Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Butuan

For one person, living is cheaper in Butuan: $578 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $15,100 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
28

Cost of Living Index in Butuan
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Butuan Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Butuan

🇵🇭 Philippines

$578

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Butuan

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,839 in Nosara versus $578 in Butuan.

Nosara $1,839
Butuan $578

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,828 in Nosara versus $913 in Butuan.

Nosara $2,828
Butuan $913

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,818 in Nosara versus $1,248 in Butuan.

Nosara $3,818
Butuan $1,248

Living in Nosara is roughly 218% more expensive than in Butuan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Nosara is 36% above, Butuan is 57% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$4.67 ₱294

164.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$26.83 ₱1,689

128.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$2.41 ₱152

212.03%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$2.09 ₱131

111.00%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$0.33 ₱21.01

427.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$0.23 ₱14.47

469.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$1.57 ₱98.8

108.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$2.46 ₱155

81.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.95 ₱123

-20.00%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$1.09 ₱68.9

177.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$0.87 ₱55.0

188.51%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$1.86 ₱117

91.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$6.21 ₱391

19.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$4.84 ₱305

117.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$9.32 ₱587

49.89%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$2.68 ₱169

-12.31%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$1.11 ₱69.7

45.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$2.42 ₱152

98.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$1.20 ₱75.8

34.17%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$2.02 ₱127

88.12%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$3.51 ₱221

5.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$1.25 ₱79.0

-9.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$0.67 ₱42.40

297.01%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$2.39 ₱150

116.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$8.13 ₱512

144.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$1.25 ₱78.7

132.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$1.69 ₱106

114.79%

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

$0.78 ₱49.31

174.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$0.25 ₱15.83

528.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$1.96 ₱123

334.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$1.05 ₱66.1

44.76%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$21.2K ₱1.3M

1.77%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$19.0K ₱1.2M

81.40%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$107 ₱6,745

-10.12%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$18.89 ₱1,189

89.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$30.87 ₱1,944

73.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$23.85 ₱1,502

200.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$4.37 ₱275

80.55%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$108 ₱6,790

358.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$7,696 ₱484.6K

54.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$61.7 ₱3,885

-12.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$31.28 ₱1,970

77.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$71.8 ₱4,523

8.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$62.2 ₱3,916

28.01%

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

8.31

3.73%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Butuan: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Butuan

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Butuan

$200 34.6% 43.2% $152

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Butuan

$85 14.6% 60% $127

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Butuan

$157 27.1% 15.5% $29

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Butuan

$102 17.7% 14.9% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Butuan

$33 5.6% 62.7% $55

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Butuan

$2 * 0.4% 97.7% $85

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $61.0 in Nosara vs $27.00 in Butuan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $352 vs $200 per month, with Butuan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇵🇭 Butuan

🕒 Local time

20:01 8:01 PM

10:01 10:01 AM

14 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

337,063

💱 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 18, 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 18, 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 Butuan 15,970 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Butuan

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 Butuan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Butuan wins on cost – living expenses run 218% lower than in Nosara. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Butuan the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $2,758 in Nosara and $867 in Butuan to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Childcare runs $494 in Nosara versus $108 in Butuan. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Butuan – a meal for two runs $27.00 versus $61.0 in Nosara. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $578 in Butuan versus $1,839 in Nosara, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Butuan but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Butuan the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Butuan delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $578 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Butuan hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Nosara and Butuan 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 Butuan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 218% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.