Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Collie

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $2,531 in Collie, rent and utilities included – about $8,300 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
124

Cost of Living Index in Collie
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Collie Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Collie

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,531

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Collie

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

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $2,531 in Collie, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
Collie $2,531

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $3,689 in Collie, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
Collie $3,689

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $4,847 in Collie, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
Collie $4,847

Nosara is about 27% cheaper than Collie, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Nosara and Collie sit above the global median – Nosara by 36%, Collie by 87%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$20.00 A$28.78

-38.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$84.6 A$122

-27.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$10.59 A$15.25

-28.99%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$4.54 A$6.53

-2.86%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$2.82 A$4.06

-38.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$2.20 A$3.16

-40.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$8.55 A$12.30

-61.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$8.49 A$12.21

-47.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.75 A$2.52

-10.86%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$3.19 A$4.59

-5.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$1.95 A$2.81

28.72%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$5.27 A$7.59

-32.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$9.05 A$13.02

-17.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$9.03 A$13.00

16.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$14.04 A$20.20

-0.50%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$4.60 A$6.62

-48.91%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$3.13 A$4.51

-48.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$3.31 A$4.76

45.02%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$4.91 A$7.07

-67.21%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$2.92 A$4.20

30.14%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$1.94 A$2.79

90.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$2.32 A$3.34

-51.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$1.38 A$1.99

92.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$41.25 A$59.4

-87.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$12.62 A$18.16

57.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$4.40 A$6.33

-34.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$3.42 A$4.92

6.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$2.55 A$3.67

-56.08%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

$79.5 A$114

-8.57%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$3.62 A$5.20

-40.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$1.38 A$1.98

13.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$40.45 A$58.2

-78.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$1.39 A$2.00

9.35%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$27.7K A$39.8K

-21.95%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$29.8K A$42.8K

16.00%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$192 A$276

-49.83%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$33.78 A$48.61

6.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$63.0 A$90.7

-14.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$51.0 A$73.4

40.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

$19.81 A$28.50

76.22%

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$17.68 A$25.44

-55.37%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$2,293 A$3,300

-78.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$22.7K A$32.7K

-47.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$77.3 A$111

-30.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$65.8 A$94.6

-15.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$125 A$180

-37.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$163 A$234

-51.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$1,400 A$2,015

-43.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$1,171 A$1,685

-32.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$2,124 A$3,057

85.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$1,783 A$2,565

-20.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$6,126 A$8,815

12.82%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

$4,730 A$6,806

-74.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

5.91

45.85%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Collie: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Collie

$1.2K 46.3% 47.4% $377

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Collie

$365 14.4% 3.6% $13

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Collie

$326 12.9% 53.9% $114

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Collie

$289 11.4% 55.4% $103

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Collie

$194 7.7% 61.4% $74

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Collie

$86 3.4% 1.2% $1

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Collie

$100 4% 15% $13

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $788 in Nosara versus $1,400 in Collie. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Nosara versus $85.0 in Collie. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $352 vs $365 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇦🇺 Collie

🕒 Local time

09:42 9:42 AM

23:42 11:42 PM

14 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

7,000

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.695 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 AUD (1 AUD = 0.618 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Nosara Collie 16,590 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Collie

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 Collie: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,839 in Nosara, $2,531 in Collie – roughly 38% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,758 per month in Nosara and $3,796 in Collie. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Kindergarten costs $494 per month in Nosara and $2,293 in Collie. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 4% more in Collie, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Nosara, where all-in costs run around $1,839, than in Collie at $2,531. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Collie it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Nosara has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,839 in Nosara to $2,531 in Collie. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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