Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Chaves

For one person, living is cheaper in Chaves: $1,064 a month against $1,835 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $9,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index
51

Cost of Living Index in Chaves
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Chaves Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Chaves

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,064

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Chaves

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

A single person spends $1,835 per month in Nosara vs $1,064 in Chaves, rent included.

Nosara $1,835
Chaves $1,064

A couple spends around $2,825 per month in Nosara vs $1,607 in Chaves, rent included.

Nosara $2,825
Chaves $1,607

A family of three spends $3,814 per month in Nosara vs $2,150 in Chaves, rent included.

Nosara $3,814
Chaves $2,150

Nosara costs about 73% more than Chaves, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Nosara sits 35% above the global median, while Chaves is 21% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.34 ₡5,535

$7.99 €7.10

54.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.3 ₡27.5K

$22.32 €19.86

174.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.76 ₡3,481

$7.78 €6.92

-0.26%

Cappuccino

$4.44 ₡1,992

$1.54 €1.37

188.31%

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

$1.79 ₡803

$1.49 €1.33

20.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.29 ₡580

$0.57 €0.51

126.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ₡1,451

$2.28 €2.03

42.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.43 ₡1,985

$2.73 €2.43

62.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡696

$1.02 €0.90

51.96%

White Bread (500g)

$3.08 ₡1,380

$1.14 €1.01

170.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.53 ₡1,133

$1.13 €1.01

123.89%

Eggs

$3.45 ₡1,546

$3.05 €2.71

13.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.32 ₡3,284

$6.23 €5.54

17.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.24 ₡4,594

$6.53 €5.81

56.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.10 ₡6,326

$10.26 €9.12

37.43%

Apples (1kg)

$2.29 ₡1,027

$1.14 €1.01

100.88%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 ₡737

$1.15 €1.02

42.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.79 ₡2,149

$1.11 €0.98

331.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.64 ₡735

$1.10 €0.97

49.09%

Potato (1kg)

$3.85 ₡1,727

$2.02 €1.80

90.59%

Onion (1kg)

$3.75 ₡1,681

$1.13 €1.01

231.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.09 ₡488

$1.41 €1.26

-22.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.59 ₡1,160

$0.79 €0.70

227.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.12 ₡2,295

$5.97 €5.31

-14.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.92 ₡8,931

$4.03 €3.58

394.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.80 ₡1,255

$1.15 €1.02

143.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.52 ₡1,580

$1.15 €1.02

206.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.22 ₡549

$0.87 €0.77

40.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.9 ₡33.1K

$27.67 €24.61

167.08%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.17 ₡973

$3.97 €3.53

-45.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 ₡698

$0.68 €0.61

129.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.67 ₡3,886

$19.78 €17.60

-56.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡697

$1.95 €1.73

-20.51%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$34.1K €30.4K

1.24%

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

$38.7K ₡17.4M

$37.6K €33.4K

3.05%

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

$94.8 ₡42.5K

$134 €119

-29.04%

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

$36.15 ₡16.2K

$17.81 €15.84

102.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.1 ₡23.8K

$31.69 €28.19

67.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$73.8 ₡33.1K

$25.25 €22.46

192.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.63 ₡16.0K

$5.49 €4.88

549.00%

Cinema Ticket

$7.91 ₡3,548

$7.14 €6.35

10.78%

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

$490 ₡219.9K

$223 €199

119.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$3,620 €3,220

228.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.8 ₡24.6K

$71.9 €63.9

-23.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.9 ₡25.1K

$22.56 €20.07

147.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.4 ₡36.0K

$63.0 €56.1

27.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$90.2 €80.3

-13.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$801 ₡359.1K

$478 €425

67.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$790 ₡354.1K

$378 €336

108.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,005 ₡1.8M

$951 €846

321.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,409 ₡632.0K

$736 €655

91.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,064 ₡3.2M

$1,870 €1,663

277.77%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,236 ₡554.3K

$1,472 €1,310

-16.06%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$887 ₡397.6K

$1,015 €903

-12.63%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

187.33%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 20, 2026

Last update for Chaves: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$790 43%

Chaves

$378 35.5% 52.1% $412

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$350 19.1%

Chaves

$182 17.2% 47.8% $167

Eating Out

Nosara

$213 11.6%

Chaves

$131 12.3% 38.5% $82

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$184 10%

Chaves

$183 17.2% 0.5% $0.9

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$121 6.6%

Chaves

$111 10.5% 7.9% $9.5

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$90 4.9%

Chaves

$40 3.7% 55.9% $50

Getting Around

Nosara

$89 4.8%

Chaves

$39 3.6% 56.6% $50

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $801 in Nosara versus $478 in Chaves. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 14% higher in Chaves, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Nosara versus $22.00 in Chaves. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $350 vs $182 – making Chaves the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇵🇹 Chaves

🕒 Local time

04:54 4:54 AM

11:54 11:54 AM

7 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

37,592

💱 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 22, 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 22, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Nosara Chaves 8,290 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Chaves

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 Chaves: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara costs about 73% more than Chaves, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,753 per month in Nosara and $1,596 in Chaves. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Chaves, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 167% less in Chaves. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $490 per month in Nosara and $223 in Chaves. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Chaves, where all-in costs run around $1,064, than in Nosara at $1,835. In Chaves it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chaves costs $1,064 versus $1,835 in Nosara. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Chaves. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Nosara makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.