Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Cayey

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $2,166 in Cayey, rent and utilities included – about $3,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index
105

Cost of Living Index in Cayey
Learn more

Cayey Living Index

Jump to prices

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Cayey

🇵🇷 Puerto Rico

$2,166

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Cayey

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,839 in Nosara versus $2,166 in Cayey.

Nosara $1,839
Cayey $2,166

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,828 in Nosara versus $3,465 in Cayey.

Nosara $2,828
Cayey $3,465

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,818 in Nosara versus $4,764 in Cayey.

Nosara $3,818
Cayey $4,764

Living in Nosara costs roughly 15% less than in Cayey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Nosara 36% above, Cayey 60% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$18.96 $18.96

-34.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$83.0 $83.0

-26.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$9.37 $9.37

-19.74%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$3.66 $3.66

20.49%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$1.86 $1.86

-6.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$1.46 $1.46

-10.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$3.01 $3.01

8.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$4.91 $4.91

-8.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$2.20 $2.20

-29.09%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$3.60 $3.60

-16.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$2.45 $2.45

2.45%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$7.56 $7.56

-52.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$12.75 $12.75

-41.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$9.50 $9.50

10.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$13.37 $13.37

4.49%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$5.20 $5.20

-54.81%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$2.56 $2.56

-37.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$4.94 $4.94

-2.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$4.85 $4.85

-66.80%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$3.68 $3.68

3.26%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$4.05 $4.05

-8.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$3.50 $3.50

-67.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$1.65 $1.65

61.21%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$12.05 $12.05

-57.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$15.37 $15.37

29.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$3.12 $3.12

-7.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$3.97 $3.97

-8.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$2.55 $2.55

-16.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$1.52 $1.52

3.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$42.36 $42.36

-79.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$1.02 $1.02

49.02%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$40.6K $40.6K

-46.78%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$28.2K $28.2K

22.34%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$326 $326

-70.44%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$68.5 $68.5

-47.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$70.2 $70.2

-23.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$40.45 $40.45

76.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$9.81 $9.81

-19.57%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$822 $822

-39.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$12.3K $12.3K

-3.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$55.2 $55.2

-2.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$60.4 $60.4

-8.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$108 $108

-28.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$113 $113

-29.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$1,190 $1,190

-33.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$802 $802

-0.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$2,429 $2,429

62.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$1,836 $1,836

-22.70%

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

$3,661 $3,661

-76.41%

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 11, 2026

Last update for Cayey: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Cayey

$802 37% 0.9% $7.4

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Cayey

$416 19.2% 18.2% $64

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Cayey

$262 12.1% 23.6% $50

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Cayey

$464 21.4% 150% $279

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Cayey

$151 7% 26.1% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Cayey

$60 2.8% 31.2% $27

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Cayey

$10 * 0.5% 88.4% $77

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 $1,190 in Cayey. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cayey pays 324% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $61.0 in Nosara vs $83.0 in Cayey for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $352 vs $416 per month, with Nosara cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇵🇷 Cayey

🕒 Local time

13:23 1:23 PM

15:23 3:23 PM

2 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

13,999

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1 USD = 0.889 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 17, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

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

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Cayey 2,290 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Cayey

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 Cayey: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara and Cayey differ by about 18% in total monthly costs ($1,839 vs $2,166 including rent). Nosara is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 324% lower in Cayey. 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 $1,190 in Cayey. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $494 in Nosara versus $822 in Cayey. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Nosara – a meal for two runs $61.0 versus $83.0 in Cayey. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,839 in Nosara versus $2,166 in Cayey, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Nosara but tight or insufficient in Cayey. The gap between the two cities makes Nosara the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Nosara and Cayey 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 Nosara gentler on the wallet – expenses run 18% less than in Cayey. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.