Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Cesis

For one person, living is cheaper in Cesis: $1,102 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $8,800 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
54

Cost of Living Index in Cesis
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Cesis Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Cesis

🇱🇻 Latvia

$1,102

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Cesis

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,839 in Nosara versus $1,102 in Cesis.

Nosara $1,839
Cesis $1,102

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,828 in Nosara versus $1,829 in Cesis.

Nosara $2,828
Cesis $1,829

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,818 in Nosara versus $2,556 in Cesis.

Nosara $3,818
Cesis $2,556

Living in Nosara is roughly 67% more expensive than in Cesis, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Nosara is 36% above, Cesis is 18% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$16.49 €14.67

-25.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$66.9 €59.5

-8.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$9.00 €8.01

-16.44%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$3.68 €3.28

19.84%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$1.62 €1.44

7.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$1.18 €1.05

11.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$5.63 €5.00

-41.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$5.08 €4.52

-12.01%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.19 €1.06

31.09%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$1.48 €1.31

104.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$2.49 €2.21

0.80%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$2.73 €2.43

30.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$10.66 €9.48

-30.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$8.42 €7.49

24.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$13.46 €11.98

3.79%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$2.06 €1.83

14.08%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$1.80 €1.60

-10.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$2.47 €2.20

94.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$2.97 €2.65

-45.79%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$0.82 €0.73

363.41%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$0.90 €0.80

310.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$1.73 €1.54

-34.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$0.92 €0.82

189.13%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$6.80 €6.05

-23.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$7.92 €7.05

151.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$1.71 €1.52

69.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$2.03 €1.80

78.82%

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

$3.28 €2.92

-34.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$0.98 €0.87

60.20%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$17.96 €15.97

-52.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$2.04 €1.81

-25.49%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$27.3K €24.3K

-20.91%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$30.3K €27.0K

13.92%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$368 €328

-73.87%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$19.14 €17.02

87.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$19.72 €17.54

171.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$11.34 €10.09

-30.42%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$683 €608

-27.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$18.2K €16.2K

-34.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$67.9 €60.4

-20.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$51.0 €45.32

8.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$84.6 €75.2

-7.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$136 €121

-41.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$283 €252

401.51%

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

$1,095 €974

-21.16%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

4.77

80.71%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Cesis: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Cesis

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Cesis

$259 23.5% 26.6% $94

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Cesis

$253 22.9% 19.2% $41

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Cesis

$407 37% 119% $222

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Cesis

$153 13.9% 27.2% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Cesis

$23 * 2.1% 74% $65

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Cesis

$8.2 * 0.7% 90.6% $79

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Cesis pays 27% 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 $67.0 in Cesis. Groceries flip the comparison at $352 vs $259, with Cesis cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇱🇻 Cesis

🕒 Local time

16:30 4:30 PM

01:30 1:30 AM

9 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

17,673

💱 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

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Highest

Between locations

Nosara Cesis 10,290 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Cesis

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 Cesis: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cesis is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, utilities, and leisure. The 67% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 27% lower in Cesis. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Childcare runs $494 in Nosara versus $683 in Cesis. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Cesis – a meal for two runs $67.0 versus $61.0 in Nosara. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,102 in Cesis versus $1,839 in Nosara, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cesis but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Cesis the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Cesis is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Nosara, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Nosara and Cesis 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 Cesis gentler on the wallet – expenses run 67% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.