Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Cartago Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Cartago

πŸ™‚ Solo nomad: Nosara is 2.8% cheaper than Cartago without rent, and 9.6% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Nosara is 24.2% more expensive than Cartago without rent, and 29.4% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Nosara
Cartago
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.9 β‚‘5,457
$8 β‚‘4,006
36.25%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$60.5 β‚‘30.3K
$31.92 β‚‘16K
89.41%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.9 β‚‘3,453
$9.07 β‚‘4,540
-23.93%
Cappuccino
$3.89 β‚‘1,949
$3.85 β‚‘1,929
1.04%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.54 β‚‘773
$2.04 β‚‘1,020
-24.51%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.17 β‚‘587
$1.22 β‚‘613
-4.10%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.06 β‚‘1,530
$2.04 β‚‘1,021
50.00%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.75 β‚‘2,379
$4.68 β‚‘2,345
1.50%
πŸ›’ Groceries & Markets
Nosara
Cartago
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.43 β‚‘715
$1.98 β‚‘989
-27.78%
White Bread (500g)
$2.89 β‚‘1,447
$2.2 β‚‘1,103
31.36%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.23 β‚‘1,117
$2.2 β‚‘1,103
1.36%
Eggs
$3.01 β‚‘1,508
$2.87 β‚‘1,439
4.88%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$6.48 β‚‘3,242
$8.06 β‚‘4,037
-19.60%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.36 β‚‘4,687
$8.9 β‚‘4,456
5.17%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.41 β‚‘6,715
$13.87 β‚‘6,946
-3.32%
Apples (1kg)
$2.1 β‚‘1,053
$4.4 β‚‘2,205
-52.27%
Banana (1kg)
$1.43 β‚‘716
$1.17 β‚‘585
22.22%
Oranges (1kg)
$4.19 β‚‘2,096
$3.93 β‚‘1,970
6.62%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.47 β‚‘736
$2.7 β‚‘1,352
-45.56%
Potato (1kg)
$3.51 β‚‘1,759
$1.98 β‚‘989
77.27%
Onion (1kg)
$3.23 β‚‘1,616
$1.93 β‚‘968
67.36%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.96 β‚‘482
$0.97 β‚‘486
-1.03%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.31 β‚‘1,158
$2.03 β‚‘1,017
13.79%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.49 β‚‘2,248
$5.37 β‚‘2,688
-16.39%
Wine (Bottle)
$18.93 β‚‘9,475
$13.79 β‚‘6,901
37.27%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.44 β‚‘1,223
$2.4 β‚‘1,203
1.67%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.8 β‚‘1,399
$1.75 β‚‘878
60.00%
🚌 Getting Around
Nosara
Cartago
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.04 β‚‘518
$1.06 β‚‘531
-1.89%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$66.5 β‚‘33.3K
$69 β‚‘34.5K
-3.58%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.85 β‚‘925
$1.35 β‚‘677
37.04%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.77 β‚‘884
$1.77 β‚‘886
-
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$7.85 β‚‘3,931
$7.7 β‚‘3,855
1.95%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.36 β‚‘679
$1.39 β‚‘695
-2.16%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$32.3K β‚‘16.2M
$37.2K β‚‘18.6M
-13.14%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$32.7K β‚‘16.3M
$33.1K β‚‘16.6M
-1.45%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Nosara
Cartago
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$95 β‚‘47.6K
$48.99 β‚‘24.5K
93.90%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$26.15 β‚‘13.1K
$25.87 β‚‘12.9K
1.08%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$48.48 β‚‘24.3K
$56.3 β‚‘28.2K
-13.86%
πŸŽ‰ Sport & Entertainment
Nosara
Cartago
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$55.8 β‚‘27.9K
$57.7 β‚‘28.9K
-3.29%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$23.73 β‚‘11.9K
$24.16 β‚‘12.1K
-1.78%
Cinema Ticket
$10 β‚‘5,008
$6.38 β‚‘3,192
56.74%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Nosara
Cartago
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$448 β‚‘224.4K
$490 β‚‘245.4K
-8.57%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$10.5K β‚‘5.2M
$7,079 β‚‘3.5M
47.73%
πŸ‘•πŸ‘Ÿ Clothing & Footwear
Nosara
Cartago
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$49.72 β‚‘24.9K
$61.7 β‚‘30.9K
-19.47%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$50.5 β‚‘25.3K
$52.2 β‚‘26.1K
-3.16%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$70.6 β‚‘35.3K
$108 β‚‘54K
-34.59%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$71.1 β‚‘35.6K
$79.5 β‚‘39.8K
-10.62%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Nosara
Cartago
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$751 β‚‘376K
$776 β‚‘388.3K
-3.17%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$757 β‚‘378.9K
$606 β‚‘303.4K
24.88%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,505 β‚‘753.2K
$734 β‚‘367.6K
104.92%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,303 β‚‘652.3K
$753 β‚‘377.1K
72.99%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$6,322 β‚‘3.2M
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,079 β‚‘540.1K
-
-
πŸ’΅ Salaries & Financials
Nosara
Cartago
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$805 β‚‘402.9K
$1,613 β‚‘807.4K
-50.10%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
10.17
10
1.70%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 27, 2025

Last update for Cartago: October 27, 2025

Join the CityCost newsletter – low traffic, no spam, and easy to unsubscribe. Your email stays private.