Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Cakovec

For one person, living is cheaper in Cakovec: $1,326 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $6,200 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
64

Cost of Living Index in Cakovec
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Cakovec Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Cakovec

🇭🇷 Croatia

$1,326

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Cakovec

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

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $1,326 in Cakovec, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
Cakovec $1,326

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $1,943 in Cakovec, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
Cakovec $1,943

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $2,561 in Cakovec, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
Cakovec $2,561

Nosara costs about 39% more than Cakovec, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Nosara sits 36% above the global median, while Cakovec is 2% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$7.04 €6.26

75.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$44.88 €39.91

36.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$8.04 €7.15

-6.47%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$2.26 €2.01

95.13%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$2.06 €1.83

-15.53%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$1.69 €1.50

-22.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$2.51 €2.23

30.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$3.38 €3.00

32.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.21 €1.08

28.93%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$1.58 €1.40

91.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$3.32 €2.95

-24.40%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$3.51 €3.12

1.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$15.71 €13.97

-52.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$10.11 €8.99

4.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$9.60 €8.54

45.52%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$1.64 €1.46

43.29%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$1.75 €1.56

-8.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$1.56 €1.39

207.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$1.57 €1.39

2.55%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$1.35 €1.20

181.48%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$1.25 €1.11

195.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$0.75 €0.67

50.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$1.34 €1.19

98.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$5.67 €5.05

-8.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$7.32 €6.51

171.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$1.30 €1.16

123.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$1.92 €1.71

89.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$2.33 €2.07

-51.93%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

$60.3 €53.6

20.54%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$5.70 €5.07

-62.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$1.36 €1.21

15.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$11.22 €9.98

-24.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$1.63 €1.45

-6.75%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$25.9K €23.0K

-16.52%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$24.6K €21.8K

40.55%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$185 €164

-47.84%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$17.69 €15.73

102.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$32.42 €28.84

65.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$51.8 €46.07

38.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

$22.01 €19.57

58.61%

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$7.73 €6.87

2.07%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$131 €117

276.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$8,476 €7,539

39.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$99.7 €88.7

-45.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$41.34 €36.77

34.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$84.6 €75.2

-7.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$109 €96.7

-26.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$471 €419

67.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$384 €342

106.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$686 €610

474.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$534 €475

165.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$3,109 €2,765

122.33%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

$2,217 €1,972

-44.79%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

$1,285 €1,142

-32.77%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

3.73

131.10%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Cakovec: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Cakovec

$384 29% 51.6% $410

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Cakovec

$265 20% 24.7% $87

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Cakovec

$142 10.7% 33.1% $70

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Cakovec

$235 17.7% 26.4% $49

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Cakovec

$150 11.4% 25.3% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Cakovec

$67 5.1% 23% $20

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Cakovec

$82 6.2% 5.8% $5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $788 in Nosara versus $471 in Cakovec. 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 49% higher in Cakovec, 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 $45.00 in Cakovec. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $352 vs $265 – making Cakovec the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇭🇷 Cakovec

🕒 Local time

09:39 9:39 AM

17:39 5:39 PM

8 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

27,122

💱 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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Highest

Between locations

Nosara Cakovec 10,110 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Cakovec

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 Cakovec: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara costs about 39% more than Cakovec, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. 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 $1,989 in Cakovec. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Groceries cost about 33% 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 mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Nosara and $45.00 in Cakovec. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Cakovec, where all-in costs run around $1,326, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Cakovec it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Cakovec costs $1,326 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 Cakovec. 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.