Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Cafayate

For one person, living is cheaper in Cafayate: $1,244 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $7,100 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
60

Cost of Living Index in Cafayate
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Cafayate Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Cafayate

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,244

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Cafayate

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

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $1,244 in Cafayate, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
Cafayate $1,244

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $2,042 in Cafayate, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
Cafayate $2,042

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $2,839 in Cafayate, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
Cafayate $2,839

Nosara costs about 48% more than Cafayate, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Nosara sits 36% above the global median, while Cafayate is 8% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$16.65 ARS 25.3K

-25.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$57.2 ARS 86.8K

6.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$12.70 ARS 19.3K

-40.79%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$3.79 ARS 5,758

16.36%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$2.17 ARS 3,299

-19.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$1.83 ARS 2,778

-28.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$4.01 ARS 6,086

-18.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$4.21 ARS 6,395

6.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.25 ARS 1,894

24.80%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$2.48 ARS 3,768

21.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$2.03 ARS 3,076

23.65%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$2.79 ARS 4,232

27.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$9.95 ARS 15.1K

-25.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$8.36 ARS 12.7K

25.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$11.95 ARS 18.1K

16.90%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$2.54 ARS 3,862

-7.48%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$2.31 ARS 3,498

-30.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$1.75 ARS 2,655

174.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$2.66 ARS 4,039

-39.47%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$1.02 ARS 1,548

272.55%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$0.90 ARS 1,365

310.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$1.72 ARS 2,612

54.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$3.79 ARS 5,754

36.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$5.24 ARS 7,945

279.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$2.11 ARS 3,202

37.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$3.19 ARS 4,842

13.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$1.09 ARS 1,647

2.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$1.70 ARS 2,579

25.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$1.34 ARS 2,036

13.43%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$31.5K ARS 47.8M

-31.34%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$38.1K ARS 57.8M

-9.37%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$107 ARS 161.9K

-9.75%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$19.80 ARS 30.1K

81.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$25.60 ARS 38.9K

109.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$31.21 ARS 47.4K

129.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$7.90 ARS 12.0K

-0.13%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$255 ARS 387.5K

93.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$96.3 ARS 146.1K

-43.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$121 ARS 183.1K

-35.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$120 ARS 182.4K

-33.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$443 ARS 671.6K

78.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$362 ARS 549.4K

119.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$1,042 ARS 1.6M

277.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$798 ARS 1.2M

77.87%

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

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Cafayate: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Cafayate

$362 29.1% 54.4% $432

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Cafayate

$264 * 21.2% 25.1% $88

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Cafayate

$261 21% 23.4% $50

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Cafayate

$152 12.2% 18.1% $34

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Cafayate

$152 * 12.2% 26.3% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Cafayate

$47 3.8% 46.2% $40

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Cafayate

$6 * 0.5% 93.1% $81

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $788 in Nosara versus $443 in Cafayate. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Nosara versus $57.0 in Cafayate. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $352 vs $264 – making Cafayate the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇦🇷 Cafayate

🕒 Local time

10:26 10:26 AM

13:26 1:26 PM

3 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

14,850

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Argentine Peso ARS $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ARS, 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).

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1,517 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD). 1 EUR = 1,706 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Nosara Cafayate 4,540 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Cafayate

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 Cafayate: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,839 in Nosara, $1,244 in Cafayate – roughly 48% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,758 per month in Nosara and $1,866 in Cafayate. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Nosara and $57.0 in Cafayate. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 34% more in Nosara, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Cafayate, where all-in costs run around $1,244, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Cafayate it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Nosara has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,244 in Cafayate to $1,839 in Nosara. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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 Cafayate. 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.