Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Calama

For one person, living is cheaper in Calama: $595 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $14,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index
29

Cost of Living Index in Calama
Learn more

Calama Living Index

Jump to prices

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Calama

🇨🇱 Chile

$595

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Calama

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,839 in Nosara versus $595 in Calama.

Nosara $1,839
Calama $595

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,828 in Nosara versus $1,203 in Calama.

Nosara $2,828
Calama $1,203

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,818 in Nosara versus $1,812 in Calama.

Nosara $3,818
Calama $1,812

Living in Nosara is roughly 209% more expensive than in Calama, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Nosara is 36% above, Calama is 56% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$6.95 CLP 6,841

77.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$31.49 CLP 31.0K

94.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$2.05 CLP 2,018

115.12%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$0.93 CLP 916

87.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$0.94 CLP 929

39.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$3.12 CLP 3,074

5.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$5.23 CLP 5,149

-14.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.10 CLP 1,087

41.82%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$0.84 CLP 825

259.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$2.62 CLP 2,575

-4.20%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$4.95 CLP 4,876

-27.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$9.36 CLP 9,217

-20.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$6.22 CLP 6,119

69.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$7.53 CLP 7,413

85.52%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$1.26 CLP 1,242

86.51%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$1.05 CLP 1,029

53.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$1.55 CLP 1,523

209.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$1.10 CLP 1,081

46.36%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$0.90 CLP 884

322.22%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$0.93 CLP 916

296.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$5.25 CLP 5,170

-1.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$4.19 CLP 4,128

374.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$1.01 CLP 990

187.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$1.25 CLP 1,235

190.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$0.95 CLP 931

17.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$1.43 CLP 1,412

9.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$1.44 CLP 1,415

5.56%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$40.05 CLP 39.4K

140.42%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$13.28 CLP 13.1K

303.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$51.7 CLP 50.9K

38.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

$20.74 CLP 20.4K

68.32%

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$4.69 CLP 4,617

68.23%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$306 CLP 301.6K

61.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$36.08 CLP 35.5K

49.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$28.38 CLP 27.9K

95.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$45.82 CLP 45.1K

70.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$61.8 CLP 60.9K

28.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$327 CLP 322.3K

140.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$102 CLP 100.6K

677.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$807 CLP 794.0K

388.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$608 CLP 599.0K

133.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$1,403 CLP 1.4M

392.65%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

$1,229 CLP 1.2M

-0.43%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

$1,110 CLP 1.1M

-22.20%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

72.40%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Calama: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Calama

$102 17.2% 87.1% $692

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Calama

$176 * 29.6% 50% $176

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Calama

$114 * 19.1% 46.3% $98

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Calama

$53 * 9% 71.3% $132

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Calama

$77 13% 35.5% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Calama

$61 10.3% 30.1% $26

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Calama

$11 * 1.8% 87.4% $76

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $788 in Nosara and $327 in Calama. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Calama pays 29% 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 $31.00 in Calama for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $352 vs $176 per month, with Calama cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇨🇱 Calama

🕒 Local time

16:42 4:42 PM

19:42 7:42 PM

3 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

157,575

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Chilean Peso CLP $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

10,000 CLP = 10.16 USD

10,000 CLP = 9.04 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CLP, 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).

Chilean Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 984 CLP (1,000 CLP = 1.02 USD). 1 EUR = 1,107 CLP (10,000 CLP = 9.04 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Calama 4,040 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Calama

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 Calama: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Calama wins on cost – living expenses run 209% lower than in Nosara. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Calama the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 29% lower in Calama. 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 $327 in Calama. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 100% higher in Nosara. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,839 per month in Nosara versus $595 in Calama – a 209% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $595 in Calama versus $1,839 in Nosara, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Calama but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Calama the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Calama delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $595 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Calama hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Nosara and Calama 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 Calama gentler on the wallet – expenses run 209% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.