Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Blonduos

For one person, living is cheaper in Blonduos: $1,713 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $1,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Nosara outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index
84

Cost of Living Index in Blonduos
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Blonduos Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Blonduos

🇮🇸 Iceland

$1,713

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Blonduos

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

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $1,713 in Blonduos, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
Blonduos $1,713

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $2,921 in Blonduos, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
Blonduos $2,921

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $4,129 in Blonduos, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
Blonduos $4,129

Nosara costs about 7% more than Blonduos, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Nosara and Blonduos sit above the global median – Nosara by 36%, Blonduos by 27%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$31.14 ISK 3,777

-60.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$125 ISK 15.1K

-50.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$26.65 ISK 3,232

-71.78%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$6.71 ISK 814

-34.28%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$3.40 ISK 412

-48.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$3.03 ISK 368

-56.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$13.99 ISK 1,697

-76.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$12.33 ISK 1,495

-63.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$2.10 ISK 255

-25.71%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$4.11 ISK 498

-26.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$3.54 ISK 430

-29.10%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$7.16 ISK 869

-50.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$22.11 ISK 2,682

-66.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$24.36 ISK 2,955

-56.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$41.27 ISK 5,006

-66.15%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$3.41 ISK 414

-31.09%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$2.76 ISK 334

-41.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$3.13 ISK 380

53.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$6.38 ISK 773

-74.76%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$4.00 ISK 485

-5.00%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$1.64 ISK 198

125.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$3.79 ISK 460

-70.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$1.74 ISK 212

52.87%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$14.05 ISK 1,704

-63.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$24.03 ISK 2,914

-17.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$3.71 ISK 450

-21.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$3.50 ISK 424

3.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$6.59 ISK 799

-67.53%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$2.77 ISK 335

-43.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$80.5 ISK 9,762

-89.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$2.00 ISK 243

-24.00%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$50.8K ISK 6.2M

-57.43%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$54.6K ISK 6.6M

-36.72%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$94.7 ISK 11.5K

1.68%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$33.32 ISK 4,042

7.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$85.1 ISK 10.3K

-37.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$19.41 ISK 2,354

-59.35%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$1,198 ISK 145.3K

-58.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$26.0K ISK 3.2M

-54.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$149 ISK 18.1K

-63.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$67.0 ISK 8,128

-17.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$183 ISK 22.2K

-57.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$246 ISK 29.9K

-67.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

8.81

-2.16%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Blonduos: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Blonduos

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Blonduos

$620 36.2% 76% $268

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Blonduos

$530 30.9% 150% $318

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Blonduos

$213 12.4% 14.7% $27

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Blonduos

$291 17% 142% $170

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Blonduos

$39 * 2.3% 55.6% $49

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Blonduos

$20 * 1.2% 76.6% $67

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Nosara versus $125 in Blonduos. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $352 vs $620 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇮🇸 Blonduos

🕒 Local time

23:37 11:37 PM

05:37 5:37 AM

6 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

900

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Icelandic Króna ISK kr

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1,000 ISK = 8.24 USD

1,000 ISK = 7.33 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Icelandic Króna exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 121 ISK (1,000 ISK = 8.24 USD). 1 EUR = 136 ISK (1,000 ISK = 7.33 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Nosara Blonduos 7,880 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Blonduos

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 Blonduos: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara costs about 7% more than Blonduos, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,758 per month in Nosara and $2,569 in Blonduos. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Nosara and $125 in Blonduos. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 76% cheaper in Nosara – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Blonduos, where all-in costs run around $1,713, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Blonduos it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Blonduos costs $1,713 versus $1,839 in Nosara. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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 Blonduos. 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.