Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Boracay

For one person, living is cheaper in Boracay: $772 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $12,800 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
37

Cost of Living Index in Boracay
Learn more

Boracay Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Boracay

🇵🇭 Philippines

$772

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Boracay

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,839 in Nosara versus $772 in Boracay.

Nosara $1,839
Boracay $772

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,828 in Nosara versus $1,313 in Boracay.

Nosara $2,828
Boracay $1,313

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,818 in Nosara versus $1,854 in Boracay.

Nosara $3,818
Boracay $1,854

Living in Nosara is roughly 138% more expensive than in Boracay, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Nosara is 36% above, Boracay is 43% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$5.73 ₱361

115.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$19.15 ₱1,206

219.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$5.94 ₱374

26.60%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$2.37 ₱149

86.08%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$0.70 ₱43.78

148.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$0.23 ₱14.44

469.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$1.16 ₱73.0

182.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$1.92 ₱121

132.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$2.95 ₱186

-47.12%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$0.98 ₱61.9

208.16%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$0.89 ₱56.3

182.02%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$1.93 ₱122

84.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$5.13 ₱323

44.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$4.78 ₱301

120.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$7.28 ₱459

91.90%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$2.51 ₱158

-6.37%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$1.59 ₱100

1.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$2.21 ₱139

117.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$1.08 ₱67.9

49.07%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$2.11 ₱133

80.09%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$2.02 ₱127

82.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$0.99 ₱62.5

14.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$0.57 ₱35.84

366.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$2.28 ₱144

127.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$7.76 ₱489

156.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$0.96 ₱60.5

202.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$1.75 ₱110

107.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$0.24 ₱15.09

366.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

$11.23 ₱707

546.84%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$0.66 ₱41.52

224.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$0.23 ₱14.18

582.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$1.94 ₱122

339.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$1.11 ₱69.7

36.94%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$23.7K ₱1.5M

-8.68%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$22.0K ₱1.4M

56.69%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$111 ₱6,979

-13.13%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$14.23 ₱896

152.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$33.84 ₱2,131

58.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$29.95 ₱1,886

139.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

$5.12 ₱323

581.84%

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$5.26 ₱331

50.00%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$136 ₱8,591

262.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$8,041 ₱506.2K

47.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$36.09 ₱2,272

49.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$19.21 ₱1,209

188.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$75.8 ₱4,773

2.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$59.1 ₱3,723

34.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$268 ₱16.9K

194.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$174 ₱10.9K

356.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$523 ₱32.9K

653.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$614 ₱38.6K

131.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$2,441 ₱153.7K

183.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

$979 ₱61.7K

24.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

$229 ₱14.4K

276.93%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

6.79

26.95%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Boracay: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Boracay

$174 22.5% 78.1% $620

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Boracay

$193 25% 45.2% $159

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Boracay

$105 13.7% 50.2% $106

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Boracay

$159 20.6% 14.5% $27

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Boracay

$86 11.1% 28.7% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Boracay

$40 5.3% 53.7% $47

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Boracay

$14 1.8% 84% $73

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $788 in Nosara and $268 in Boracay. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Nosara pays 277% 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 Boracay for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $352 vs $193 per month, with Boracay cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇵🇭 Boracay

🕒 Local time

15:00 3:00 PM

05:00 5:00 AM

14 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

12,296

💱 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 Boracay 16,110 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Boracay

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 Boracay: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara and Boracay differ by about 138% in total monthly costs ($1,839 vs $772 including rent). Boracay is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 277% 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 $268 in Boracay. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 82% higher in Nosara. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Boracay – a meal for two runs $19.00 versus $61.0 in Nosara. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $772 in Boracay versus $1,839 in Nosara, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Boracay but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Boracay 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 Boracay 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 Boracay gentler on the wallet – expenses run 138% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.