Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Dagupan

For one person, living is cheaper in Dagupan: $743 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $13,200 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
36

Cost of Living Index in Dagupan
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Dagupan Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Dagupan

🇵🇭 Philippines

$743

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Dagupan

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

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $743 in Dagupan, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
Dagupan $743

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $1,105 in Dagupan, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
Dagupan $1,105

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $1,467 in Dagupan, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
Dagupan $1,467

Nosara costs about 148% more than Dagupan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Nosara sits 36% above the global median, while Dagupan is 45% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$2.90 ₱183

325.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$11.98 ₱754

410.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$4.50 ₱284

67.11%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$2.47 ₱156

78.54%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$0.50 ₱31.42

248.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$0.23 ₱14.46

469.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$1.17 ₱73.6

180.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$2.73 ₱172

63.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.77 ₱112

-11.86%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$1.27 ₱80.3

137.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$0.89 ₱55.8

182.02%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$1.84 ₱116

94.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$5.69 ₱358

30.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$4.83 ₱304

117.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$6.85 ₱431

103.94%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$3.97 ₱250

-40.81%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$2.00 ₱126

-19.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$2.67 ₱168

79.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$1.13 ₱71.2

42.48%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$2.88 ₱181

31.94%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$3.48 ₱219

6.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$1.07 ₱67.3

5.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$0.57 ₱35.95

366.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$2.45 ₱155

111.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$5.53 ₱348

259.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$0.89 ₱56.2

225.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$1.87 ₱118

94.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$0.20 ₱12.60

460.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$0.66 ₱41.69

224.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$0.23 ₱14.55

582.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$1.88 ₱118

353.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$1.14 ₱71.6

33.33%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$21.2K ₱1.3M

2.01%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$19.7K ₱1.2M

75.51%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$104 ₱6,563

-7.58%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$15.84 ₱998

126.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$25.82 ₱1,627

107.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$33.96 ₱2,139

110.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$5.13 ₱323

53.80%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$786 ₱49.5K

-37.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$7,469 ₱470.5K

58.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$60.6 ₱3,816

-10.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$7.86 ₱495

604.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$80.6 ₱5,078

-3.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$102 ₱6,414

-21.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$194 ₱12.2K

305.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$159 ₱10.0K

399.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$364 ₱22.9K

981.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$271 ₱17.0K

424.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

$479 ₱30.2K

155.30%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

$239 ₱15.0K

262.00%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

7.5

14.93%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Dagupan: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Dagupan

$159 21.4% 80% $635

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Dagupan

$197 26.6% 44% $155

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Dagupan

$81 10.9% 61.9% $131

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Dagupan

$146 19.6% 21.5% $40

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Dagupan

$113 15.2% 6% $7.2

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Dagupan

$44 6% 49.4% $43

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Dagupan

$2.6 * 0.4% 97% $84

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 $194 in Dagupan. 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 262% 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 $12.00 in Dagupan. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $352 vs $197 – making Dagupan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇵🇭 Dagupan

🕒 Local time

07:31 7:31 AM

21:31 9:31 PM

14 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

174,302

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, 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).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 62.99 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.82 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Dagupan 15,950 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Dagupan

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 Dagupan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Nosara is pricier by about 148%, 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 $1,114 in Dagupan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Dagupan, 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 $12.00 in Dagupan. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 79% 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 Dagupan, where all-in costs run around $743, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Dagupan it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Dagupan – 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 Dagupan. 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.