Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Big Bend

For one person, living is cheaper in Big Bend: $716 a month against $1,837 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $13,500 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
35

Cost of Living Index in Big Bend
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Big Bend Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Big Bend

🇸🇿 Eswatini

$716

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Big Bend

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

A single person spends $1,837 per month in Nosara vs $716 in Big Bend, rent included.

Nosara $1,837
Big Bend $716

A couple spends around $2,775 per month in Nosara vs $1,428 in Big Bend, rent included.

Nosara $2,775
Big Bend $1,428

A family of three spends $3,712 per month in Nosara vs $2,141 in Big Bend, rent included.

Nosara $3,712
Big Bend $2,141

Nosara costs about 157% more than Big Bend, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Nosara sits 37% above the global median, while Big Bend is 47% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.22 ₡5,509

$4.04 SZL 66.6

202.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.2 ₡27.1K

$27.58 SZL 455

118.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 ₡3,399

$5.05 SZL 83.3

49.31%

Cappuccino

$4.31 ₡1,941

$1.53 SZL 25.22

181.70%

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

$1.72 ₡773

$0.77 SZL 12.61

123.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.35 ₡608

$0.41 SZL 6.78

229.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ₡1,459

$1.54 SZL 25.31

110.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 ₡2,018

$1.65 SZL 27.25

171.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡707

$1.21 SZL 19.92

29.75%

White Bread (500g)

$3.17 ₡1,429

$0.83 SZL 13.63

281.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 ₡1,091

$1.60 SZL 26.42

51.25%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,609

$4.77 SZL 78.6

-25.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,349

$17.98 SZL 296

-58.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.42 ₡4,697

$12.07 SZL 199

-13.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.66 ₡6,156

$4.84 SZL 79.8

182.23%

Apples (1kg)

$2.32 ₡1,044

$4.23 SZL 69.7

-45.15%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡728

$0.62 SZL 10.23

159.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.74 ₡2,138

$1.88 SZL 31.04

152.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 ₡747

$1.26 SZL 20.69

31.75%

Potato (1kg)

$3.72 ₡1,679

$2.37 SZL 39.14

56.96%

Onion (1kg)

$3.57 ₡1,611

$2.12 SZL 34.94

68.40%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 ₡497

$0.93 SZL 15.37

18.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.55 ₡1,149

$0.93 SZL 15.32

174.19%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.95 ₡2,232

$5.84 SZL 96.2

-15.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.01 ₡9,020

$3.58 SZL 59.0

458.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.79 ₡1,256

$0.63 SZL 10.32

342.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.53 ₡1,589

$0.89 SZL 14.62

296.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.19 ₡537

$1.20 SZL 19.74

-0.83%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.1 ₡32.5K

$23.94 SZL 395

201.04%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.24 ₡1,011

$1.81 SZL 29.84

23.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 ₡701

$1.50 SZL 24.70

3.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₡3,993

$3.71 SZL 61.2

138.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡708

$1.13 SZL 18.57

38.94%

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

$21.8K ₡9.8M

$12.4K SZL 204.0K

76.21%

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

$34.6K ₡15.6M

$18.6K SZL 306.3K

86.41%

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

$93.5 ₡42.1K

$129 SZL 2,125

-27.50%

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

$35.11 ₡15.8K

$24.47 SZL 403

43.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.5 ₡23.2K

$24.73 SZL 408

108.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.4 ₡32.2K

$18.35 SZL 302

289.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.44 ₡16.0K

$2.47 SZL 40.70

1334.82%

Cinema Ticket

$7.84 ₡3,535

$3.12 SZL 51.4

151.28%

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

$490 ₡220.7K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.4M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ₡24.1K

$36.95 SZL 609

44.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.8 ₡25.1K

$24.81 SZL 409

124.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 ₡35.7K

$37.05 SZL 611

113.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.9 ₡35.6K

$55.2 SZL 910

42.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$786 ₡354.3K

$110 SZL 1,805

617.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$780 ₡351.6K

$74.4 SZL 1,227

948.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,860 ₡1.7M

$1,095 SZL 18.0K

252.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 ₡634.4K

$737 SZL 12.2K

90.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,972 ₡3.1M

$200 SZL 3,291

3391.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,201 ₡541.3K

$144 SZL 2,379

731.98%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$876 ₡395.0K

$808 SZL 13.3K

8.50%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

-4.22%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Last update for Big Bend: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$780 43%

Big Bend

$74 10.4% 90.5% $705

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$350 19.3%

Big Bend

$252 35.1% 28% $98

Eating Out

Nosara

$209 11.6%

Big Bend

$82 11.4% 61.1% $128

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$180 9.9%

Big Bend

$178 24.8% 1.1% $2

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.6%

Big Bend

$69 9.7% 42.4% $51

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Big Bend

$25 3.4% 71.8% $63

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Big Bend

$38 5.3% 56.2% $49

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $786 in Nosara versus $110 in Big Bend. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 9% higher in Nosara, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $60.0 in Nosara versus $28.00 in Big Bend. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $350 vs $252 – making Big Bend the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇸🇿 Big Bend

🕒 Local time

01:29 1:29 AM

09:29 9:29 AM

8 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

6,433

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Eswatini Lilangeni SZL L

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

100 SZL = 6.07 USD

100 SZL = 5.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

SZL, USD, EUR to CRC – Costa Rican Colón Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 506 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Eswatini Lilangeni exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 SZL (100 SZL = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.49 SZL (100 SZL = 5.41 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Big Bend 13,240 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Big Bend

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 Big Bend: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,837 in Nosara, $716 in Big Bend – roughly 157% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,756 per month in Nosara and $1,073 in Big Bend. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 201% less in Big Bend. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Groceries cost about 39% 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 Big Bend, where all-in costs run around $716, than in Nosara at $1,837. In Big Bend 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 $716 in Big Bend to $1,837 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 Big Bend. 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.