Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Cusco

For one person, living is cheaper in Cusco: $688 a month against $1,837 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $13,800 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
33

Cost of Living Index in Cusco
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Cusco Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Cusco

🇵🇪 Peru

$688

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Cusco

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,837 in Nosara versus $688 in Cusco.

Nosara $1,837
Cusco $688

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,775 in Nosara versus $1,096 in Cusco.

Nosara $2,775
Cusco $1,096

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,712 in Nosara versus $1,505 in Cusco.

Nosara $3,712
Cusco $1,505

Living in Nosara is roughly 167% more expensive than in Cusco, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Nosara is 37% above, Cusco is 49% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.22 ₡5,509

$1.99 PEN 6.85

514.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.2 ₡27.1K

$20.55 PEN 70.7

192.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 ₡3,399

$6.70 PEN 23.04

12.54%

Cappuccino

$4.31 ₡1,941

$2.11 PEN 7.24

104.27%

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

$1.72 ₡773

$0.78 PEN 2.69

120.51%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.35 ₡608

$0.33 PEN 1.13

309.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ₡1,459

$1.72 PEN 5.92

88.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 ₡2,018

$4.33 PEN 14.90

3.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡707

$1.24 PEN 4.27

26.61%

White Bread (500g)

$3.17 ₡1,429

$2.32 PEN 7.97

36.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 ₡1,091

$1.29 PEN 4.43

87.60%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,609

$3.63 PEN 12.48

-1.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,349

$4.69 PEN 16.14

58.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.42 ₡4,697

$4.43 PEN 15.24

135.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.66 ₡6,156

$7.37 PEN 25.35

85.35%

Apples (1kg)

$2.32 ₡1,044

$2.55 PEN 8.78

-9.02%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡728

$0.77 PEN 2.63

109.09%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.74 ₡2,138

$1.47 PEN 5.04

222.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 ₡747

$0.85 PEN 2.94

95.29%

Potato (1kg)

$3.72 ₡1,679

$1.02 PEN 3.52

264.71%

Onion (1kg)

$3.57 ₡1,611

$1.10 PEN 3.80

224.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 ₡497

$0.49 PEN 1.67

124.49%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.55 ₡1,149

$0.75 PEN 2.58

240.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.95 ₡2,232

Wine (Bottle)

$20.01 ₡9,020

$5.93 PEN 20.41

237.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.79 ₡1,256

$1.85 PEN 6.38

50.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.53 ₡1,589

$4.12 PEN 14.16

-14.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.19 ₡537

$0.30 PEN 1.04

296.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.1 ₡32.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.24 ₡1,011

$1.72 PEN 5.91

30.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 ₡701

$1.93 PEN 6.65

-19.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₡3,993

$2.82 PEN 9.69

214.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡708

$1.57 PEN 5.42

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

$21.8K ₡9.8M

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

$34.6K ₡15.6M

$28.9K PEN 99.5K

19.70%

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

$93.5 ₡42.1K

$29.31 PEN 101

218.83%

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

$35.11 ₡15.8K

$14.31 PEN 49.22

145.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.5 ₡23.2K

$44.13 PEN 152

16.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.4 ₡32.2K

$28.51 PEN 98.1

150.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.44 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$7.84 ₡3,535

$4.26 PEN 14.64

84.04%

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

$490 ₡220.7K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.4M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ₡24.1K

$37.39 PEN 129

43.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.8 ₡25.1K

$33.43 PEN 115

66.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 ₡35.7K

$54.4 PEN 187

45.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.9 ₡35.6K

$72.2 PEN 248

9.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$786 ₡354.3K

$218 PEN 748

261.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$780 ₡351.6K

$191 PEN 657

308.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,860 ₡1.7M

$538 PEN 1,849

618.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 ₡634.4K

$416 PEN 1,431

238.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,972 ₡3.1M

$3,249 PEN 11.2K

114.60%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,201 ₡541.3K

$1,823 PEN 6,270

-34.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$876 ₡395.0K

$433 PEN 1,490

102.29%

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 5, 2026

Last update for Cusco: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$780 43%

Cusco

$191 27.8% 75.5% $589

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$350 19.3%

Cusco

$187 27.2% 46.6% $163

Eating Out

Nosara

$209 11.6%

Cusco

$83 12.1% 60.4% $126

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$180 9.9%

Cusco

$88 12.8% 51.3% $92

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.6%

Cusco

$89 12.9% 26.2% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Cusco

$37 5.4% 57.5% $50

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Cusco

$13 * 1.8% 85.5% $74

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 $786 in Nosara and $218 in Cusco. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Nosara pays 102% 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: $60.0 in Nosara vs $21.00 in Cusco for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $350 vs $187 per month, with Cusco cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇵🇪 Cusco

🕒 Local time

23:03 11:03 PM

00:03 12:03 AM

1 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

428,450

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1 PEN = 0.291 USD

1 PEN = 0.259 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 506 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3.44 PEN (1 PEN = 0.291 USD). 1 EUR = 3.86 PEN (1 PEN = 0.259 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Cusco 3,020 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Cusco

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 Cusco: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cusco is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 167% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 102% 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: $786 in Nosara versus $218 in Cusco. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 87% higher in Nosara. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Cusco – a meal for two runs $21.00 versus $60.0 in Nosara. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $688 in Cusco versus $1,837 in Nosara, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cusco but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Cusco the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Cusco is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Nosara, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Nosara and Cusco 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 Cusco gentler on the wallet – expenses run 167% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.