Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Calapan City

For one person, living is cheaper in Calapan City: $710 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $13,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index
36

Cost of Living Index in Calapan City
Learn more

Calapan City Living Index

Jump to prices

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Calapan City

🇵🇭 Philippines

$710

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Calapan City

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

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $710 in Calapan City, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
Calapan City $710

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $1,088 in Calapan City, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
Calapan City $1,088

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $1,467 in Calapan City, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
Calapan City $1,467

Nosara costs about 159% more than Calapan City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Nosara sits 36% above the global median, while Calapan City is 47% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$4.01 ₱252

207.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$16.85 ₱1,061

263.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$2.83 ₱178

165.72%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$2.25 ₱142

96.00%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$0.61 ₱38.53

185.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$0.30 ₱19.15

336.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$1.13 ₱71.0

190.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$1.90 ₱120

135.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.69 ₱107

-7.69%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$1.15 ₱72.5

162.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$0.97 ₱61.1

158.76%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$1.92 ₱121

85.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$4.78 ₱301

55.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$4.23 ₱267

148.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$7.03 ₱442

98.72%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$2.34 ₱147

0.43%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$1.60 ₱101

0.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$2.36 ₱149

103.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$1.14 ₱71.6

41.23%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$1.91 ₱120

98.95%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$1.95 ₱123

89.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$0.99 ₱62.3

14.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$0.55 ₱34.62

383.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$2.99 ₱188

73.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$7.38 ₱464

169.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$0.95 ₱59.6

205.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$1.95 ₱123

86.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$0.24 ₱15.06

366.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

$11.13 ₱701

552.65%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$0.79 ₱49.46

170.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$0.20 ₱12.48

685.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$1.94 ₱122

339.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$1.05 ₱66.3

44.76%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$23.0K ₱1.4M

-5.99%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$18.8K ₱1.2M

83.96%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$121 ₱7,642

-20.66%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$14.21 ₱895

152.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$24.23 ₱1,525

121.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$32.71 ₱2,059

118.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

$5.12 ₱323

581.84%

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$5.07 ₱319

55.62%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$125 ₱7,875

295.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$7,935 ₱499.6K

49.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$32.35 ₱2,037

66.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$19.22 ₱1,210

188.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$69.8 ₱4,395

11.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$57.0 ₱3,589

39.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$232 ₱14.6K

240.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$156 ₱9,819

409.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$497 ₱31.3K

692.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$336 ₱21.1K

322.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$2,385 ₱150.2K

189.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

$1,002 ₱63.1K

22.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

$118 ₱7,460

628.80%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

6.79

26.95%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Calapan City: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Calapan City

$156 22% 80.4% $638

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Calapan City

$177 24.9% 49.9% $176

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Calapan City

$81 11.4% 61.9% $131

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Calapan City

$160 22.5% 14% $26

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Calapan City

$80 11.3% 33.2% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Calapan City

$43 6% 51% $45

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Calapan City

$14 2% 84.1% $73

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $788 in Nosara versus $232 in Calapan City. 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 629% higher in Nosara, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Nosara versus $17.00 in Calapan City. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $352 vs $177 – making Calapan City the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇵🇭 Calapan City

🕒 Local time

21:50 9:50 PM

11:50 11:50 AM

14 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

145,786

💱 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 18, 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.78 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Calapan City 16,070 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Calapan City

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 Calapan City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Nosara is pricier by about 159%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,758 per month in Nosara and $1,065 in Calapan City. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Calapan City, 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 $17.00 in Calapan City. 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 $710 in Calapan City. That's a gap of about 159%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Calapan City, where all-in costs run around $710, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Calapan City it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Calapan City – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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 Calapan City. 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.