Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Colonia

For one person, living is cheaper in Colonia: $1,511 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $3,900 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
74

Cost of Living Index in Colonia
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Colonia Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Colonia

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,511

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Colonia

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,839 in Nosara versus $1,511 in Colonia.

Nosara $1,839
Colonia $1,511

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,828 in Nosara versus $2,462 in Colonia.

Nosara $2,828
Colonia $2,462

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,818 in Nosara versus $3,413 in Colonia.

Nosara $3,818
Colonia $3,413

Living in Nosara is roughly 22% more expensive than in Colonia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Nosara 36% above, Colonia 12% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$15.94 UYU 640

-22.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$75.1 UYU 3,015

-18.57%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$12.92 UYU 519

-41.80%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$5.83 UYU 234

-24.36%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$1.85 UYU 74.4

-5.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$1.40 UYU 56.2

-6.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$4.88 UYU 196

-32.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$4.74 UYU 190

-5.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.15 UYU 46.11

35.65%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$2.11 UYU 84.7

43.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$1.21 UYU 48.39

107.44%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$3.51 UYU 141

1.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$9.96 UYU 400

-25.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$12.34 UYU 495

-14.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$11.03 UYU 443

26.65%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$2.17 UYU 87.3

8.29%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$1.89 UYU 76.0

-14.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$1.27 UYU 51.1

277.95%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$5.58 UYU 224

-71.15%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$2.04 UYU 81.8

86.27%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$1.98 UYU 79.3

86.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$1.23 UYU 49.17

-8.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$1.25 UYU 50.2

112.80%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$7.65 UYU 307

-32.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$12.60 UYU 506

57.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$4.44 UYU 178

-34.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$2.52 UYU 101

44.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$0.95 UYU 38.29

17.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$0.86 UYU 34.47

148.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$2.53 UYU 101

-37.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$1.98 UYU 79.4

-23.23%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$32.0K UYU 1.3M

-32.57%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$39.2K UYU 1.6M

-11.93%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$123 UYU 4,923

-21.50%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$18.70 UYU 750

91.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$38.73 UYU 1,555

38.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$41.35 UYU 1,660

73.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

$12.52 UYU 503

178.83%

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$7.80 UYU 313

1.15%

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

$56.7 UYU 2,274

-4.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$50.5 UYU 2,027

9.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$112 UYU 4,503

-30.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$201 UYU 8,079

-60.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$597 UYU 24.0K

31.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$470 UYU 18.9K

68.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$1,126 UYU 45.2K

249.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$977 UYU 39.2K

45.27%

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

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

4.5

91.56%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Colonia: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Colonia

$470 31.1% 40.8% $324

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Colonia

$314 20.8% 10.9% $39

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Colonia

$283 18.7% 33.6% $71

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Colonia

$180 11.9% 3.1% $5.7

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Colonia

$189 12.5% 57.6% $69

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Colonia

$57 3.8% 34.8% $30

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Colonia

$17 * 1.2% 80.1% $70

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $788 in Nosara and $597 in Colonia. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $61.0 in Nosara vs $75.0 in Colonia. Groceries flip the comparison at $352 vs $314, with Colonia cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇺🇾 Colonia

🕒 Local time

19:23 7:23 PM

22:23 10:23 PM

3 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

26,231

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

100 UYU = 2.49 USD

100 UYU = 2.22 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

UYU, 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).

Uruguayan Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 40.14 UYU (100 UYU = 2.49 USD). 1 EUR = 45.12 UYU (100 UYU = 2.22 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Colonia 5,750 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Colonia

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 Colonia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Colonia wins on cost – living expenses run 22% lower than in Nosara. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Colonia the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $2,758 in Nosara and $2,266 in Colonia to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $788 in Nosara versus $597 in Colonia. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,839 per month in Nosara versus $1,511 in Colonia – a 22% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Supermarket bills run roughly 12% higher in Nosara. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,511 in Colonia versus $1,839 in Nosara, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Colonia but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Colonia the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Colonia delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,511 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Colonia hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Nosara and Colonia 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 Colonia gentler on the wallet – expenses run 22% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.