Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Caen

For one person, living is cheaper in Caen: $1,669 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 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
81

Cost of Living Index in Caen
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Caen Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Caen

🇫🇷 France

$1,669

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Caen

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,839 in Nosara versus $1,669 in Caen.

Nosara $1,839
Caen $1,669

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,828 in Nosara versus $2,558 in Caen.

Nosara $2,828
Caen $2,558

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,818 in Nosara versus $3,447 in Caen.

Nosara $3,818
Caen $3,447

Living in Nosara is roughly 10% more expensive than in Caen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Nosara 36% above, Caen 24% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$16.49 €14.67

-25.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$55.1 €49.04

10.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$13.17 €11.72

-42.90%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$2.82 €2.51

56.38%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$3.10 €2.76

-43.87%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$2.14 €1.90

-38.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$8.56 €7.61

-61.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$5.73 €5.10

-21.99%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.32 €1.18

18.18%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$1.78 €1.58

69.66%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$1.94 €1.72

29.38%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$3.75 €3.33

-4.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$10.04 €8.93

-26.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$11.49 €10.22

-8.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$15.98 €14.21

-12.58%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$2.97 €2.64

-20.88%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$3.08 €2.74

-47.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$1.44 €1.28

233.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$4.25 €3.78

-62.12%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$1.78 €1.58

113.48%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$1.95 €1.74

89.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$1.63 €1.45

-30.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$0.13 €0.11

1946.15%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$12.58 €11.19

-58.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$5.67 €5.04

250.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$1.42 €1.26

104.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$1.59 €1.42

128.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$1.75 €1.56

-36.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

$48.77 €43.38

48.94%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$2.30 €2.04

-6.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$1.11 €0.99

41.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$32.86 €29.23

-74.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$2.15 €1.91

-29.30%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$34.6K €30.8K

-37.51%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$32.1K €28.6K

7.40%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$138 €123

-30.18%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$32.99 €29.34

8.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$31.71 €28.20

69.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$32.67 €29.06

119.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

$22.06 €19.62

58.25%

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$8.98 €7.98

-12.14%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$903 €803

-45.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$107 €95.5

-49.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$38.27 €34.04

44.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$102 €90.3

-23.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$148 €132

-46.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$769 €684

2.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$605 €539

31.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$1,501 €1,335

162.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$1,041 €926

36.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$4,428 €3,939

56.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

$2,484 €2,210

-50.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

$2,373 €2,111

-63.61%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

3.79

127.44%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Caen: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Caen

$606 36.3% 23.8% $189

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Caen

$289 17.3% 18.1% $64

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Caen

$281 16.8% 32.4% $69

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Caen

$203 12.1% 9.1% $17

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Caen

$178 10.7% 48.1% $58

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Caen

$51 3% 42.1% $37

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Caen

$64 3.8% 27% $24

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $788 in Nosara and $769 in Caen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Caen pays 175% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $61.0 in Nosara vs $55.0 in Caen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $352 vs $289 per month, with Caen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇫🇷 Caen

🕒 Local time

09:33 9:33 AM

17:33 5:33 PM

8 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

108,200

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD 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).

Euro exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Nosara Caen 8,830 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Caen

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 Caen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara and Caen differ by about 10% in total monthly costs ($1,839 vs $1,669 including rent). Caen is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 175% lower in Caen. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $788 in Nosara versus $769 in Caen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Caen runs roughly 49% less than in Nosara. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $494 in Nosara versus $903 in Caen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,669 in Caen versus $1,839 in Nosara, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Caen but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Caen 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 Caen 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 Caen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 10% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.