Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Bahia de Caraquez

For one person, living is cheaper in Bahia de Caraquez: $806 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $12,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index
39

Cost of Living Index in Bahia de Caraquez
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Bahia de Caraquez Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Bahia de Caraquez

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$806

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Bahia de Caraquez

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 Bahia de Caraquez actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $806 in Bahia de Caraquez, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
Bahia de Caraquez $806

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $1,384 in Bahia de Caraquez, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
Bahia de Caraquez $1,384

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $1,963 in Bahia de Caraquez, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
Bahia de Caraquez $1,963

Nosara costs about 128% more than Bahia de Caraquez, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Nosara sits 36% above the global median, while Bahia de Caraquez is 40% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$3.96 $3.96

211.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$51.6 $51.6

18.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$9.16 $9.16

-17.90%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$2.81 $2.81

56.94%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$0.93 $0.93

87.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$0.75 $0.75

74.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$2.97 $2.97

10.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$4.22 $4.22

5.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.20 $1.20

30.00%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$1.98 $1.98

52.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$1.41 $1.41

78.01%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$2.08 $2.08

71.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$7.07 $7.07

5.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$5.11 $5.11

105.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$9.05 $9.05

54.36%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$1.47 $1.47

59.86%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$1.16 $1.16

38.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$0.97 $0.97

394.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$0.96 $0.96

67.71%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$1.22 $1.22

211.48%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$0.98 $0.98

276.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$0.87 $0.87

29.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$0.99 $0.99

168.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$6.11 $6.11

-15.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$12.08 $12.08

64.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$1.57 $1.57

84.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$2.12 $2.12

71.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$0.37 $0.37

202.70%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

$16.54 $16.54

339.18%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$1.39 $1.39

53.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$1.79 $1.79

-12.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$12.18 $12.18

-30.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$0.83 $0.83

83.13%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$20.6K $20.6K

4.72%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$31.6K $31.6K

9.22%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$39.59 $39.59

143.22%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$15.13 $15.13

137.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$26.61 $26.61

101.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$29.01 $29.01

146.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

$17.11 $17.11

104.03%

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$7.54 $7.54

4.64%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$369 $369

34.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$5,654 $5,654

109.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$65.7 $65.7

-17.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$40.86 $40.86

35.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$125 $125

-37.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$92.6 $92.6

-14.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$261 $261

201.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$183 $183

333.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$765 $765

414.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$439 $439

223.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$1,253 $1,253

451.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

$791 $791

54.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

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 Bahia de Caraquez: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Bahia de Caraquez

$183 22.7% 76.9% $611

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Bahia de Caraquez

$200 24.8% 43.3% $152

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Bahia de Caraquez

$123 15.3% 42% $89

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Bahia de Caraquez

$81 10.1% 56.2% $104

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Bahia de Caraquez

$146 18.1% 21.5% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Bahia de Caraquez

$44 5.5% 49.5% $43

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Bahia de Caraquez

$28 3.5% 67.4% $59

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $788 in Nosara versus $261 in Bahia de Caraquez. 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 $52.0 in Bahia de Caraquez. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $352 vs $200 – making Bahia de Caraquez the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇪🇨 Bahia de Caraquez

🕒 Local time

15:11 3:11 PM

16:11 4:11 PM

1 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

24,963

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 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 17, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Nosara Bahia de Caraquez 1,310 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Bahia de Caraquez

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 Bahia de Caraquez: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,839 in Nosara, $806 in Bahia de Caraquez – roughly 128% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,758 per month in Nosara and $1,208 in Bahia de Caraquez. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Kindergarten costs $494 per month in Nosara and $369 in Bahia de Caraquez. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 76% 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 $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Bahia de Caraquez, where all-in costs run around $806, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Bahia de Caraquez it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Nosara has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $806 in Bahia de Caraquez to $1,839 in Nosara. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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 Bahia de Caraquez. 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.