Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Bulacan

For one person, living is cheaper in Bulacan: $638 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $14,400 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
31

Cost of Living Index in Bulacan
Learn more

Bulacan Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Bulacan

🇵🇭 Philippines

$638

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Bulacan

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

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $638 in Bulacan, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
Bulacan $638

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $927 in Bulacan, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
Bulacan $927

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $1,215 in Bulacan, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
Bulacan $1,215

Nosara costs about 188% more than Bulacan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Nosara sits 36% above the global median, while Bulacan is 53% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$2.00 ₱126

517.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$15.88 ₱1,000

285.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$2.71 ₱171

177.49%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$1.79 ₱112

146.37%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$0.44 ₱27.72

295.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$0.26 ₱16.39

403.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$0.93 ₱58.4

252.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$1.60 ₱101

179.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.61 ₱102

-3.11%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$1.16 ₱73.1

160.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$0.95 ₱60.1

164.21%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$1.79 ₱113

99.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$2.80 ₱176

165.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$3.45 ₱217

204.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$6.03 ₱380

131.67%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$2.06 ₱130

14.08%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$1.56 ₱98.2

3.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$1.99 ₱125

141.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$1.04 ₱65.4

54.81%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$1.61 ₱101

136.02%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$1.73 ₱109

113.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$0.62 ₱39.14

82.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$0.49 ₱31.07

442.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$3.04 ₱191

70.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$3.53 ₱222

463.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$0.89 ₱56.3

225.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$1.56 ₱98.1

132.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$0.19 ₱11.81

489.47%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

$6.68 ₱421

987.43%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$0.69 ₱43.19

210.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$0.15 ₱9.67

946.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$1.87 ₱118

355.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$1.06 ₱66.7

43.40%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$21.7K ₱1.4M

-0.31%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$16.4K ₱1.0M

110.69%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$112 ₱7,031

-13.77%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$17.26 ₱1,087

107.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$23.39 ₱1,472

129.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$37.17 ₱2,340

92.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

$0.78 ₱49.15

4375.64%

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$5.09 ₱320

55.01%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$96.7 ₱6,088

411.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$941 ₱59.3K

1160.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$28.48 ₱1,793

89.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$19.39 ₱1,221

185.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$75.5 ₱4,756

3.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$55.5 ₱3,493

43.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$237 ₱14.9K

231.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$146 ₱9,223

442.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$385 ₱24.2K

922.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$215 ₱13.5K

560.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$1,879 ₱118.3K

267.85%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

$1,458 ₱91.8K

-16.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

$290 ₱18.2K

198.26%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

6.75

27.70%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Bulacan: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Bulacan

$146 23% 81.6% $648

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Bulacan

$147 23% 58.4% $206

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Bulacan

$56 8.8% 73.5% $156

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Bulacan

$152 23.9% 18% $33

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Bulacan

$81 12.6% 33% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Bulacan

$47 7.4% 45.8% $40

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Bulacan

$8.9 1.4% 89.8% $78

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $788 in Nosara versus $237 in Bulacan. 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 198% 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 $61.0 in Nosara versus $16.00 in Bulacan. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $352 vs $147 – making Bulacan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇵🇭 Bulacan

🕒 Local time

10:32 10:32 AM

00:32 12:32 AM

14 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

3,700,000

💱 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 = 70.79 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Bulacan 16,000 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Bulacan

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 Bulacan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara costs about 188% more than Bulacan, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. 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 $958 in Bulacan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,839 in Nosara and $638 in Bulacan. That's a gap of about 188%.

Public transport costs about 987% less in Bulacan. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Bulacan, where all-in costs run around $638, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Bulacan it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Bulacan costs $638 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 Bulacan. 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.