Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Cartagena

For one person, living is cheaper in Cartagena: $1,292 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $6,600 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
54

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

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,292

/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.

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $1,292 in Cartagena, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
Cartagena $1,292

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $2,165 in Cartagena, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
Cartagena $2,165

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $3,039 in Cartagena, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
Cartagena $3,039

Nosara costs about 42% more than Cartagena, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Nosara sits 36% above the global median, while Cartagena is 4% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$5.87 COP 18.6K

110.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$143 COP 453.5K

-57.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$10.37 COP 32.9K

-27.48%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$4.26 COP 13.5K

3.52%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$2.54 COP 8,063

-31.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$2.36 COP 7,478

-44.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$3.26 COP 10.3K

0.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$4.96 COP 15.7K

-9.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.91 COP 6,053

-18.32%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$2.74 COP 8,692

10.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$1.45 COP 4,610

73.10%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$5.06 COP 16.0K

-29.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$13.13 COP 41.6K

-43.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$17.37 COP 55.1K

-39.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$1.99 COP 6,304

33.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$14.64 COP 46.4K

35.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$1.40 COP 4,436

107.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$1.25 COP 3,972

-10.40%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

$58.4 COP 185.2K

24.38%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$4.74 COP 15.0K

-54.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$3.68 COP 11.7K

-57.34%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$9.49 COP 30.1K

-10.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$1.34 COP 4,251

13.43%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$23.4K COP 74.1M

-7.54%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$34.4K COP 109.2M

0.22%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$78.4 COP 248.6K

22.79%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$91.7 COP 290.8K

-21.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$8.02 COP 25.4K

-1.62%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$630 COP 2.0M

-21.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$5,818 COP 18.4M

103.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$1,035 COP 3.3M

-23.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$585 COP 1.9M

35.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$2,287 COP 7.3M

72.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$944 COP 3.0M

50.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

$924 COP 2.9M

32.45%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

$467 COP 1.5M

84.96%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

-42.53%

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 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Cartagena

$585 45.3% 26.3% $209

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Cartagena

$259 * 20% 26.5% $93

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Cartagena

$175 13.5% 17.4% $37

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Cartagena

$78 * 6.1% 57.8% $107

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Cartagena

- * 0% 100%

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Cartagena

$108 8.3% 23.3% $20

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Cartagena

$87 6.7% 0.7% $0.6

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 $1,035 in Cartagena. 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 85% 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 $143 in Cartagena. Groceries tell a different story – $352 in Nosara vs $259 in Cartagena – so Cartagena wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇨🇴 Cartagena

🕒 Local time

12:09 12:09 PM

13:09 1:09 PM

1 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

1,028,736

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, 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).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Nosara Cartagena 1,110 km ≈ 2 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

Nosara costs about 42% more than Cartagena, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from clothing. 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 $1,938 in Cartagena. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Cartagena, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $494 per month in Nosara and $630 in Cartagena. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 36% 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 Cartagena, where all-in costs run around $1,292, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Cartagena it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Cartagena costs $1,292 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 Cartagena. 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.