Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Caguas

For one person, living is cheaper in Caguas: $1,621 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 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
79

Cost of Living Index in Caguas
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Caguas Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Caguas

🇵🇷 Puerto Rico

$1,621

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Caguas

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

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $1,621 in Caguas, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
Caguas $1,621

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $2,580 in Caguas, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
Caguas $2,580

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $3,539 in Caguas, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
Caguas $3,539

Nosara costs about 13% more than Caguas, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Nosara and Caguas sit above the global median – Nosara by 36%, Caguas by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$14.74 $14.74

-16.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$82.9 $82.9

-26.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$8.99 $8.99

-16.35%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$2.28 $2.28

93.42%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$1.12 $1.12

55.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$1.24 $1.24

5.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$1.52 $1.52

115.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$4.12 $4.12

8.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$2.16 $2.16

-27.78%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$2.80 $2.80

7.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$2.31 $2.31

8.66%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$4.97 $4.97

-28.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$6.90 $6.90

7.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$9.13 $9.13

15.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$11.99 $11.99

16.51%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$5.15 $5.15

-54.37%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$2.61 $2.61

-38.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$2.39 $2.39

100.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$4.53 $4.53

-64.46%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$2.57 $2.57

47.86%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$2.71 $2.71

36.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$2.26 $2.26

-50.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$1.60 $1.60

66.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$10.64 $10.64

-51.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$14.03 $14.03

41.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$1.45 $1.45

100.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$2.18 $2.18

66.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$1.98 $1.98

-43.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

$70.3 $70.3

3.40%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$2.44 $2.44

-12.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$1.54 $1.54

1.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$42.73 $42.73

-80.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$0.89 $0.89

70.79%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$30.5K $30.5K

-29.26%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$25.8K $25.8K

33.87%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$185 $185

-48.00%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$59.9 $59.9

-40.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$56.2 $56.2

-4.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$35.28 $35.28

102.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

$50.9 $50.9

-31.41%

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$9.83 $9.83

-19.74%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$300 $300

64.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$12.3K $12.3K

-3.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$26.14 $26.14

106.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$35.43 $35.43

56.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$81.1 $81.1

-3.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$115 $115

-30.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$752 $752

4.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$528 $528

50.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$1,080 $1,080

264.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$977 $977

45.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$2,422 $2,422

185.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

$849 $849

44.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

$3,041 $3,041

-71.61%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

4.85

77.73%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Caguas: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Caguas

$528 32.6% 33.6% $267

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Caguas

$336 20.7% 4.7% $17

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Caguas

$198 12.2% 6.8% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Caguas

$301 18.6% 62.2% $116

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Caguas

$116 7.2% 3.5% $4.2

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Caguas

$55 3.4% 37.1% $32

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Caguas

$88 5.5% 1.4% $1.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $788 in Nosara versus $752 in Caguas. 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 252% higher in Caguas, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Nosara versus $83.0 in Caguas. Groceries tell a different story – $352 in Nosara vs $336 in Caguas – so Caguas wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇵🇷 Caguas

🕒 Local time

13:03 1:03 PM

15:03 3:03 PM

2 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

70,318

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1 USD = 0.889 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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).

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

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Nosara Caguas 2,300 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Caguas

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 Caguas: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara costs about 13% more than Caguas, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from leisure. 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 $2,432 in Caguas. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Caguas, 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 $83.0 in Caguas. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,839 in Nosara and $1,621 in Caguas. That's a gap of about 13%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Caguas, where all-in costs run around $1,621, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Caguas it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Caguas costs $1,621 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 Caguas. 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.