Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Batangas

For one person, living is cheaper in Batangas: $620 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $14,600 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
30

Cost of Living Index in Batangas
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Batangas Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Batangas

🇵🇭 Philippines

$620

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Batangas

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,839 in Nosara versus $620 in Batangas.

Nosara $1,839
Batangas $620

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,828 in Nosara versus $901 in Batangas.

Nosara $2,828
Batangas $901

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,818 in Nosara versus $1,183 in Batangas.

Nosara $3,818
Batangas $1,183

Living in Nosara is roughly 197% more expensive than in Batangas, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Nosara is 36% above, Batangas is 54% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$2.13 ₱134

479.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$19.25 ₱1,212

217.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$2.67 ₱168

181.65%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$2.10 ₱132

110.00%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$0.39 ₱24.34

346.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$0.27 ₱16.86

385.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$1.08 ₱67.8

203.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$1.42 ₱89.6

214.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.72 ₱108

-9.30%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$1.13 ₱71.4

167.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$0.76 ₱48.09

230.26%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$1.64 ₱103

117.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$5.53 ₱348

34.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$4.22 ₱266

149.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$6.90 ₱434

102.46%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$2.41 ₱152

-2.49%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$1.42 ₱89.2

13.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$2.34 ₱147

105.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$1.13 ₱71.2

42.48%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$2.33 ₱146

63.09%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$3.38 ₱213

9.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$1.30 ₱81.8

-13.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$0.97 ₱61.2

174.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$2.49 ₱157

108.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$7.46 ₱470

166.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$1.32 ₱83.4

119.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$1.78 ₱112

103.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$0.66 ₱41.44

69.70%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$0.84 ₱52.8

154.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$0.21 ₱13.20

647.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$2.60 ₱164

227.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$1.03 ₱64.8

47.57%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$21.5K ₱1.4M

0.40%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$18.8K ₱1.2M

83.64%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$165 ₱10.4K

-41.60%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$14.40 ₱907

149.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$23.88 ₱1,503

124.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$18.88 ₱1,189

279.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

$12.62 ₱795

176.62%

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$5.66 ₱356

39.40%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$73.0 ₱4,598

576.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$1,264 ₱79.6K

838.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$15.87 ₱999

239.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$22.72 ₱1,431

143.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$55.8 ₱3,510

39.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$39.47 ₱2,485

101.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$72.7 ₱4,576

992.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$158 ₱9,979

2385.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$95.2 ₱5,992

1391.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$2,511 ₱158.1K

175.22%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

$1,631 ₱102.7K

-24.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

$186 ₱11.7K

364.20%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

23.14%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Batangas: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Batangas

$73 11.7% 90.8% $722

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Batangas

$188 30.3% 46.7% $165

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Batangas

$61 9.9% 71.1% $151

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Batangas

$203 32.8% 9.4% $17

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Batangas

$60 9.7% 49.9% $60

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Batangas

$30 4.9% 65.4% $57

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Batangas

$4.5 * 0.7% 94.8% $83

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Nosara pays 364% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $61.0 in Nosara vs $19.00 in Batangas for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $352 vs $188 per month, with Batangas cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇵🇭 Batangas

🕒 Local time

17:38 5:38 PM

07:38 7:38 AM

14 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

329,874

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Batangas 16,060 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Batangas

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 Batangas: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara and Batangas differ by about 197% in total monthly costs ($1,839 vs $620 including rent). Batangas is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 364% higher in Nosara, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Supermarket bills run roughly 88% higher in Nosara. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,839 per month in Nosara versus $620 in Batangas – a 197% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $620 in Batangas versus $1,839 in Nosara, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Batangas but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Batangas the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Nosara and Batangas 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 Batangas gentler on the wallet – expenses run 197% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.