Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and the Canary Islands

For one person, living is cheaper in the Canary Islands: $1,650 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $2,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in the Canary Islands
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Canary Islands Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Canary Islands

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,650

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in the Canary Islands

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 the Canary Islands actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,839 in Nosara versus $1,650 in the Canary Islands.

Nosara $1,839
Canary Islands $1,650

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,828 in Nosara versus $2,373 in the Canary Islands.

Nosara $2,828
Canary Islands $2,373

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,818 in Nosara versus $3,095 in the Canary Islands.

Nosara $3,818
Canary Islands $3,095

Living in Nosara is roughly 11% more expensive than in the Canary Islands, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Nosara 36% above, Canary Islands 22% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$20.32 €18.07

-39.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$61.1 €54.3

0.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$9.42 €8.38

-20.17%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$2.05 €1.83

115.12%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$1.86 €1.65

-6.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$1.10 €0.98

19.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$2.85 €2.53

15.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$3.42 €3.04

30.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.36 €1.21

14.71%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$2.39 €2.13

26.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$1.58 €1.40

58.86%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$2.18 €1.94

63.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$19.31 €17.18

-61.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$9.93 €8.83

5.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$17.23 €15.33

-18.92%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$2.73 €2.43

-13.92%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$2.25 €2.00

-28.44%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$2.16 €1.92

122.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$2.51 €2.23

-35.86%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$2.14 €1.91

77.57%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$2.02 €1.80

82.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$1.70 €1.51

-33.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$0.93 €0.83

186.02%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$4.66 €4.14

11.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$7.86 €6.99

152.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$1.70 €1.51

70.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$1.75 €1.55

107.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$0.86 €0.76

30.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$4.24 €3.78

-49.53%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$1.69 €1.50

-7.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$16.59 €14.75

-48.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$1.70 €1.51

-10.59%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$24.9K €22.2K

-13.29%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$29.0K €25.8K

19.16%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$126 €112

-23.63%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$20.91 €18.60

71.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$35.49 €31.57

51.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$47.49 €42.25

50.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

$24.07 €21.41

45.04%

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$9.85 €8.76

-19.90%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$400 €355

23.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$5,096 €4,533

132.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$68.3 €60.7

-20.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$38.65 €34.38

43.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$89.6 €79.7

-13.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$114 €101

-30.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$1,111 €988

-29.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$680 €605

16.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$825 €734

71.95%

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

$1,369 €1,218

-36.93%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

3.33

158.86%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for the Canary Islands: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Canary Islands

$680 41.2% 14.4% $114

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Canary Islands

$316 19.2% 10.2% $36

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Canary Islands

$248 15.1% 17.2% $37

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Canary Islands

$182 11.1% 1.8% $3.3

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Canary Islands

$140 8.5% 16.3% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Canary Islands

$67 4.1% 23.1% $20

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Canary Islands

$16 * 1% 81.5% $71

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 $1,111 in the Canary Islands. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Canary Islands pays 59% 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 $61.0 in the Canary Islands. Groceries flip the comparison at $352 vs $316, with the Canary Islands cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇪🇸 Canary Islands

🕒 Local time

13:09 1:09 PM

20:09 8:09 PM

7 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

12,050

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 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 17, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Canary Islands 7,420 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Canary Islands

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 Canary Islands: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Canary Islands wins on cost – living expenses run 11% lower than in Nosara. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Canary Islands the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 59% lower in the Canary Islands. 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 $1,111 in the Canary Islands. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 11% 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 $1,650 in the Canary Islands – a 11% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,650 in the Canary Islands versus $1,839 in Nosara, a $2,000 budget is realistic in the Canary Islands but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Canary Islands the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Canary Islands delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,650 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Canary Islands hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Nosara and Canary Islands 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 Canary Islands gentler on the wallet – expenses run 11% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.