Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Ciudad del Este

For one person, living is cheaper in Ciudad del Este: $799 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $12,500 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
39

Cost of Living Index in Ciudad del Este
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Ciudad del Este Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Ciudad del Este

🇵🇾 Paraguay

$799

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Ciudad del Este

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 Ciudad del Este actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $799 in Ciudad del Este, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
Ciudad del Este $799

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $1,500 in Ciudad del Este, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
Ciudad del Este $1,500

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $2,201 in Ciudad del Este, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
Ciudad del Este $2,201

Nosara costs about 130% more than Ciudad del Este, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Nosara sits 36% above the global median, while Ciudad del Este is 41% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$6.08 ₲34.6K

103.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$22.70 ₲129.1K

169.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$5.87 ₲33.4K

28.11%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$2.31 ₲13.1K

90.91%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$0.99 ₲5,638

75.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$0.61 ₲3,492

114.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$1.03 ₲5,838

218.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$1.74 ₲9,914

156.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.13 ₲6,405

38.05%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$1.55 ₲8,812

94.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$1.27 ₲7,206

97.64%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$2.21 ₲12.6K

61.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$9.15 ₲52.0K

-18.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$3.89 ₲22.1K

170.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$8.35 ₲47.5K

67.31%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$2.05 ₲11.7K

14.63%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$1.27 ₲7,249

26.77%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$0.98 ₲5,596

389.80%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$1.27 ₲7,231

26.77%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$0.93 ₲5,284

308.60%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$0.94 ₲5,368

292.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$0.49 ₲2,797

130.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$0.42 ₲2,399

533.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$1.37 ₲7,814

278.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$5.40 ₲30.7K

268.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$0.75 ₲4,286

286.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$1.74 ₲9,881

108.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$0.91 ₲5,160

23.08%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$1.55 ₲8,801

38.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$1.57 ₲8,923

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$10.48 ₲59.6K

-18.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$1.22 ₲6,955

24.59%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$17.5K ₲99.2M

23.81%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$17.3K ₲98.2M

99.82%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$51.9 ₲295.2K

85.49%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$17.90 ₲101.8K

100.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$18.98 ₲107.9K

182.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$29.72 ₲169.0K

140.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

$14.30 ₲81.3K

144.13%

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$6.20 ₲35.3K

27.26%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$185 ₲1.1M

167.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$1,909 ₲10.9M

521.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$64.1 ₲364.6K

-15.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$33.87 ₲192.6K

63.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$99.6 ₲566.4K

-21.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$56.8 ₲323.2K

40.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$354 ₲2.0M

122.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$261 ₲1.5M

204.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$744 ₲4.2M

429.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$980 ₲5.6M

44.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$1,923 ₲10.9M

259.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

$1,420 ₲8.1M

-13.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

$610 ₲3.5M

41.68%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

10.15

-15.07%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Ciudad del Este: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Ciudad del Este

$261 32.7% 67.2% $533

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Ciudad del Este

$171 21.4% 51.6% $182

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Ciudad del Este

$109 13.6% 48.5% $103

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Ciudad del Este

$89 11.1% 52.2% $97

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Ciudad del Este

$115 14.3% 4.7% $5.6

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Ciudad del Este

$42 5.3% 51.8% $45

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Ciudad del Este

$13 * 1.6% 85.1% $74

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $788 in Nosara versus $354 in Ciudad del Este. 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 42% higher in Nosara, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Nosara versus $23.00 in Ciudad del Este. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $352 vs $171 – making Ciudad del Este the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇵🇾 Ciudad del Este

🕒 Local time

19:08 7:08 PM

22:08 10:08 PM

3 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

320,782

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Paraguayan Guarani PYG ₲

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

10,000 PYG = 1.76 USD

10,000 PYG = 1.56 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PYG, USD, EUR 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).

Paraguayan Guarani exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 5,686 PYG (10,000 PYG = 1.76 USD). 1 EUR = 6,393 PYG (10,000 PYG = 1.56 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Nosara Ciudad del Este 5,180 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Ciudad del Este

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 Ciudad del Este: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Nosara is pricier by about 130%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,758 per month in Nosara and $1,198 in Ciudad del Este. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Nosara and $23.00 in Ciudad del Este. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 107% more in Nosara, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Ciudad del Este, where all-in costs run around $799, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Ciudad del Este it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Ciudad del Este – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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 Ciudad del Este. 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.