Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Aguadulce

For one person, living is cheaper in Aguadulce: $958 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $10,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index
47

Cost of Living Index in Aguadulce
Learn more

Aguadulce Living Index

Jump to prices

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Aguadulce

🇵🇦 Panama

$958

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Aguadulce

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 Aguadulce actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,839 in Nosara versus $958 in Aguadulce.

Nosara $1,839
Aguadulce $958

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,828 in Nosara versus $1,531 in Aguadulce.

Nosara $2,828
Aguadulce $1,531

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,818 in Nosara versus $2,104 in Aguadulce.

Nosara $3,818
Aguadulce $2,104

Living in Nosara is roughly 92% more expensive than in Aguadulce, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Nosara is 36% above, Aguadulce is 29% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$11.33 PAB 11.33

9.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$47.63 PAB 47.63

28.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$7.86 PAB 7.86

-4.33%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$4.07 PAB 4.07

8.35%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$1.95 PAB 1.95

-10.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$1.57 PAB 1.57

-16.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$3.27 PAB 3.27

0.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$3.93 PAB 3.93

13.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.92 PAB 1.92

-18.75%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$2.56 PAB 2.56

17.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$3.37 PAB 3.37

-25.52%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$2.67 PAB 2.67

33.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$12.25 PAB 12.25

-39.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$6.64 PAB 6.64

58.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$10.34 PAB 10.34

35.11%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$4.13 PAB 4.13

-43.10%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$1.86 PAB 1.86

-13.44%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$4.26 PAB 4.26

12.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$4.14 PAB 4.14

-61.11%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$3.39 PAB 3.39

12.09%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$4.22 PAB 4.22

-12.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$2.43 PAB 2.43

-53.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$1.76 PAB 1.76

51.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$6.18 PAB 6.18

-16.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$11.73 PAB 11.73

69.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$1.37 PAB 1.37

111.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$2.85 PAB 2.85

27.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$0.24 PAB 0.24

366.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$2.47 PAB 2.47

-13.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$1.86 PAB 1.86

-15.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$22.33 PAB 22.33

-61.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$1.18 PAB 1.18

28.81%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$21.3K PAB 21.3K

1.59%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$21.2K PAB 21.2K

62.65%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$132 PAB 132

-26.80%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$28.25 PAB 28.25

27.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$49.31 PAB 49.31

8.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$46.58 PAB 46.58

53.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$8.75 PAB 8.75

-9.83%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$544 PAB 544

-9.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$9,457 PAB 9,457

25.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$66.9 PAB 66.9

-19.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$48.41 PAB 48.41

14.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$96.3 PAB 96.3

-19.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$111 PAB 111

-28.56%

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 %)

8.62

6.39

34.90%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Aguadulce: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Aguadulce

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Aguadulce

$325 33.9% 7.8% $27

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Aguadulce

$201 21% 4.9% $10

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Aguadulce

$209 21.8% 12.6% $23

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Aguadulce

$145 15.2% 21% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Aguadulce

$64 6.7% 26.7% $23

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Aguadulce

$13 * 1.3% 85.4% $74

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $61.0 in Nosara vs $48.00 in Aguadulce for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $352 vs $325 per month, with Aguadulce cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇵🇦 Aguadulce

🕒 Local time

07:27 7:27 AM

08:27 8:27 AM

1 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

8,501

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Panamanian Balboa PAB B/.

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1 PAB = 1 USD

1 PAB = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PAB, USD, EUR to CRC – Costa Rican Colón Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Panamanian Balboa exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 1 PAB (1 PAB = 1 USD). 1 EUR = 1.12 PAB (1 PAB = 0.89 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Aguadulce 590 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Aguadulce

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 Aguadulce: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Aguadulce wins on cost – living expenses run 92% lower than in Nosara. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Aguadulce the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $2,758 in Nosara and $1,436 in Aguadulce to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Supermarket bills run roughly 8% higher in Nosara. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,839 per month in Nosara versus $958 in Aguadulce – a 92% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $958 in Aguadulce versus $1,839 in Nosara, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Aguadulce but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Aguadulce the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Aguadulce delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $958 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Aguadulce hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Nosara and Aguadulce 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 Aguadulce gentler on the wallet – expenses run 92% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.