Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mandaue and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Mandaue: $825 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $12,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

40

Cost of Living Index in Mandaue
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Mandaue Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Mandaue

🇵🇭 Philippines

$825

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $825 in Mandaue versus $1,839 in Nosara.

Mandaue $825
Nosara $1,839

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,203 in Mandaue versus $2,828 in Nosara.

Mandaue $1,203
Nosara $2,828

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,581 in Mandaue versus $3,818 in Nosara.

Mandaue $1,581
Nosara $3,818

Living in Mandaue costs roughly 55% less than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mandaue is 39% below, Nosara is 36% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.96 ₱187

$12.35 ₡5,539

-76.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.45 ₱1,476

$61.2 ₡27.4K

-61.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.99 ₱251

$7.52 ₡3,373

-46.94%

Cappuccino

$2.58 ₱162

$4.41 ₡1,978

-41.50%

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

$1.54 ₱97.0

$1.74 ₡780

-11.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ₱31.05

$1.31 ₡587

-62.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.72 ₱108

$3.28 ₡1,471

-47.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 ₱144

$4.47 ₡2,004

-48.99%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ₱123

$1.56 ₡701

25.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.09 ₱68.7

$3.02 ₡1,355

-63.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.93 ₱58.7

$2.51 ₡1,125

-62.95%

Eggs

$1.97 ₱124

$3.57 ₡1,603

-44.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.91 ₱624

$7.43 ₡3,333

33.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.36 ₱275

$10.52 ₡4,717

-58.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.63 ₱481

$13.97 ₡6,265

-45.38%

Apples (1kg)

$3.47 ₱219

$2.35 ₡1,052

47.66%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 ₱90.0

$1.61 ₡720

-11.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.28 ₱144

$4.80 ₡2,152

-52.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.47 ₱92.5

$1.61 ₡724

-8.70%

Potato (1kg)

$2.34 ₱147

$3.80 ₡1,703

-38.42%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 ₱124

$3.69 ₡1,657

-46.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 ₱74.9

$1.13 ₡507

5.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 ₱42.41

$2.66 ₡1,191

-74.81%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.37 ₱149

$5.18 ₡2,321

-54.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.29 ₱396

$19.88 ₡8,916

-68.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 ₱77.4

$2.90 ₡1,300

-57.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 ₱108

$3.63 ₡1,626

-52.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.24 ₱14.97

$1.12 ₡504

-78.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.67 ₱609

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-86.69%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.74 ₱46.69

$2.14 ₡958

-65.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.21 ₱13.19

$1.57 ₡703

-86.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.88 ₱119

$8.52 ₡3,823

-77.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 ₱83.3

$1.52 ₡682

-13.16%

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

$21.2K ₱1.3M

$21.6K ₡9.7M

-1.79%

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

$19.1K ₱1.2M

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-44.60%

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

$98.3 ₱6,187

$96.3 ₡43.2K

2.06%

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

$14.07 ₱886

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-60.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.93 ₱1,758

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-47.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.01 ₱2,078

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-53.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.27 ₱332

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-84.90%

Cinema Ticket

$5.69 ₱358

$7.89 ₡3,539

-27.88%

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

$130 ₱8,204

$494 ₡221.6K

-73.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,979 ₱502.4K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-32.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$32.91 ₱2,072

$53.9 ₡24.2K

-38.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.62 ₱1,235

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-64.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.1 ₱4,790

$77.9 ₡34.9K

-2.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$57.7 ₱3,632

$79.6 ₡35.7K

-27.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$429 ₱27.0K

$788 ₡353.4K

-45.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$251 ₱15.8K

$794 ₡356.2K

-68.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$747 ₱47.1K

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-81.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$353 ₱22.2K

$1,419 ₡636.5K

-75.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,174 ₱136.9K

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-68.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$902 ₱56.8K

$1,224 ₡549.0K

-26.35%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$234 ₱14.8K

$864 ₡387.3K

-72.85%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

8.62

-16.47%

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

Last update for Mandaue: 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

Mandaue

$251 30.5%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 216% $543

Groceries & Markets

Mandaue

$205 24.8%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 72% $147

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mandaue

$140 17%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 32.4% $45

Eating Out

Mandaue

$88 10.7%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 141% $124

Clothing & Footwear

Mandaue

$84 10.2%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 43.3% $36

Sport & Entertainment

Mandaue

$44 5.4%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 96.9% $43

Getting Around

Mandaue

$12 1.5%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 602% $75

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $429 in Mandaue and $788 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Nosara pays 268% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $23.00 in Mandaue vs $61.0 in Nosara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $205 vs $352 per month, with Mandaue cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Mandaue

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

05:14 5:14 AM

15:14 3:14 PM

14 h behind Mandaue

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

364,116

4,912

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to PHP – Philippine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇭 Philippine Peso (₱)

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.78 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 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 PHP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Mandaue Nosara 16,040 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Mandaue
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

Mandaue vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mandaue wins on cost – living expenses run 123% lower than in Nosara. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Mandaue the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 268% lower in Nosara. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $429 in Mandaue versus $788 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Mandaue – a meal for two runs $23.00 versus $61.0 in Nosara. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $825 per month in Mandaue versus $1,839 in Nosara – a 123% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $825 in Mandaue versus $1,839 in Nosara, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Mandaue but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Mandaue the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Mandaue delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $825 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Mandaue hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Mandaue 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 Mandaue gentler on the wallet – expenses run 123% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.