Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Cesena

For one person, living is cheaper in Cesena: $1,646 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $2,300 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
80

Cost of Living Index in Cesena
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Cesena Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Cesena

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,646

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Cesena

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,839 in Nosara versus $1,646 in Cesena.

Nosara $1,839
Cesena $1,646

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,828 in Nosara versus $2,537 in Cesena.

Nosara $2,828
Cesena $2,537

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,818 in Nosara versus $3,428 in Cesena.

Nosara $3,818
Cesena $3,428

Living in Nosara is roughly 12% more expensive than in Cesena, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Nosara 36% above, Cesena 22% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$16.83 €14.97

-26.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$89.5 €79.6

-31.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$12.22 €10.87

-38.46%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$2.21 €1.96

99.55%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$2.72 €2.42

-36.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$1.09 €0.97

20.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$6.04 €5.37

-45.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$5.10 €4.53

-12.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.35 €1.20

15.56%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$1.36 €1.21

122.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$1.97 €1.75

27.41%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$2.77 €2.47

28.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$17.63 €15.68

-57.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$11.91 €10.60

-11.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$17.03 €15.15

-17.97%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$1.93 €1.72

21.76%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$2.47 €2.20

-34.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$2.39 €2.12

100.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$3.99 €3.55

-59.65%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$1.60 €1.43

137.50%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$1.65 €1.47

123.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$1.87 €1.67

-39.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$0.34 €0.30

682.35%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$6.52 €5.80

-20.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$6.79 €6.04

192.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$1.22 €1.09

137.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$1.72 €1.53

111.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$2.17 €1.93

-48.39%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

$38.55 €34.29

88.43%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$8.20 €7.30

-73.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$1.98 €1.76

-20.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$33.88 €30.13

-74.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$2.03 €1.81

-25.12%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$36.5K €32.5K

-40.78%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$34.9K €31.0K

-1.06%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$189 €168

-49.01%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$9.75 €8.67

268.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$30.74 €27.34

74.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$50.8 €45.16

41.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

$14.22 €12.65

145.50%

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$9.99 €8.89

-21.02%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$537 €478

-8.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$9,900 €8,806

19.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$90.7 €80.7

-40.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$36.93 €32.85

50.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$82.4 €73.3

-5.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$78.7 €70.0

1.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$660 €587

19.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$591 €525

34.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$1,174 €1,045

235.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$925 €823

53.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$2,953 €2,627

134.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

$2,583 €2,298

-52.61%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

$1,750 €1,557

-50.66%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

3.3

161.21%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Cesena: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Cesena

$591 35.9% 25.6% $204

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Cesena

$306 18.6% 13% $46

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Cesena

$253 15.4% 19.6% $42

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Cesena

$229 13.9% 23.5% $44

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Cesena

$130 7.9% 8.2% $9.8

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Cesena

$71 4.3% 19% $17

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Cesena

$65 4% 25% $22

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $788 in Nosara and $660 in Cesena. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cesena pays 103% 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 $89.0 in Cesena. Groceries flip the comparison at $352 vs $306, with Cesena cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇮🇹 Cesena

🕒 Local time

15:04 3:04 PM

23:04 11:04 PM

8 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

96,758

💱 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 Cesena 9,860 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Cesena

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 Cesena: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara and Cesena differ by about 12% in total monthly costs ($1,839 vs $1,646 including rent). Cesena is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 103% lower in Cesena. 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 $660 in Cesena. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Cesena – a meal for two runs $89.0 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 $1,646 in Cesena – a 12% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,646 in Cesena versus $1,839 in Nosara, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Cesena but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Cesena 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 Cesena 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 Cesena gentler on the wallet – expenses run 12% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.