Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Cayo Coco

For one person, living is cheaper in Cayo Coco: $1,224 a month against $1,837 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $7,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index
60

Cost of Living Index in Cayo Coco
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Cayo Coco Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Cayo Coco

🇨🇺 Cuba

$1,224

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Cayo Coco

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,837 in Nosara versus $1,224 in Cayo Coco.

Nosara $1,837
Cayo Coco $1,224

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,775 in Nosara versus $1,695 in Cayo Coco.

Nosara $2,775
Cayo Coco $1,695

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,712 in Nosara versus $2,166 in Cayo Coco.

Nosara $3,712
Cayo Coco $2,166

Living in Nosara is roughly 50% more expensive than in Cayo Coco, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

The two cities straddle the global median: Nosara is 37% above, Cayo Coco is 9% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.22 ₡5,509

$5.05 CUP 121

141.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.2 ₡27.1K

$15.06 CUP 361

299.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 ₡3,399

$7.07 CUP 170

6.65%

Cappuccino

$4.31 ₡1,941

$0.98 CUP 23.43

339.80%

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

$1.72 ₡773

$1.95 CUP 46.88

-11.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.35 ₡608

$1.03 CUP 24.67

31.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ₡1,459

$2.05 CUP 49.15

58.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 ₡2,018

$3.08 CUP 73.8

45.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡707

$2.94 CUP 70.6

-46.60%

White Bread (500g)

$3.17 ₡1,429

$1.01 CUP 24.27

213.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 ₡1,091

$1.95 CUP 46.77

24.10%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,609

$3.58 CUP 85.9

-0.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,349

$6.12 CUP 147

21.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.42 ₡4,697

$4.86 CUP 117

114.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.66 ₡6,156

$9.94 CUP 239

37.42%

Apples (1kg)

$2.32 ₡1,044

$4.91 CUP 118

-52.75%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡728

$1.01 CUP 24.28

59.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.74 ₡2,138

$1.01 CUP 24.28

369.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 ₡747

$0.99 CUP 23.72

67.68%

Potato (1kg)

$3.72 ₡1,679

$1.01 CUP 24.26

268.32%

Onion (1kg)

$3.57 ₡1,611

$3.05 CUP 73.2

17.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 ₡497

$1.03 CUP 24.61

6.80%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.55 ₡1,149

$0.99 CUP 23.70

157.58%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.95 ₡2,232

$2.96 CUP 71.0

67.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.01 ₡9,020

$10.06 CUP 241

98.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.79 ₡1,256

$2.04 CUP 48.93

36.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.53 ₡1,589

$2.05 CUP 49.27

72.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.19 ₡537

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.1 ₡32.5K

$19.65 CUP 472

266.77%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.24 ₡1,011

$1.02 CUP 24.52

119.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 ₡701

$1.02 CUP 24.57

51.96%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₡3,993

$19.61 CUP 471

-54.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡708

$0.97 CUP 23.38

61.86%

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

$21.8K ₡9.8M

$68.9K CUP 1.7M

-68.36%

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

$34.6K ₡15.6M

$79.5K CUP 1.9M

-56.41%

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

$93.5 ₡42.1K

$39.37 CUP 945

137.36%

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

$35.11 ₡15.8K

$40.66 CUP 976

-13.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.5 ₡23.2K

$216 CUP 5,191

-76.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.4 ₡32.2K

$39.22 CUP 941

82.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.44 ₡16.0K

$9.85 CUP 236

259.80%

Cinema Ticket

$7.84 ₡3,535

$0.98 CUP 23.44

700.00%

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

$490 ₡220.7K

$89.9 CUP 2,158

444.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.4M

$14.8K CUP 355.5K

-19.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ₡24.1K

$40.14 CUP 963

33.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.8 ₡25.1K

$30.02 CUP 720

85.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 ₡35.7K

$74.7 CUP 1,793

6.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.9 ₡35.6K

$80.7 CUP 1,937

-2.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$786 ₡354.3K

$403 CUP 9,664

95.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$780 ₡351.6K

$426 CUP 10.2K

82.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,860 ₡1.7M

$1,030 CUP 24.7K

274.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 ₡634.4K

$622 CUP 14.9K

126.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,972 ₡3.1M

$302 CUP 7,243

2210.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,201 ₡541.3K

$356 CUP 8,541

237.38%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$876 ₡395.0K

$20.21 CUP 485

4236.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

-13.80%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Last update for Cayo Coco: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$780 43%

Cayo Coco

$426 34.8% 45.3% $354

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$350 19.3%

Cayo Coco

$233 19% 33.3% $116

Eating Out

Nosara

$209 11.6%

Cayo Coco

$102 8.3% 51.5% $108

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$180 9.9%

Cayo Coco

$296 24.2% 64.6% $116

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.6%

Cayo Coco

$102 8.3% 15.7% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Cayo Coco

$41 3.4% 52.7% $46

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Cayo Coco

$26 * 2.1% 70.3% $61

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 $786 in Nosara and $403 in Cayo Coco. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Nosara pays 4236% 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: $60.0 in Nosara vs $15.00 in Cayo Coco for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $350 vs $233 per month, with Cayo Coco cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇨🇺 Cayo Coco

🕒 Local time

02:18 2:18 AM

04:18 4:18 AM

2 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Cuban Peso CUP $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

100 CUP = 4.17 USD

100 CUP = 3.72 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CUP, USD, EUR to CRC – Costa Rican Colón Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 506 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Cuban Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 24 CUP (100 CUP = 4.17 USD). 1 EUR = 26.92 CUP (100 CUP = 3.72 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Cayo Coco 1,590 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Cayo Coco

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 Cayo Coco: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cayo Coco wins on cost – living expenses run 50% lower than in Nosara. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Cayo Coco the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 4236% higher in Nosara, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $786 in Nosara versus $403 in Cayo Coco. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Cayo Coco runs roughly 267% less than in Nosara. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $490 in Nosara versus $89.9 in Cayo Coco. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,224 in Cayo Coco versus $1,837 in Nosara, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Cayo Coco but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Cayo Coco the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Cayo Coco delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,224 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Cayo Coco hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Nosara and Cayo Coco 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 Cayo Coco gentler on the wallet – expenses run 50% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.