Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Chillan

For one person, living is cheaper in Chillan: $876 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $11,600 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
43

Cost of Living Index in Chillan
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Chillan Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Chillan

🇨🇱 Chile

$876

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Chillan

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,839 in Nosara versus $876 in Chillan.

Nosara $1,839
Chillan $876

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,828 in Nosara versus $1,321 in Chillan.

Nosara $2,828
Chillan $1,321

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,818 in Nosara versus $1,766 in Chillan.

Nosara $3,818
Chillan $1,766

Living in Nosara is roughly 110% more expensive than in Chillan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Nosara is 36% above, Chillan is 35% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$5.24 CLP 5,162

135.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$46.84 CLP 46.1K

30.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$5.85 CLP 5,761

28.55%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$3.65 CLP 3,592

20.82%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$0.92 CLP 909

89.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$0.99 CLP 970

32.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$3.52 CLP 3,467

-6.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$4.55 CLP 4,477

-1.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.06 CLP 1,043

47.17%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$1.62 CLP 1,593

86.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$1.83 CLP 1,804

37.16%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$3.70 CLP 3,640

-3.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$7.08 CLP 6,974

4.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$2.51 CLP 2,473

319.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$8.12 CLP 7,998

72.04%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$1.48 CLP 1,454

58.78%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$1.64 CLP 1,616

-1.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$1.25 CLP 1,234

284.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$1.03 CLP 1,018

56.31%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$1.44 CLP 1,415

163.89%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$1.26 CLP 1,236

192.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$1.03 CLP 1,009

9.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$1.19 CLP 1,176

123.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$4.58 CLP 4,507

13.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$3.37 CLP 3,320

489.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$1.25 CLP 1,234

132.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$2.03 CLP 1,996

78.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$0.58 CLP 571

93.10%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

$36.06 CLP 35.5K

101.44%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$0.60 CLP 590

256.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$1.15 CLP 1,133

36.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$12.29 CLP 12.1K

-30.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$1.34 CLP 1,316

13.43%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$11.9K CLP 11.7M

81.50%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$14.7K CLP 14.5M

134.04%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$127 CLP 125.4K

-24.44%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$10.30 CLP 10.1K

248.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$23.07 CLP 22.7K

132.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$15.49 CLP 15.3K

362.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

$16.60 CLP 16.3K

110.30%

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$11.08 CLP 10.9K

-28.79%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$35.58 CLP 35.0K

51.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$18.16 CLP 17.9K

205.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$48.07 CLP 47.3K

62.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$64.8 CLP 63.7K

22.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$302 CLP 297.5K

160.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$243 CLP 239.7K

226.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$445 CLP 437.9K

785.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$330 CLP 324.8K

330.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$2,415 CLP 2.4M

186.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

$2,414 CLP 2.4M

-49.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

$664 CLP 653.6K

30.07%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Chillan: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Chillan

$243 27.8% 69.3% $551

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Chillan

$177 20.2% 49.8% $175

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Chillan

$138 15.7% 35% $74

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Chillan

$161 18.4% 13.4% $25

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Chillan

$75 8.6% 37.6% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Chillan

$38 4.3% 56.9% $50

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Chillan

$45 5.1% 48.6% $42

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $788 in Nosara and $302 in Chillan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Nosara pays 30% 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 $47.00 in Chillan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $352 vs $177 per month, with Chillan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇨🇱 Chillan

🕒 Local time

19:23 7:23 PM

22:23 10:23 PM

3 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

164,270

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Chilean Peso CLP $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

10,000 CLP = 10.16 USD

10,000 CLP = 9.04 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Chilean Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 984 CLP (1,000 CLP = 1.02 USD). 1 EUR = 1,107 CLP (10,000 CLP = 9.04 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Nosara Chillan 5,370 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Chillan

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 Chillan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara and Chillan differ by about 110% in total monthly costs ($1,839 vs $876 including rent). Chillan is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 30% 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: $788 in Nosara versus $302 in Chillan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 99% higher in Nosara. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,839 per month in Nosara versus $876 in Chillan – a 110% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $876 in Chillan versus $1,839 in Nosara, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Chillan but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Chillan 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 Chillan 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 Chillan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 110% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.