Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Cartagena

For one person, living is cheaper in Cartagena: $1,427 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $4,900 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
69

Cost of Living Index in Cartagena
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Cartagena Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Cartagena

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,427

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Cartagena

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,839 in Nosara versus $1,427 in Cartagena.

Nosara $1,839
Cartagena $1,427

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,828 in Nosara versus $2,095 in Cartagena.

Nosara $2,828
Cartagena $2,095

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,818 in Nosara versus $2,762 in Cartagena.

Nosara $3,818
Cartagena $2,762

Living in Nosara is roughly 29% more expensive than in Cartagena, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Nosara 36% above, Cartagena 6% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$13.84 €12.31

-10.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$55.0 €48.90

11.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$7.60 €6.76

-1.05%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$2.56 €2.27

72.27%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$2.45 €2.18

-28.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$1.84 €1.64

-28.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$3.43 €3.05

-4.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$3.98 €3.54

12.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.21 €1.07

28.93%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$1.18 €1.05

155.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$2.55 €2.26

-1.57%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$3.96 €3.52

-9.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$12.91 €11.48

-42.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$6.94 €6.18

51.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$18.67 €16.60

-25.17%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$2.39 €2.13

-1.67%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$2.52 €2.24

-36.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$1.61 €1.43

198.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$3.09 €2.75

-47.90%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$1.25 €1.11

204.00%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$1.24 €1.10

197.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$1.57 €1.40

-28.03%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$0.69 €0.62

285.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$5.64 €5.02

-8.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$6.24 €5.55

218.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$1.25 €1.11

132.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$1.13 €1.00

221.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$1.43 €1.27

-21.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

$11.14 €9.91

552.06%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$5.50 €4.90

-61.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$2.25 €2.00

-30.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$27.49 €24.45

-69.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$1.77 €1.58

-14.12%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$35.1K €31.2K

-38.45%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$30.2K €26.8K

14.46%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$210 €187

-54.15%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$19.74 €17.56

81.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$28.70 €25.53

86.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$41.14 €36.59

74.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

$12.80 €11.39

172.73%

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$7.70 €6.85

2.47%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$416 €370

18.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$2,726 €2,425

335.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$47.17 €41.96

14.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$35.38 €31.47

56.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$61.1 €54.3

27.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$101 €89.7

-21.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$591 €525

33.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$492 €438

61.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$836 €743

371.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$708 €630

100.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$1,770 €1,574

290.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

$1,433 €1,275

-14.58%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

$1,720 €1,530

-49.78%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

4.06

112.32%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Cartagena: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Cartagena

$492 34.5% 38.1% $302

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Cartagena

$270 18.9% 23.3% $82

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Cartagena

$206 14.5% 2.5% $5.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Cartagena

$258 18.1% 39.1% $73

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Cartagena

$110 7.7% 8.4% $10

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Cartagena

$57 4% 35.3% $31

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Cartagena

$34 2.4% 61.4% $54

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $788 in Nosara and $591 in Cartagena. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cartagena pays 99% 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 $55.0 in Cartagena for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $352 vs $270 per month, with Cartagena cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇪🇸 Cartagena

🕒 Local time

18:06 6:06 PM

02:06 2:06 AM

8 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

218,050

💱 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 18, 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Cartagena 8,870 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Cartagena

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 Cartagena: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cartagena wins on cost – living expenses run 29% lower than in Nosara. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Cartagena the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 99% lower in Cartagena. 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 $591 in Cartagena. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Cartagena – a meal for two runs $55.0 versus $61.0 in Nosara. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,839 per month in Nosara versus $1,427 in Cartagena – a 29% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,427 in Cartagena versus $1,839 in Nosara, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Cartagena but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Cartagena the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Cartagena delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,427 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Cartagena hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Nosara and Cartagena 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 Cartagena gentler on the wallet – expenses run 29% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.