Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Caldas da Rainha

For one person, living is cheaper in Caldas da Rainha: $1,532 a month against $1,837 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $3,700 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
75

Cost of Living Index in Caldas da Rainha
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Caldas da Rainha Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Caldas da Rainha

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,532

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Caldas da Rainha

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 Caldas da Rainha actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,837 per month in Nosara vs $1,532 in Caldas da Rainha, rent included.

Nosara $1,837
Caldas da Rainha $1,532

A couple spends around $2,775 per month in Nosara vs $2,352 in Caldas da Rainha, rent included.

Nosara $2,775
Caldas da Rainha $2,352

A family of three spends $3,712 per month in Nosara vs $3,172 in Caldas da Rainha, rent included.

Nosara $3,712
Caldas da Rainha $3,172

Nosara costs about 20% more than Caldas da Rainha, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Nosara and Caldas da Rainha sit above the global median – Nosara by 37%, Caldas da Rainha by 14%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.22 ₡5,509

$15.73 €14.03

-22.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.2 ₡27.1K

$50.9 €45.38

18.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 ₡3,399

$10.22 €9.12

-26.22%

Cappuccino

$4.31 ₡1,941

$2.05 €1.83

110.24%

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

$1.72 ₡773

$2.36 €2.10

-27.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.35 ₡608

$1.42 €1.26

-4.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ₡1,459

$2.78 €2.48

16.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 ₡2,018

$3.87 €3.46

15.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡707

$1.07 €0.95

46.73%

White Bread (500g)

$3.17 ₡1,429

$1.44 €1.28

120.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 ₡1,091

$1.56 €1.39

55.13%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,609

$3.01 €2.69

18.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,349

$10.38 €9.26

-28.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.42 ₡4,697

$7.26 €6.48

43.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.66 ₡6,156

$12.81 €11.44

6.64%

Apples (1kg)

$2.32 ₡1,044

$1.87 €1.67

24.06%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡728

$1.33 €1.18

21.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.74 ₡2,138

$1.68 €1.50

182.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 ₡747

$2.46 €2.19

-32.52%

Potato (1kg)

$3.72 ₡1,679

$1.92 €1.71

93.75%

Onion (1kg)

$3.57 ₡1,611

$1.88 €1.68

89.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 ₡497

$1.29 €1.15

-14.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.55 ₡1,149

$0.84 €0.75

203.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.95 ₡2,232

$5.74 €5.12

-13.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.01 ₡9,020

$3.95 €3.53

406.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.79 ₡1,256

$1.64 €1.46

70.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.53 ₡1,589

$1.72 €1.54

105.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.19 ₡537

$3.67 €3.27

-67.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.1 ₡32.5K

$34.14 €30.46

111.10%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.24 ₡1,011

$2.83 €2.53

-20.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 ₡701

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₡3,993

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡708

$1.91 €1.71

-17.80%

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

$21.8K ₡9.8M

$33.8K €30.2K

-35.49%

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

$34.6K ₡15.6M

$37.7K €33.7K

-8.21%

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

$93.5 ₡42.1K

$108 €96.0

-13.12%

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

$35.11 ₡15.8K

$18.14 €16.19

93.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.5 ₡23.2K

$38.70 €34.54

33.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.4 ₡32.2K

$48.88 €43.62

46.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.44 ₡16.0K

$27.78 €24.79

27.57%

Cinema Ticket

$7.84 ₡3,535

$8.78 €7.84

-10.71%

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

$490 ₡220.7K

$399 €356

22.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.4M

$5,537 €4,941

114.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ₡24.1K

$95.8 €85.5

-44.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.8 ₡25.1K

$42.87 €38.26

30.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 ₡35.7K

$112 €100

-29.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.9 ₡35.6K

$68.4 €61.1

15.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$786 ₡354.3K

$891 €795

-11.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$780 ₡351.6K

$671 €599

16.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,860 ₡1.7M

$1,401 €1,251

175.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 ₡634.4K

$1,122 €1,001

25.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,972 ₡3.1M

$2,845 €2,539

145.06%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,201 ₡541.3K

$2,284 €2,038

-47.43%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$876 ₡395.0K

$1,145 €1,022

-23.47%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

3.11

177.17%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Last update for Caldas da Rainha: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$780 43%

Caldas da Rainha

$671 43.4% 14% $109

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$350 19.3%

Caldas da Rainha

$230 14.9% 34.3% $120

Eating Out

Nosara

$209 11.6%

Caldas da Rainha

$218 14.1% 4% $8.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$180 9.9%

Caldas da Rainha

$164 10.6% 8.7% $16

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.6%

Caldas da Rainha

$144 9.3% 19.4% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Caldas da Rainha

$66 4.3% 23.7% $21

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Caldas da Rainha

$52 * 3.3% 40.6% $35

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $786 in Nosara versus $891 in Caldas da Rainha. 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 31% higher in Caldas da Rainha, 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 $60.0 in Nosara versus $51.0 in Caldas da Rainha. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $350 vs $230 – making Caldas da Rainha the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇵🇹 Caldas da Rainha

🕒 Local time

07:50 7:50 AM

14:50 2:50 PM

7 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

50,917

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 505 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Nosara Caldas da Rainha 8,150 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Caldas da Rainha

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 Caldas da Rainha: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Nosara is pricier by about 20%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,756 per month in Nosara and $2,298 in Caldas da Rainha. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Caldas da Rainha, 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 $60.0 in Nosara and $51.0 in Caldas da Rainha. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,837 in Nosara and $1,532 in Caldas da Rainha. That's a gap of about 20%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Caldas da Rainha, where all-in costs run around $1,532, than in Nosara at $1,837. In Caldas da Rainha it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Caldas da Rainha – 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 Caldas da Rainha. 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.