Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Naga and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Naga: $558 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $15,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

38

Cost of Living Index in Naga
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Naga Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Naga

🇵🇭 Philippines

$558

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $558 in Naga versus $1,839 in Nosara.

Naga $558
Nosara $1,839

Estimated couple costs with rent: $852 in Naga versus $2,828 in Nosara.

Naga $852
Nosara $2,828

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,147 in Naga versus $3,818 in Nosara.

Naga $1,147
Nosara $3,818

Living in Naga costs roughly 70% less than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Naga is 59% below, Nosara is 36% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.26 ₱331

$12.35 ₡5,539

-57.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$13.42 ₱845

$61.2 ₡27.4K

-78.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.70 ₱170

$7.52 ₡3,373

-64.10%

Cappuccino

$2.67 ₱168

$4.41 ₡1,978

-39.46%

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

$0.71 ₱44.50

$1.74 ₡780

-59.20%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.25 ₱15.80

$1.31 ₡587

-80.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.32 ₱83.3

$3.28 ₡1,471

-59.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.14 ₱197

$4.47 ₡2,004

-29.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ₱123

$1.56 ₡701

25.00%

White Bread (500g)

$0.85 ₱53.3

$3.02 ₡1,355

-71.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.82 ₱51.7

$2.51 ₡1,125

-67.33%

Eggs

$1.70 ₱107

$3.57 ₡1,603

-52.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 ₱642

$7.43 ₡3,333

37.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.07 ₱256

$10.52 ₡4,717

-61.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.99 ₱440

$13.97 ₡6,265

-49.96%

Apples (1kg)

$1.98 ₱125

$2.35 ₡1,052

-15.74%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 ₱102

$1.61 ₡720

1.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.44 ₱154

$4.80 ₡2,152

-49.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.43 ₱153

$1.61 ₡724

50.93%

Potato (1kg)

$2.57 ₱162

$3.80 ₡1,703

-32.37%

Onion (1kg)

$2.22 ₱140

$3.69 ₡1,657

-39.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$4.76 ₱300

$1.13 ₡507

321.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.62 ₱39.28

$2.66 ₡1,191

-76.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.89 ₱182

$5.18 ₡2,321

-44.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$3.77 ₱237

$19.88 ₡8,916

-81.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ₱101

$2.90 ₡1,300

-44.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.57 ₱36.08

$2.14 ₡958

-73.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.26 ₱79.4

$1.52 ₡682

-17.11%

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)

$99.1 ₱6,242

$96.3 ₡43.2K

2.96%

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

$23.41 ₱1,474

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-34.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.23 ₱1,651

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-51.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$8.07 ₱508

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-88.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$4.80 ₱302

$7.89 ₡3,539

-39.16%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,052 ₱507.0K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-32.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$158 ₱9,919

$788 ₡353.4K

-80.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$85.9 ₱5,411

$794 ₡356.2K

-89.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$251 ₱15.8K

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-93.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$194 ₱12.2K

$1,419 ₡636.5K

-86.35%

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)

$145 ₱9,126

$864 ₡387.3K

-83.21%

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 Naga: October 12, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Naga

$206 * 36.9%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 71.2% $146

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Naga

$149 26.7%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 24.9% $37

Eating Out

Naga

$99 17.7%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 114% $113

Accommodation & Living

Naga

$86 15.4%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 824% $708

Sport & Entertainment

Naga

$18 3.2%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 395% $70

Getting Around

Naga

$0.6 * 0.1%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 15183% $87

Clothing & Footwear

Naga

- * 0%

Nosara

$120 6.5%

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $158 in Naga and $788 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Nosara pays 496% 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: $13.00 in Naga vs $61.0 in Nosara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $206 vs $352 per month, with Naga cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Naga

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

21:58 9:58 PM

07:58 7:58 AM

14 h behind Naga

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

115,750

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 19, 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 19, 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

Naga Nosara 15,890 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Naga
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

Naga vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Naga and Nosara differ by about 230% in total monthly costs ($558 vs $1,839 including rent). Naga is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 496% 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: $158 in Naga versus $788 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Naga – a meal for two runs $13.00 versus $61.0 in Nosara. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $558 per month in Naga versus $1,839 in Nosara – a 230% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $558 in Naga versus $1,839 in Nosara, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Naga but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Naga the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Naga 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 Naga gentler on the wallet – expenses run 230% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.