Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Manati and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Manati: $1,212 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $7,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Manati
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Manati Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Manati

🇵🇷 Puerto Rico

$1,212

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,212 per month in Manati vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Manati $1,212
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $1,853 per month in Manati vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Manati $1,853
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $2,494 per month in Manati vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Manati $2,494
Nosara $3,818

Manati is about 34% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Manati sits 10% below the global median, while Nosara is 36% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.84 $9.84

$12.35 ₡5,539

-20.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$59.1 $59.1

$61.2 ₡27.4K

-3.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.91 $7.91

$7.52 ₡3,373

5.19%

Cappuccino

$2.06 $2.06

$4.41 ₡1,978

-53.29%

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

$0.98 $0.98

$1.74 ₡780

-43.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.98 $0.98

$1.31 ₡587

-25.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.46 $1.46

$3.28 ₡1,471

-55.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.09 $3.09

$4.47 ₡2,004

-30.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.21 $2.21

$1.56 ₡701

41.67%

White Bread (500g)

$3.54 $3.54

$3.02 ₡1,355

17.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.40 $2.40

$2.51 ₡1,125

-4.38%

Eggs

$7.40 $7.40

$3.57 ₡1,603

107.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.56 $12.56

$7.43 ₡3,333

69.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.85 $9.85

$10.52 ₡4,717

-6.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.23 $13.23

$13.97 ₡6,265

-5.30%

Apples (1kg)

$5.02 $5.02

$2.35 ₡1,052

113.62%

Banana (1kg)

$2.55 $2.55

$1.61 ₡720

58.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.78 $4.78

$4.80 ₡2,152

-0.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.80 $4.80

$1.61 ₡724

198.14%

Potato (1kg)

$3.75 $3.75

$3.80 ₡1,703

-1.32%

Onion (1kg)

$3.99 $3.99

$3.69 ₡1,657

8.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.35 $3.35

$1.13 ₡507

196.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 $1.59

$2.66 ₡1,191

-40.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.94 $11.94

$5.18 ₡2,321

130.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.91 $15.91

$19.88 ₡8,916

-19.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.07 $3.07

$2.90 ₡1,300

5.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.96 $3.96

$3.63 ₡1,626

9.09%

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)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.57 ₡703

-7.01%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.84 $41.84

$8.52 ₡3,823

391.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.22 $1.22

$1.52 ₡682

-19.74%

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

$39.9K $39.9K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

84.88%

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

$27.6K $27.6K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-20.04%

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

$324 $324

$96.3 ₡43.2K

236.26%

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

$69.3 $69.3

$35.89 ₡16.1K

92.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.0 $70.0

$53.6 ₡24.0K

30.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$10.64 $10.64

$7.89 ₡3,539

34.85%

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

$825 $825

$494 ₡221.6K

67.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.7K $12.7K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

6.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.9 $56.9

$53.9 ₡24.2K

5.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$61.9 $61.9

$55.4 ₡24.8K

11.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 $111

$77.9 ₡34.9K

42.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 $116

$79.6 ₡35.7K

45.38%

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 Manati: October 12, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Manati

$463 38.2%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 59.9% $277

Groceries & Markets

Manati

$414 34.1%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 14.9% $61

Clothing & Footwear

Manati

$155 12.8%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 22.7% $35

Eating Out

Manati

$149 12.3%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 42.6% $63

Sport & Entertainment

Manati

$21 * 1.8%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 311% $66

Getting Around

Manati

$9.9 * 0.8%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 784% $77

Accommodation & Living

Manati

- * 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 $59.0 in Manati versus $61.0 in Nosara. Groceries tell a different story – $414 in Manati vs $352 in Nosara – so Nosara wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇵🇷 Manati

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

14:01 2:01 PM

12:01 12:01 PM

2 h behind Manati

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

10,974

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

Manati Nosara 2,270 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Manati
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

Manati vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara costs about 52% more than Manati, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,818 per month in Manati 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 $1,212 in Manati and $1,839 in Nosara. That's a gap of about 52%.

Kindergarten costs $825 per month in Manati 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 Manati, where all-in costs run around $1,212, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Manati it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Manati costs $1,212 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 Manati. 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.