Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Babahoyo

For one person, living is cheaper in Babahoyo: $739 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $13,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index
36

Cost of Living Index in Babahoyo
Learn more

Babahoyo Living Index

Jump to prices

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Babahoyo

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$739

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Babahoyo

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,839 in Nosara versus $739 in Babahoyo.

Nosara $1,839
Babahoyo $739

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,828 in Nosara versus $1,243 in Babahoyo.

Nosara $2,828
Babahoyo $1,243

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,818 in Nosara versus $1,746 in Babahoyo.

Nosara $3,818
Babahoyo $1,746

Living in Nosara is roughly 149% more expensive than in Babahoyo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Nosara is 36% above, Babahoyo is 45% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,550

$4.01 $4.01

207.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.5K

$32.38 $32.38

88.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,379

$4.72 $4.72

59.32%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,982

$2.52 $2.52

75.00%

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

$1.74 ₡781

$0.83 $0.83

109.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡588

$0.83 $0.83

57.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,474

$2.05 $2.05

60.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,008

$3.57 $3.57

25.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡702

$1.14 $1.14

36.84%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,358

$1.63 $1.63

85.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,127

$1.70 $1.70

47.65%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,606

$1.87 $1.87

90.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,340

$7.32 $7.32

1.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,727

$5.70 $5.70

84.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,277

$6.93 $6.93

101.59%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,054

$1.80 $1.80

30.56%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡721

$0.95 $0.95

69.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,156

$1.16 $1.16

313.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡725

$1.20 $1.20

34.17%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,706

$1.37 $1.37

177.37%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,660

$1.04 $1.04

254.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡508

$0.68 $0.68

66.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,193

$1.07 $1.07

148.60%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,326

$5.38 $5.38

-3.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,934

$9.09 $9.09

118.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,303

$1.55 $1.55

87.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,629

$3.16 $3.16

14.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡505

$0.34 $0.34

229.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

$15.80 $15.80

359.75%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡960

$1.44 $1.44

48.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡705

$1.26 $1.26

24.60%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,830

$9.45 $9.45

-9.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡683

$0.82 $0.82

85.37%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$19.2K $19.2K

12.72%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$29.3K $29.3K

17.88%

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

$96.3 ₡43.3K

$37.52 $37.52

156.64%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$13.16 $13.16

172.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.1K

$27.46 $27.46

95.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.2K

$25.83 $25.83

177.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

$14.98 $14.98

133.04%

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,546

$6.97 $6.97

13.20%

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

$494 ₡222.0K

$207 $207

138.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$5,116 $5,116

131.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$50.1 $50.1

7.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.9K

$37.24 $37.24

48.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡35.0K

$114 $114

-31.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.8K

$61.9 $61.9

28.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡354.1K

$318 $318

147.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.9K

$184 $184

330.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$789 $789

399.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡637.7K

$455 $455

211.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$1,153 $1,153

499.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡550.0K

$681 $681

79.81%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡388.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

10.05

-14.23%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Babahoyo: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Babahoyo

$184 25% 76.8% $610

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Babahoyo

$193 26.1% 45.3% $160

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Babahoyo

$101 13.6% 52.6% $111

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Babahoyo

$78 10.6% 57.9% $108

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Babahoyo

$118 16% 1.4% $1.7

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Babahoyo

$40 5.4% 54.5% $48

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Babahoyo

$25 3.4% 71.4% $62

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $788 in Nosara and $318 in Babahoyo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $61.0 in Nosara vs $32.00 in Babahoyo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $352 vs $193 per month, with Babahoyo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇪🇨 Babahoyo

🕒 Local time

13:15 1:15 PM

14:15 2:15 PM

1 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

84,164

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR

1 USD = 0.893 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to CRC – Costa Rican Colón Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 449 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 503 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.893 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Babahoyo 1,470 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Babahoyo

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 Babahoyo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Babahoyo wins on cost – living expenses run 149% lower than in Nosara. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Babahoyo the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $2,758 in Nosara and $1,108 in Babahoyo 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $788 in Nosara versus $318 in Babahoyo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $494 in Nosara versus $207 in Babahoyo. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 83% higher in Nosara. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $739 in Babahoyo versus $1,839 in Nosara, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Babahoyo but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Babahoyo the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Babahoyo delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $739 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Babahoyo hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Nosara and Babahoyo 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 Babahoyo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 149% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.