Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Alicante

For one person, living costs are similar in Nosara and in Alicante: $1,837 and $1,803 a month, rent and utilities included.

89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index
88

Cost of Living Index in Alicante
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Alicante Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Alicante

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,803

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Alicante

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,837 in Nosara versus $1,803 in Alicante.

Nosara $1,837
Alicante $1,803

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,775 in Nosara versus $2,791 in Alicante.

Nosara $2,775
Alicante $2,791

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,712 in Nosara versus $3,779 in Alicante.

Nosara $3,712
Alicante $3,779

Living in Nosara is roughly 2% more expensive than in Alicante, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Nosara 37% above, Alicante 35% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.22 ₡5,509

$19.46 €17.36

-37.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.2 ₡27.1K

$67.2 €60.0

-10.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 ₡3,399

$11.36 €10.14

-33.63%

Cappuccino

$4.31 ₡1,941

$2.16 €1.93

99.54%

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

$1.72 ₡773

$2.14 €1.91

-19.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.35 ₡608

$1.32 €1.18

2.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ₡1,459

$3.29 €2.94

-1.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 ₡2,018

$3.33 €2.98

34.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡707

$1.15 €1.03

36.52%

White Bread (500g)

$3.17 ₡1,429

$1.69 €1.51

87.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 ₡1,091

$1.69 €1.51

43.20%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,609

$3.22 €2.87

10.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,349

$17.72 €15.82

-58.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.42 ₡4,697

$9.50 €8.48

9.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.66 ₡6,156

$16.16 €14.42

-15.47%

Apples (1kg)

$2.32 ₡1,044

$2.62 €2.33

-11.45%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡728

$2.09 €1.86

-22.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.74 ₡2,138

$1.83 €1.63

159.02%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 ₡747

$2.69 €2.40

-38.29%

Potato (1kg)

$3.72 ₡1,679

$1.84 €1.64

102.17%

Onion (1kg)

$3.57 ₡1,611

$2.02 €1.80

76.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 ₡497

$1.25 €1.12

-12.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.55 ₡1,149

$0.65 €0.58

292.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.95 ₡2,232

$6.73 €6.00

-26.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.01 ₡9,020

$5.70 €5.09

251.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.79 ₡1,256

$1.20 €1.07

132.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.53 ₡1,589

$2.15 €1.92

64.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.19 ₡537

$1.62 €1.44

-26.54%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.1 ₡32.5K

$26.35 €23.51

173.51%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.24 ₡1,011

$3.00 €2.68

-25.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 ₡701

$1.33 €1.19

16.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₡3,993

$16.98 €15.15

-47.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡708

$1.75 €1.56

-10.29%

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

$21.8K ₡9.8M

$34.8K €31.1K

-37.41%

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

$34.6K ₡15.6M

$28.9K €25.7K

20.04%

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

$93.5 ₡42.1K

$138 €123

-32.45%

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

$35.11 ₡15.8K

$18.71 €16.70

87.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.5 ₡23.2K

$29.82 €26.61

72.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.4 ₡32.2K

$41.39 €36.94

72.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.44 ₡16.0K

$17.06 €15.23

107.74%

Cinema Ticket

$7.84 ₡3,535

$9.52 €8.50

-17.65%

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

$490 ₡220.7K

$709 €633

-30.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.4M

$9,531 €8,505

24.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ₡24.1K

$83.9 €74.9

-36.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.8 ₡25.1K

$35.58 €31.75

56.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 ₡35.7K

$96.9 €86.5

-18.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.9 ₡35.6K

$106 €94.8

-25.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$786 ₡354.3K

$1,016 €907

-22.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$780 ₡351.6K

$837 €747

-6.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,860 ₡1.7M

$1,700 €1,517

127.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 ₡634.4K

$1,537 €1,372

-8.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,972 ₡3.1M

$4,254 €3,797

63.88%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,201 ₡541.3K

$2,066 €1,844

-41.88%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$876 ₡395.0K

$1,925 €1,718

-54.48%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

2.99

188.29%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Last update for Alicante: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$780 43%

Alicante

$837 46.2% 7.4% $57

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$350 19.3%

Alicante

$288 15.9% 17.7% $62

Eating Out

Nosara

$209 11.6%

Alicante

$253 13.9% 20.6% $43

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$180 9.9%

Alicante

$187 10.3% 3.8% $6.8

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.6%

Alicante

$145 8% 20.6% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Alicante

$60 3.3% 30.6% $27

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Alicante

$42 2.3% 51.1% $44

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $786 in Nosara and $1,016 in Alicante. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Alicante pays 120% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $60.0 in Nosara vs $67.0 in Alicante. Groceries flip the comparison at $350 vs $288, with Alicante cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇪🇸 Alicante

🕒 Local time

02:29 2:29 AM

10:29 10:29 AM

8 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

349,282

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to CRC – Costa Rican Colón Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 506 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Nosara Alicante 8,900 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Alicante

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 Alicante: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Alicante wins on cost – living expenses run 2% lower than in Nosara. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Alicante the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 120% lower in Alicante. 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: $786 in Nosara versus $1,016 in Alicante. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $490 in Nosara versus $709 in Alicante. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 21% higher in Nosara. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,803 in Alicante versus $1,837 in Nosara, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Alicante but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Alicante the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Alicante delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,803 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Alicante hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Nosara and Alicante 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 Alicante gentler on the wallet – expenses run 2% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.