Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Calamba

For one person, living is cheaper in Calamba: $518 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $15,900 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
25

Cost of Living Index in Calamba
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Calamba Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Calamba

🇵🇭 Philippines

$518

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Calamba

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,839 in Nosara versus $518 in Calamba.

Nosara $1,839
Calamba $518

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,828 in Nosara versus $764 in Calamba.

Nosara $2,828
Calamba $764

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,818 in Nosara versus $1,010 in Calamba.

Nosara $3,818
Calamba $1,010

Living in Nosara is roughly 255% more expensive than in Calamba, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Nosara is 36% above, Calamba is 62% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$3.92 ₱247

215.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$12.02 ₱757

408.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$2.82 ₱178

166.67%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$1.79 ₱113

146.37%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$0.56 ₱35.44

210.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$0.33 ₱21.06

296.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$0.94 ₱59.5

248.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$1.55 ₱97.7

188.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.60 ₱101

-2.50%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$1.11 ₱70.1

172.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$0.97 ₱61.0

158.76%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$2.00 ₱126

78.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$5.20 ₱327

42.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$3.40 ₱214

209.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$7.80 ₱491

79.10%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$2.31 ₱145

1.73%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$1.54 ₱96.9

4.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$2.40 ₱151

100.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$1.06 ₱66.9

51.89%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$1.73 ₱109

119.65%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$1.78 ₱112

107.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$0.61 ₱38.68

85.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$0.49 ₱31.10

442.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$2.92 ₱184

77.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$8.87 ₱558

124.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$0.96 ₱60.3

202.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$2.10 ₱132

72.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$0.82 ₱51.9

160.98%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$0.25 ₱15.75

528.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$1.88 ₱119

353.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$0.93 ₱58.7

63.44%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$21.1K ₱1.3M

2.25%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$19.0K ₱1.2M

81.56%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$139 ₱8,759

-30.79%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$17.36 ₱1,093

106.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$23.85 ₱1,502

124.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$5.04 ₱317

56.55%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$130 ₱8,193

279.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$10.6K ₱668.9K

11.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$28.54 ₱1,797

89.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$19.73 ₱1,242

180.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$71.0 ₱4,468

9.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$55.3 ₱3,482

43.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

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

$260 ₱16.4K

232.35%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

6.75

27.70%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Calamba: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Calamba

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Calamba

$175 33.7% 50.5% $178

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Calamba

$73 14% 65.7% $139

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Calamba

$180 34.8% 2.9% $5.4

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Calamba

$79 15.2% 34.6% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Calamba

$10 * 1.9% 88.5% $77

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Calamba

$2.1 * 0.4% 97.6% $85

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

Cost Breakdown

Nosara pays 232% 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: $61.0 in Nosara vs $12.00 in Calamba for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $352 vs $175 per month, with Calamba cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇵🇭 Calamba

🕒 Local time

14:30 2:30 PM

04:30 4:30 AM

14 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

539,671

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, 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).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.79 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Calamba 16,020 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Calamba

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 Calamba: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Calamba wins on cost – living expenses run 255% lower than in Nosara. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Calamba the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 232% higher in Nosara, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Supermarket bills run roughly 102% 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 $518 in Calamba – a 255% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $518 in Calamba versus $1,839 in Nosara, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Calamba but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Calamba the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Calamba delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $518 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Calamba hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Nosara and Calamba 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 Calamba gentler on the wallet – expenses run 255% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.