Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Caloocan

For one person, living is cheaper in Caloocan: $504 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $16,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index
25

Cost of Living Index in Caloocan
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Caloocan Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Caloocan

🇵🇭 Philippines

$504

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Caloocan

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

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $504 in Caloocan, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
Caloocan $504

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $674 in Caloocan, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
Caloocan $674

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $845 in Caloocan, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
Caloocan $845

Nosara costs about 265% more than Caloocan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Nosara sits 36% above the global median, while Caloocan is 63% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$2.74 ₱173

350.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$16.50 ₱1,039

270.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$2.22 ₱140

238.74%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$0.91 ₱57.3

384.62%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$0.40 ₱25.01

335.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$0.33 ₱21.08

296.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$1.01 ₱63.8

224.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$1.61 ₱102

177.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.62 ₱102

-3.70%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$1.11 ₱69.7

172.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$1.00 ₱63.0

151.00%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$1.81 ₱114

97.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$5.19 ₱327

43.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$3.44 ₱217

205.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$7.94 ₱500

75.94%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$2.21 ₱139

6.33%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$0.92 ₱57.7

75.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$2.38 ₱150

101.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$1.04 ₱65.5

54.81%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$1.12 ₱70.7

239.29%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$1.70 ₱107

117.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$0.65 ₱41.18

73.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$0.49 ₱31.13

442.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$3.00 ₱189

72.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$4.68 ₱295

324.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$0.91 ₱57.2

218.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$1.99 ₱126

82.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$0.22 ₱13.86

409.09%

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 ₱15.83

528.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$1.90 ₱119

348.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$1.09 ₱68.5

39.45%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$21.4K ₱1.3M

1.20%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$19.3K ₱1.2M

79.09%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$53.2 ₱3,353

80.93%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$9.80 ₱617

266.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$23.23 ₱1,463

130.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$4.76 ₱300

1403.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$5.04 ₱318

56.55%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$134 ₱8,415

269.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$10.9K ₱688.5K

8.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$29.00 ₱1,827

86.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$19.90 ₱1,253

178.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$55.3 ₱3,480

41.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$47.92 ₱3,019

66.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$205 ₱12.9K

285.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$121 ₱7,624

556.29%

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

$320 ₱20.2K

169.94%

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 Caloocan: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Caloocan

$121 24% 84.8% $673

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Caloocan

$160 31.7% 54.7% $193

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Caloocan

$51 10.1% 76% $161

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Caloocan

$86 17.1% 53.6% $99

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Caloocan

$68 13.6% 43% $52

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Caloocan

$15 3% 83% $73

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Caloocan

$3 * 0.6% 96.6% $84

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $788 in Nosara versus $205 in Caloocan. 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 170% 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 $16.00 in Caloocan. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $352 vs $160 – making Caloocan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇵🇭 Caloocan

🕒 Local time

15:35 3:35 PM

05:35 5:35 AM

14 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

1,661,584

💱 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 = 62.99 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.82 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Caloocan 16,000 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Caloocan

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 Caloocan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara costs about 265% more than Caloocan, 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 $756 in Caloocan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Caloocan, 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 $16.00 in Caloocan. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 121% 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 $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Caloocan, where all-in costs run around $504, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Caloocan it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Caloocan costs $504 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 Caloocan. 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.