Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Acosta

For one person, living is cheaper in Acosta: $1,712 a month against $1,846 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $1,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Nosara outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

88

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index
81

Cost of Living Index in Acosta
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Acosta Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,846

/mo nomad

Acosta

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,712

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Acosta

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Nosara and in Acosta actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,846 in Nosara versus $1,712 in Acosta.

Nosara $1,846
Acosta $1,712

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,833 in Nosara versus $2,673 in Acosta.

Nosara $2,833
Acosta $2,673

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,820 in Nosara versus $3,633 in Acosta.

Nosara $3,820
Acosta $3,633

Living in Nosara is roughly 8% more expensive than in Acosta, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Nosara 36% above, Acosta 26% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.36 ₡5,575

$12.26 ₡5,531

0.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.8 ₡27.4K

$57.1 ₡25.8K

6.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.88 ₡3,557

$11.80 ₡5,325

-33.22%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₡1,986

$4.16 ₡1,875

5.77%

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

$1.72 ₡776

$2.64 ₡1,193

-34.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.34 ₡603

$1.86 ₡838

-27.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.34 ₡1,505

$3.37 ₡1,521

-0.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.54 ₡2,048

$4.50 ₡2,029

0.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.64 ₡739

$2.40 ₡1,083

-31.67%

White Bread (500g)

$3.16 ₡1,426

$2.84 ₡1,283

11.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.39 ₡1,080

$2.68 ₡1,208

-10.82%

Eggs

$3.47 ₡1,564

$3.16 ₡1,428

9.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.13 ₡3,217

$11.58 ₡5,226

-38.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.32 ₡4,655

$11.34 ₡5,117

-8.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,302

$14.80 ₡6,677

-5.61%

Apples (1kg)

$2.29 ₡1,031

$4.67 ₡2,107

-50.96%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 ₡731

$1.75 ₡790

-7.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.81 ₡2,169

$3.77 ₡1,701

27.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.68 ₡758

$3.89 ₡1,756

-56.81%

Potato (1kg)

$3.91 ₡1,765

$3.21 ₡1,450

21.81%

Onion (1kg)

$3.63 ₡1,640

$2.68 ₡1,208

35.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡509

$1.05 ₡474

7.62%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.63 ₡1,188

$3.02 ₡1,362

-12.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.02 ₡2,267

$5.50 ₡2,484

-8.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.71 ₡8,893

$17.96 ₡8,105

9.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.91 ₡1,314

$2.33 ₡1,053

24.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.54 ₡1,597

$2.80 ₡1,264

26.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.21 ₡545

$1.29 ₡580

-6.20%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.8 ₡33.3K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.15 ₡969

$2.49 ₡1,123

-13.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 ₡738

$1.37 ₡618

18.98%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.77 ₡3,958

$9.86 ₡4,448

-11.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡700

$1.62 ₡731

-4.32%

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

$33.9K ₡15.3M

$37.4K ₡16.9M

-9.28%

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

$38.5K ₡17.4M

$42.0K ₡19.0M

-8.49%

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

$95.2 ₡43.0K

$100 ₡45.2K

-4.99%

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

$36.29 ₡16.4K

$30.43 ₡13.7K

19.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.0 ₡23.5K

$52.6 ₡23.7K

-1.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.6 ₡30.5K

$58.8 ₡26.5K

14.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.55 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$7.54 ₡3,404

$7.48 ₡3,374

0.80%

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

$496 ₡224.0K

$778 ₡350.9K

-36.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.8K ₡5.3M

$17.2K ₡7.8M

-31.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.1 ₡24.9K

$64.4 ₡29.1K

-14.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.1 ₡25.3K

$63.7 ₡28.7K

-11.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.8 ₡35.1K

$135 ₡61.1K

-42.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.1 ₡35.7K

$148 ₡66.8K

-46.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$817 ₡368.9K

$905 ₡408.5K

-9.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$806 ₡363.6K

$640 ₡288.8K

25.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,988 ₡1.8M

$2,161 ₡975.1K

84.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,429 ₡644.9K

$1,210 ₡545.9K

18.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,068 ₡3.2M

$1,959 ₡883.9K

260.82%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,197 ₡540.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$888 ₡400.7K

$1,479 ₡667.4K

-39.95%

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 Nosara: October 24, 2026

Last update for Acosta: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$806 43.7%

Acosta

$640 37.4% 20.6% $166

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$351 19%

Acosta

$389 22.7% 10.7% $37

Eating Out

Nosara

$213 11.6%

Acosta

$227 13.3% 6.5% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$184 9.9%

Acosta

$183 10.7% 0.2% $0.3

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$121 6.5%

Acosta

$185 10.8% 53.5% $65

Getting Around

Nosara

$89 4.8%

Acosta

$14 * 0.9% 83.7% $74

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$83 4.5%

Acosta

$74 4.3% 10.8% $8.9

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 $817 in Nosara and $905 in Acosta. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Acosta pays 67% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $61 in Nosara vs $57 in Acosta. Groceries flip the comparison at $351 vs $389, with Nosara cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇨🇷 Acosta

🕒 Local time

16:05 4:05 PM

Same time as Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

3,072

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Nosara Acosta 160 km

From you

Nosara
Acosta

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

Nosara vs Acosta: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,846 in Nosara and $1,712 in Acosta, so Acosta is about 7% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 40% 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: $817 in Nosara versus $905 in Acosta. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Nosara pay roughly 10% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you’ll spend $1,846 per month in Nosara versus $1,712 in Acosta – Acosta is about 7% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Acosta gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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, Nosara and Acosta are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.