Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Atlantida

For one person, living is cheaper in Atlantida: $1,452 a month against $1,837 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $4,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Nosara outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

Nosara
🇨🇷 Costa Rica
$1,837
/mo nomad
Atlantida
🇺🇾 Uruguay
$1,452
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Atlantida

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

A single person spends $1,837 per month in Nosara vs $1,452 in Atlantida, rent included.

  • Nosara $1,837
  • Atlantida $1,452

A couple spends around $2,775 per month in Nosara vs $2,264 in Atlantida, rent included.

  • Nosara $2,775
  • Atlantida $2,264

A family of three spends $3,712 per month in Nosara vs $3,076 in Atlantida, rent included.

  • Nosara $3,712
  • Atlantida $3,076

Nosara costs about 27% more than Atlantida, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Nosara and Atlantida sit above the global median – Nosara by 37%, Atlantida by 8%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Nosara
Atlantida
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$12.22 ₡5,509
$12.86 UYU 516
-4.98%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$60.2 ₡27.1K
$44.01 UYU 1,767
36.79%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.54 ₡3,399
$12.23 UYU 491
-38.35%
Cappuccino
$4.31 ₡1,941
$3.03 UYU 122
42.24%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.72 ₡773
$1.83 UYU 73.6
-6.01%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.35 ₡608
$1.13 UYU 45.38
19.47%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.24 ₡1,459
$2.78 UYU 112
16.55%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.48 ₡2,018
$3.55 UYU 143
26.20%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Nosara
Atlantida
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.57 ₡707
$1.34 UYU 54.0
17.16%
White Bread (500g)
$3.17 ₡1,429
$2.62 UYU 105
20.99%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.42 ₡1,091
$1.49 UYU 59.6
62.42%
Eggs
$3.57 ₡1,609
$4.39 UYU 176
-18.68%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.43 ₡3,349
$11.94 UYU 479
-37.77%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.42 ₡4,697
$8.14 UYU 327
28.01%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.66 ₡6,156
$10.65 UYU 428
28.26%
Apples (1kg)
$2.32 ₡1,044
$2.72 UYU 109
-14.71%
Banana (1kg)
$1.61 ₡728
$2.16 UYU 86.9
-25.46%
Oranges (1kg)
$4.74 ₡2,138
$1.13 UYU 45.51
319.47%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.66 ₡747
$2.96 UYU 119
-43.92%
Potato (1kg)
$3.72 ₡1,679
$1.69 UYU 68.1
120.12%
Onion (1kg)
$3.57 ₡1,611
$2.09 UYU 84.0
70.81%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.10 ₡497
$1.28 UYU 51.4
-14.06%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.55 ₡1,149
$1.83 UYU 73.3
39.34%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.95 ₡2,232
$5.07 UYU 204
-2.37%
Wine (Bottle)
$20.01 ₡9,020
$6.84 UYU 274
192.54%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.79 ₡1,256
$1.88 UYU 75.4
48.40%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.53 ₡1,589
$2.49 UYU 100
41.77%
🚌 Getting Around
Nosara
Atlantida
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.19 ₡537
$2.18 UYU 87.6
-45.41%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$72.1 ₡32.5K
$48.54 UYU 1,949
48.48%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.24 ₡1,011
$2.43 UYU 97.7
-7.82%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.55 ₡701
$3.43 UYU 138
-54.81%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.86 ₡3,993
$10.01 UYU 402
-11.49%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.57 ₡708
$1.92 UYU 77.1
-18.23%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.8K ₡9.8M
$35.8K UYU 1.4M
-39.14%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.6K ₡15.6M
$37.1K UYU 1.5M
-6.76%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Nosara
Atlantida
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$93.5 ₡42.1K
$87.2 UYU 3,499
7.23%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$35.11 ₡15.8K
$23.54 UYU 945
49.15%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$51.5 ₡23.2K
$32.26 UYU 1,295
59.61%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Nosara
Atlantida
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$71.4 ₡32.2K
$60.9 UYU 2,445
17.24%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$35.44 ₡16.0K
$17.65 UYU 709
100.79%
Cinema Ticket
$7.84 ₡3,535
$11.78 UYU 473
-33.45%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Nosara
Atlantida
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$490 ₡220.7K
$486 UYU 19.5K
0.80%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.9K ₡5.4M
$6,689 UYU 268.5K
77.62%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Nosara
Atlantida
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$53.5 ₡24.1K
$74.2 UYU 2,978
-27.81%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$55.8 ₡25.1K
$75.7 UYU 3,041
-26.37%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$79.3 ₡35.7K
$166 UYU 6,664
-52.25%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$78.9 ₡35.6K
$118 UYU 4,745
-33.26%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Nosara
Atlantida
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$786 ₡354.3K
$666 UYU 26.7K
18.08%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$780 ₡351.6K
$479 UYU 19.2K
62.69%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$3,860 ₡1.7M
$1,261 UYU 50.6K
206.13%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,407 ₡634.4K
$869 UYU 34.9K
61.94%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$6,972 ₡3.1M
$2,033 UYU 81.6K
243.00%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,201 ₡541.3K
$1,496 UYU 60.1K
-19.72%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Nosara
Atlantida
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$876 ₡395.0K
$521 UYU 20.9K
68.17%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
8.62
10
-13.80%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Last update for Atlantida: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Nosara
$780
Atlantida
$479 38.5% $301
Groceries & Markets
Nosara
$350
Atlantida
$282 19.3% $68
Eating Out
Nosara
$209
Atlantida
$209 0.3% $0.7
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Nosara
$180
Atlantida
$143 20.6% $37
Clothing & Footwear
Nosara
$120
Atlantida
$195 62.3% $75
Sport & Entertainment
Nosara
$87
Atlantida
$84 3% $2.6
Getting Around
Nosara
$87
Atlantida
$77 11.5% $10

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $786 in Nosara versus $666 in Atlantida. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 68% higher in Nosara, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $60.0 in Nosara versus $44.00 in Atlantida. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $350 vs $282 – making Atlantida the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇨🇷 Nosara
🇺🇾 Atlantida
🕒 Local time
23:26 11:26 PM
02:26 2:26 AM
3 h ahead of Nosara
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
4,912
6,000
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

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

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).

Uruguayan Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 40.15 UYU (100 UYU = 2.49 USD). 1 EUR = 45.03 UYU (100 UYU = 2.22 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Nosara Atlantida 5,890 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Nosara
  • Atlantida

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 Atlantida: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Atlantida cheaper than Nosara?
Yes – Nosara is pricier by about 27%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,756 per month in Nosara and $2,177 in Atlantida. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Atlantida, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
Is eating out cheaper in Nosara or in Atlantida?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $60.0 in Nosara and $44.00 in Atlantida. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
What are total monthly expenses in Nosara and in Atlantida?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,837 in Nosara and $1,452 in Atlantida. That's a gap of about 27%.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Nosara or in Atlantida?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Atlantida, where all-in costs run around $1,452, than in Nosara at $1,837. In Atlantida it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Nosara or Atlantida more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Atlantida – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is safer, Nosara or Atlantida?
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.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Atlantida. 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.

Nosara vs other spots: cost of living compared

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