Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Cajamarca

For one person, living is cheaper in Cajamarca: $695 a month against $1,837 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $13,700 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
33

Cost of Living Index in Cajamarca
Learn more

Cajamarca Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Cajamarca

🇵🇪 Peru

$695

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Cajamarca

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,837 in Nosara versus $695 in Cajamarca.

Nosara $1,837
Cajamarca $695

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,775 in Nosara versus $1,177 in Cajamarca.

Nosara $2,775
Cajamarca $1,177

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,712 in Nosara versus $1,658 in Cajamarca.

Nosara $3,712
Cajamarca $1,658

Living in Nosara is roughly 164% more expensive than in Cajamarca, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Nosara is 37% above, Cajamarca is 48% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.22 ₡5,509

$3.57 PEN 12.30

242.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.2 ₡27.1K

$28.96 PEN 99.6

107.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 ₡3,399

$5.95 PEN 20.46

26.72%

Cappuccino

$4.31 ₡1,941

$2.64 PEN 9.08

63.26%

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

$1.72 ₡773

$0.79 PEN 2.72

117.72%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.35 ₡608

$0.62 PEN 2.12

117.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ₡1,459

$2.30 PEN 7.92

40.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 ₡2,018

$3.64 PEN 12.50

23.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡707

$1.38 PEN 4.76

13.77%

White Bread (500g)

$3.17 ₡1,429

$3.27 PEN 11.25

-3.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 ₡1,091

$1.29 PEN 4.44

87.60%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,609

$2.28 PEN 7.85

56.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,349

$7.58 PEN 26.09

-1.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.42 ₡4,697

$6.28 PEN 21.60

65.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.66 ₡6,156

$13.12 PEN 45.12

4.12%

Apples (1kg)

$2.32 ₡1,044

$1.06 PEN 3.66

118.87%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡728

$0.78 PEN 2.69

106.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.74 ₡2,138

$1.23 PEN 4.22

285.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 ₡747

$1.08 PEN 3.71

53.70%

Potato (1kg)

$3.72 ₡1,679

$0.74 PEN 2.53

402.70%

Onion (1kg)

$3.57 ₡1,611

$1.00 PEN 3.42

257.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 ₡497

$0.72 PEN 2.48

52.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.55 ₡1,149

$0.75 PEN 2.57

240.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.95 ₡2,232

$8.98 PEN 30.89

-44.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.01 ₡9,020

$10.19 PEN 35.05

96.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.79 ₡1,256

$2.59 PEN 8.92

7.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.53 ₡1,589

$2.45 PEN 8.44

44.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.19 ₡537

$0.56 PEN 1.93

112.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.1 ₡32.5K

$8.93 PEN 30.72

707.05%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.24 ₡1,011

$1.76 PEN 6.05

27.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 ₡701

$1.33 PEN 4.56

16.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₡3,993

$5.05 PEN 17.37

75.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡708

$1.51 PEN 5.21

3.97%

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

$21.8K ₡9.8M

$23.7K PEN 81.6K

-8.12%

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

$34.6K ₡15.6M

$25.9K PEN 88.9K

33.95%

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

$93.5 ₡42.1K

$49.76 PEN 171

87.80%

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

$35.11 ₡15.8K

$9.79 PEN 33.68

258.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.5 ₡23.2K

$29.01 PEN 99.8

77.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.4 ₡32.2K

$30.97 PEN 107

130.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.44 ₡16.0K

$20.52 PEN 70.6

72.71%

Cinema Ticket

$7.84 ₡3,535

$4.76 PEN 16.37

64.71%

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

$490 ₡220.7K

$137 PEN 472

256.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.4M

$4,463 PEN 15.4K

166.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ₡24.1K

$51.7 PEN 178

3.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.8 ₡25.1K

$29.33 PEN 101

90.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 ₡35.7K

$80.8 PEN 278

-1.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.9 ₡35.6K

$80.9 PEN 278

-2.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$786 ₡354.3K

$199 PEN 683

295.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$780 ₡351.6K

$103 PEN 354

657.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,860 ₡1.7M

$527 PEN 1,812

632.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 ₡634.4K

$317 PEN 1,089

344.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,972 ₡3.1M

$2,338 PEN 8,043

198.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,201 ₡541.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$876 ₡395.0K

$727 PEN 2,500

20.59%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

10.5

-17.90%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Last update for Cajamarca: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$780 43%

Cajamarca

$103 14.9% 86.8% $677

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$350 19.3%

Cajamarca

$229 33.1% 34.5% $121

Eating Out

Nosara

$209 11.6%

Cajamarca

$103 14.8% 51% $107

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$180 9.9%

Cajamarca

$89 12.8% 50.8% $91

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.6%

Cajamarca

$109 15.8% 9.2% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Cajamarca

$40 5.9% 53.5% $47

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Cajamarca

$20 2.8% 77.5% $67

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $786 in Nosara and $199 in Cajamarca. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Nosara pays 21% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $60.0 in Nosara vs $29.00 in Cajamarca for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $350 vs $229 per month, with Cajamarca cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇵🇪 Cajamarca

🕒 Local time

00:07 12:07 AM

01:07 1:07 AM

1 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

218,741

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1 PEN = 0.291 USD

1 PEN = 0.259 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PEN, USD, EUR to CRC – Costa Rican Colón Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 506 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3.44 PEN (1 PEN = 0.291 USD). 1 EUR = 3.86 PEN (1 PEN = 0.259 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Cajamarca 2,060 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Cajamarca

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 Cajamarca: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cajamarca is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 164% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 21% higher in Nosara, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $786 in Nosara versus $199 in Cajamarca. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Cajamarca runs roughly 707% less than in Nosara. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $490 in Nosara versus $137 in Cajamarca. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $695 in Cajamarca versus $1,837 in Nosara, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cajamarca but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Cajamarca the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Cajamarca is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Nosara, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Nosara and Cajamarca 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 Cajamarca gentler on the wallet – expenses run 164% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.