Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Dasmarinas

For one person, living is cheaper in Dasmarinas: $496 a month against $1,835 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $16,100 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
24

Cost of Living Index in Dasmarinas
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Dasmarinas Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Dasmarinas

🇵🇭 Philippines

$496

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Dasmarinas

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,835 in Nosara versus $496 in Dasmarinas.

Nosara $1,835
Dasmarinas $496

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,825 in Nosara versus $738 in Dasmarinas.

Nosara $2,825
Dasmarinas $738

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,814 in Nosara versus $980 in Dasmarinas.

Nosara $3,814
Dasmarinas $980

Living in Nosara is roughly 270% more expensive than in Dasmarinas, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Nosara is 35% above, Dasmarinas is 63% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.34 ₡5,535

$4.08 ₱257

202.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.3 ₡27.5K

$16.95 ₱1,067

261.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.76 ₡3,481

$2.71 ₱171

186.35%

Cappuccino

$4.44 ₡1,992

$1.75 ₱110

153.71%

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

$1.79 ₡803

$0.57 ₱35.76

214.04%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.29 ₡580

$0.31 ₱19.30

316.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ₡1,451

$0.96 ₱60.1

237.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.43 ₡1,985

$1.58 ₱99.4

180.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡696

$1.39 ₱87.5

11.51%

White Bread (500g)

$3.08 ₡1,380

$1.10 ₱69.5

180.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.53 ₡1,133

$0.66 ₱41.36

283.33%

Eggs

$3.45 ₡1,546

$1.79 ₱113

92.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.32 ₡3,284

$4.94 ₱311

48.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.24 ₡4,594

$3.49 ₱219

193.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.10 ₡6,326

$4.72 ₱297

198.73%

Apples (1kg)

$2.29 ₡1,027

$2.26 ₱143

1.33%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 ₡737

$1.61 ₱102

1.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.79 ₡2,149

$2.38 ₱150

101.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.64 ₡735

$1.07 ₱67.3

53.27%

Potato (1kg)

$3.85 ₡1,727

$1.75 ₱110

120.00%

Onion (1kg)

$3.75 ₡1,681

$1.72 ₱108

118.02%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.09 ₡488

$0.61 ₱38.39

78.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.59 ₡1,160

$0.52 ₱32.54

398.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.12 ₡2,295

$2.88 ₱181

77.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.92 ₡8,931

$8.59 ₱541

131.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.80 ₡1,255

$0.93 ₱58.5

201.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.52 ₡1,580

$1.99 ₱125

76.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.22 ₡549

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.9 ₡33.1K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.17 ₡973

$0.78 ₱48.96

178.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 ₡698

$0.25 ₱15.76

524.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.67 ₡3,886

$1.85 ₱117

368.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡697

$1.11 ₱70.1

39.64%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$21.4K ₱1.3M

61.52%

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

$38.7K ₡17.4M

$18.9K ₱1.2M

104.95%

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

$94.8 ₡42.5K

$48.45 ₱3,050

95.71%

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

$36.15 ₡16.2K

$17.55 ₱1,105

105.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.1 ₡23.8K

$23.72 ₱1,494

123.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$73.8 ₡33.1K

$33.43 ₱2,105

120.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.63 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$7.91 ₡3,548

$5.30 ₱334

49.25%

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

$490 ₡219.9K

$134 ₱8,415

266.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$10.7K ₱674.0K

11.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.8 ₡24.6K

$28.53 ₱1,796

92.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.9 ₡25.1K

$19.55 ₱1,231

185.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.4 ₡36.0K

$72.5 ₱4,561

10.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$56.4 ₱3,552

38.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$801 ₡359.1K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$790 ₡354.1K

$46.95 ₱2,956

1581.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,005 ₡1.8M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,409 ₡632.0K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,064 ₡3.2M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,236 ₡554.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$887 ₡397.6K

$353 ₱22.2K

151.32%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

6.4

34.69%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 20, 2026

Last update for Dasmarinas: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$790 43%

Dasmarinas

$47 9.5% 94.1% $743

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$350 19.1%

Dasmarinas

$160 32.3% 54.2% $190

Eating Out

Nosara

$213 11.6%

Dasmarinas

$73 14.8% 65.6% $139

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$184 10%

Dasmarinas

$90 18.1% 51.2% $94

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$121 6.6%

Dasmarinas

$80 16.1% 34.2% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$90 4.9%

Dasmarinas

$44 8.9% 50.9% $46

Getting Around

Nosara

$89 4.8%

Dasmarinas

$2 * 0.4% 97.7% $87

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

Cost Breakdown

Nosara pays 151% 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: $61.0 in Nosara vs $17.00 in Dasmarinas for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $350 vs $160 per month, with Dasmarinas cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇵🇭 Dasmarinas

🕒 Local time

18:08 6:08 PM

08:08 8:08 AM

14 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

659,019

💱 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 21, 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 21, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.78 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Dasmarinas 16,030 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Dasmarinas

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 Dasmarinas: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara and Dasmarinas differ by about 270% in total monthly costs ($1,835 vs $496 including rent). Dasmarinas is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 151% higher in Nosara, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Childcare runs $490 in Nosara versus $134 in Dasmarinas. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Dasmarinas – a meal for two runs $17.00 versus $61.0 in Nosara. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $496 in Dasmarinas versus $1,835 in Nosara, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Dasmarinas but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Dasmarinas the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Nosara and Dasmarinas 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 Dasmarinas gentler on the wallet – expenses run 270% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.