Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Candelaria

For one person, living is cheaper in Candelaria: $1,327 a month against $1,846 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $6,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Nosara outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

88

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index
64

Cost of Living Index in Candelaria
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Candelaria Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,846

/mo nomad

Candelaria

🇵🇷 Puerto Rico

$1,327

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Candelaria

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

A single person spends $1,846 per month in Nosara vs $1,327 in Candelaria, rent included.

Nosara $1,846
Candelaria $1,327

A couple spends around $2,833 per month in Nosara vs $2,085 in Candelaria, rent included.

Nosara $2,833
Candelaria $2,085

A family of three spends $3,820 per month in Nosara vs $2,844 in Candelaria, rent included.

Nosara $3,820
Candelaria $2,844

Nosara costs about 39% more than Candelaria, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Nosara sits 36% above the global median, while Candelaria is 3% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.36 ₡5,575

$19.01 $19.01

-34.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.8 ₡27.4K

$81.5 $81.5

-25.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.88 ₡3,557

$9.21 $9.21

-14.44%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₡1,986

$3.70 $3.70

18.92%

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

$1.72 ₡776

$1.88 $1.88

-8.51%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.34 ₡603

$1.46 $1.46

-8.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.34 ₡1,505

$3.06 $3.06

9.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.54 ₡2,048

$4.97 $4.97

-8.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.64 ₡739

$2.16 $2.16

-24.07%

White Bread (500g)

$3.16 ₡1,426

$3.54 $3.54

-10.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.39 ₡1,080

$2.33 $2.33

2.58%

Eggs

$3.47 ₡1,564

$7.19 $7.19

-51.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.13 ₡3,217

$12.35 $12.35

-42.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.32 ₡4,655

$9.91 $9.91

4.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,302

$13.47 $13.47

3.71%

Apples (1kg)

$2.29 ₡1,031

$5.11 $5.11

-55.19%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 ₡731

$2.57 $2.57

-36.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.81 ₡2,169

$4.82 $4.82

-0.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.68 ₡758

$4.87 $4.87

-65.50%

Potato (1kg)

$3.91 ₡1,765

$3.71 $3.71

5.39%

Onion (1kg)

$3.63 ₡1,640

$3.97 $3.97

-8.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡509

$3.38 $3.38

-66.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.63 ₡1,188

$1.66 $1.66

58.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.02 ₡2,267

$12.10 $12.10

-58.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.71 ₡8,893

$15.81 $15.81

24.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.91 ₡1,314

$3.12 $3.12

-6.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.54 ₡1,597

$4.09 $4.09

-13.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.21 ₡545

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.8 ₡33.3K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.15 ₡969

$2.46 $2.46

-12.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 ₡738

$1.51 $1.51

7.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.77 ₡3,958

$41.21 $41.21

-78.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡700

$1.17 $1.17

32.48%

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

$33.9K ₡15.3M

$34.0K $34.0K

-0.43%

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

$38.5K ₡17.4M

$28.2K $28.2K

36.24%

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

$95.2 ₡43.0K

$326 $326

-70.82%

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

$36.29 ₡16.4K

$68.8 $68.8

-47.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.0 ₡23.5K

$69.4 $69.4

-25.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.6 ₡30.5K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.55 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$7.54 ₡3,404

$10.69 $10.69

-29.47%

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

$496 ₡224.0K

$806 $806

-38.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.8K ₡5.3M

$12.3K $12.3K

-4.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.1 ₡24.9K

$55.7 $55.7

-0.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.1 ₡25.3K

$61.3 $61.3

-8.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.8 ₡35.1K

$110 $110

-28.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.1 ₡35.7K

$114 $114

-30.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$817 ₡368.9K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$806 ₡363.6K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,988 ₡1.8M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,429 ₡644.9K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,068 ₡3.2M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,197 ₡540.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$888 ₡400.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

6.55

31.60%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 24, 2026

Last update for Candelaria: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$806 43.7%

Candelaria

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$351 19%

Candelaria

$415 31.3% 18.1% $63

Eating Out

Nosara

$213 11.6%

Candelaria

$263 19.8% 23.2% $49

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$184 9.9%

Candelaria

$464 35% 153% $281

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$121 6.5%

Candelaria

$153 11.6% 27.1% $33

Getting Around

Nosara

$89 4.8%

Candelaria

$10 * 0.8% 88.7% $79

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$83 4.5%

Candelaria

$21 * 1.6% 74.1% $61

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61 in Nosara versus $81 in Candelaria. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $351 vs $415 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇵🇷 Candelaria

🕒 Local time

10:35 10:35 AM

12:35 12:35 PM

2 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

17,631

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR

1 USD = 0.899 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to CRC – Costa Rican Colón Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 502 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.899 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Candelaria 2,280 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Candelaria

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 Candelaria: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,846 in Nosara, $1,327 in Candelaria – roughly 39% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,769 per month in Nosara and $1,990 in Candelaria. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,846 in Nosara and $1,327 in Candelaria. That’s a gap of about 39%.

Kindergarten costs $496 per month in Nosara and $806 in Candelaria. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

It depends on your priorities. Nosara has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,327 in Candelaria to $1,846 in Nosara. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.