Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Bacong

For one person, living is cheaper in Bacong: $647 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $14,300 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
31

Cost of Living Index in Bacong
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Bacong Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Bacong

🇵🇭 Philippines

$647

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Bacong

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

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $647 in Bacong, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
Bacong $647

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $981 in Bacong, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
Bacong $981

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $1,314 in Bacong, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
Bacong $1,314

Nosara costs about 184% more than Bacong, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Nosara sits 36% above the global median, while Bacong is 52% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$2.73 ₱172

352.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$18.84 ₱1,186

224.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$3.14 ₱198

139.49%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$2.02 ₱127

118.32%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$0.68 ₱42.84

155.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$0.33 ₱20.79

296.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$0.92 ₱57.9

256.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$1.72 ₱108

159.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.60 ₱101

-2.50%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$1.15 ₱72.5

162.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$0.88 ₱55.4

185.23%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$2.07 ₱130

72.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$5.95 ₱374

24.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$3.98 ₱251

164.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$6.30 ₱397

121.75%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$3.28 ₱206

-28.35%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$1.08 ₱67.8

49.07%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$2.93 ₱184

63.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$1.43 ₱90.3

12.59%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$2.38 ₱150

59.66%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$2.72 ₱172

35.66%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$1.39 ₱87.6

-18.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$0.81 ₱51.3

228.40%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$2.99 ₱188

73.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$6.46 ₱407

207.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$1.08 ₱67.8

168.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$1.31 ₱82.3

177.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$0.22 ₱14.13

409.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

$9.96 ₱627

629.32%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$0.79 ₱49.61

170.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$0.36 ₱22.84

336.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$2.45 ₱155

247.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$0.99 ₱62.6

53.54%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$21.0K ₱1.3M

2.69%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$19.0K ₱1.2M

81.97%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$51.4 ₱3,233

87.48%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$9.28 ₱584

286.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$27.26 ₱1,716

96.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$32.11 ₱2,022

122.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

$3.98 ₱251

777.14%

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$4.66 ₱294

69.31%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$32.30 ₱2,034

1429.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$8,576 ₱539.9K

38.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$33.62 ₱2,117

60.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$19.41 ₱1,222

185.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$56.3 ₱3,543

38.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$23.62 ₱1,487

237.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$147 ₱9,270

435.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$191 ₱12.0K

316.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$587 ₱36.9K

571.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$305 ₱19.2K

366.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$2,384 ₱150.1K

189.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

$1,056 ₱66.5K

15.97%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

7.33

17.60%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Bacong: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Bacong

$191 29.5% 76% $604

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Bacong

$187 28.8% 47% $166

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Bacong

$68 10.4% 68.1% $144

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Bacong

$88 13.6% 52.7% $98

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Bacong

$60 9.2% 50.2% $60

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Bacong

$41 6.4% 52.6% $46

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Bacong

$13 2.1% 84.6% $74

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $788 in Nosara versus $147 in Bacong. 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 Bacong. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $352 vs $187 – making Bacong the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇵🇭 Bacong

🕒 Local time

17:19 5:19 PM

07:19 7:19 AM

14 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

41,207

💱 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

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Between locations

Nosara Bacong 16,160 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Bacong

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 Bacong: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Nosara is pricier by about 184%, 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 $971 in Bacong. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

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

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,839 in Nosara and $647 in Bacong. That's a gap of about 184%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Bacong, where all-in costs run around $647, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Bacong it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Bacong – 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 Bacong. 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.