Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Alabang

For one person, living is cheaper in Alabang: $740 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $13,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index
36

Cost of Living Index in Alabang
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Alabang Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Alabang

🇵🇭 Philippines

$740

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Alabang

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

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $740 in Alabang, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
Alabang $740

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $1,123 in Alabang, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
Alabang $1,123

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $1,506 in Alabang, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
Alabang $1,506

Nosara costs about 149% more than Alabang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Nosara sits 36% above the global median, while Alabang is 45% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$4.02 ₱253

207.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$19.41 ₱1,222

215.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$2.85 ₱179

163.86%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$2.41 ₱152

82.99%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$0.74 ₱46.70

135.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$0.31 ₱19.42

322.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$0.99 ₱62.3

231.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$1.95 ₱123

129.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.63 ₱102

-4.29%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$1.16 ₱73.1

160.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$0.90 ₱56.6

178.89%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$1.76 ₱111

102.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$5.21 ₱328

42.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$3.51 ₱221

199.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$6.90 ₱435

102.46%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$2.22 ₱140

5.86%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$1.38 ₱86.6

16.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$2.30 ₱145

108.70%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$1.03 ₱65.2

56.31%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$1.68 ₱106

126.19%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$1.71 ₱108

115.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$0.67 ₱42.07

68.66%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$0.50 ₱31.47

432.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$2.82 ₱177

83.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$7.36 ₱463

170.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$0.98 ₱62.0

195.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$1.75 ₱110

107.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$0.27 ₱17.25

314.81%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

$12.43 ₱783

484.39%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$0.84 ₱52.9

154.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$0.21 ₱13.18

647.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$1.89 ₱119

350.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$1.20 ₱75.5

26.67%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$21.6K ₱1.4M

0.18%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$18.8K ₱1.2M

84.02%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$143 ₱8,974

-32.45%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$14.41 ₱907

149.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$23.56 ₱1,484

127.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$34.52 ₱2,174

107.39%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

$4.53 ₱285

670.64%

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$5.33 ₱336

48.03%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$74.1 ₱4,664

567.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$2,528 ₱159.1K

369.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$28.82 ₱1,815

87.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$19.68 ₱1,239

181.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$72.1 ₱4,536

8.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$56.4 ₱3,548

41.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$222 ₱14.0K

254.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$170 ₱10.7K

367.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$513 ₱32.3K

667.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$356 ₱22.4K

298.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$2,233 ₱140.6K

209.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

$903 ₱56.9K

35.54%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

6.75

27.70%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Alabang: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Alabang

$170 23% 78.6% $624

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Alabang

$166 22.5% 52.8% $186

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Alabang

$83 11.2% 61% $129

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Alabang

$181 24.4% 2.8% $5.2

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Alabang

$80 10.8% 33.7% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Alabang

$45 6.1% 48.3% $42

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Alabang

$15 2.1% 82.3% $72

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $788 in Nosara versus $222 in Alabang. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Nosara versus $19.00 in Alabang. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $352 vs $166 – making Alabang the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇵🇭 Alabang

🕒 Local time

15:26 3:26 PM

05:26 5:26 AM

14 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

71,075

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

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).

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).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Alabang 16,010 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Alabang

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 Alabang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Nosara is pricier by about 149%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,758 per month in Nosara and $1,109 in Alabang. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Alabang, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 112% more in Nosara, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Nosara and $19.00 in Alabang. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Alabang, where all-in costs run around $740, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Alabang it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Alabang – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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 Alabang. 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.