Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Bayawan City

For one person, living is cheaper in Bayawan City: $754 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $13,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index
37

Cost of Living Index in Bayawan City
Learn more

Bayawan City Living Index

Jump to prices

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Bayawan City

🇵🇭 Philippines

$754

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Bayawan City

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,839 in Nosara versus $754 in Bayawan City.

Nosara $1,839
Bayawan City $754

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,828 in Nosara versus $1,171 in Bayawan City.

Nosara $2,828
Bayawan City $1,171

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,818 in Nosara versus $1,589 in Bayawan City.

Nosara $3,818
Bayawan City $1,589

Living in Nosara is roughly 144% more expensive than in Bayawan City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Nosara is 36% above, Bayawan City is 44% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$2.97 ₱187

315.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$23.51 ₱1,480

160.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$4.07 ₱256

84.77%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$2.58 ₱162

70.93%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$1.60 ₱101

8.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$0.53 ₱33.50

147.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$1.77 ₱111

85.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$2.29 ₱144

95.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.77 ₱112

-11.86%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$1.11 ₱69.7

172.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$0.72 ₱45.02

248.61%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$2.06 ₱130

73.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$10.00 ₱630

-25.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$4.45 ₱280

136.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$7.43 ₱468

88.02%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$3.36 ₱212

-30.06%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$1.40 ₱88.2

15.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$2.30 ₱145

108.70%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$1.56 ₱97.9

3.21%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$2.37 ₱149

60.34%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$1.97 ₱124

87.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$1.15 ₱72.6

-1.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$0.66 ₱41.84

303.03%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$2.91 ₱183

78.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$4.89 ₱308

306.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$0.81 ₱51.1

258.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$1.73 ₱109

109.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$0.26 ₱16.32

330.77%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

$9.66 ₱608

651.97%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$0.78 ₱49.24

174.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$0.23 ₱14.50

582.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$1.86 ₱117

358.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$1.09 ₱68.7

39.45%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$20.9K ₱1.3M

3.26%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$19.4K ₱1.2M

77.52%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$123 ₱7,755

-21.82%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$14.33 ₱902

150.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$28.21 ₱1,776

89.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$33.93 ₱2,136

110.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

$3.96 ₱250

781.57%

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$1.62 ₱102

387.04%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$132 ₱8,306

274.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$7,958 ₱501.1K

49.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$33.54 ₱2,112

60.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$19.17 ₱1,207

189.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$76.8 ₱4,836

1.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$58.1 ₱3,661

36.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$233 ₱14.7K

238.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$168 ₱10.6K

373.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$503 ₱31.7K

683.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$359 ₱22.6K

295.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$2,618 ₱164.8K

163.99%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

$1,088 ₱68.5K

12.55%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

$114 ₱7,149

660.50%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

7.2

19.72%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Bayawan City: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Bayawan City

$168 22.2% 78.9% $627

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Bayawan City

$198 26.2% 43.9% $155

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Bayawan City

$89 11.8% 58% $123

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Bayawan City

$166 22% 10.8% $20

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Bayawan City

$84 11.2% 29.7% $36

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Bayawan City

$37 4.9% 57.5% $50

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Bayawan City

$13 1.7% 85.5% $74

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $788 in Nosara and $233 in Bayawan City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Nosara pays 661% 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 $24.00 in Bayawan City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $352 vs $198 per month, with Bayawan City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇵🇭 Bayawan City

🕒 Local time

17:51 5:51 PM

07:51 7:51 AM

14 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

122,747

💱 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 Bayawan City 16,200 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Bayawan City

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 Bayawan City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara and Bayawan City differ by about 144% in total monthly costs ($1,839 vs $754 including rent). Bayawan City is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 661% higher in Nosara, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $788 in Nosara versus $233 in Bayawan City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 78% higher in Nosara. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Bayawan City – a meal for two runs $24.00 versus $61.0 in Nosara. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $754 in Bayawan City versus $1,839 in Nosara, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Bayawan City but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Bayawan City 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 Bayawan City 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 Bayawan City gentler on the wallet – expenses run 144% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.