.0 in Nosara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $258 vs $352 per month, with Lugo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Lugo

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

21:29 9:29 PM

13:29 1:29 PM

8 h behind Lugo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

98,214

4,912

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

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 EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Lugo Nosara 8,280 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Lugo
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

Lugo vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lugo is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and leisure. The 20% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 100% higher in Lugo, 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: $916 in Lugo versus $788 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $347 in Lugo versus $494 in Nosara. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 36% higher in Nosara. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,535 in Lugo versus $1,839 in Nosara, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Lugo but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Lugo the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Lugo is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Nosara, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Lugo 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 Lugo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 20% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.