Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Davao

For one person, living is cheaper in Davao: $794 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $12,500 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
39

Cost of Living Index in Davao
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Davao Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Davao

🇵🇭 Philippines

$794

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Davao

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,839 in Nosara versus $794 in Davao.

Nosara $1,839
Davao $794

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,828 in Nosara versus $1,225 in Davao.

Nosara $2,828
Davao $1,225

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,818 in Nosara versus $1,656 in Davao.

Nosara $3,818
Davao $1,656

Living in Nosara is roughly 132% more expensive than in Davao, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Nosara is 36% above, Davao is 41% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$4.81 ₱303

156.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$26.69 ₱1,681

129.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$3.94 ₱248

90.86%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$2.71 ₱170

62.73%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$1.04 ₱65.3

67.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$0.68 ₱42.97

92.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$1.61 ₱102

103.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$2.34 ₱147

91.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$2.01 ₱126

-22.39%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$1.13 ₱71.0

167.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$0.93 ₱58.4

169.89%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$1.88 ₱119

89.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$6.52 ₱411

13.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$4.85 ₱306

116.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$9.18 ₱578

52.18%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$2.70 ₱170

-12.96%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$1.10 ₱69.3

46.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$2.36 ₱148

103.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$1.15 ₱72.6

40.00%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$2.02 ₱127

88.12%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$3.53 ₱222

4.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$1.21 ₱76.1

-6.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$0.68 ₱42.61

291.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$2.42 ₱152

114.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$7.77 ₱489

155.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$1.24 ₱78.2

133.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$1.68 ₱106

116.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$0.35 ₱21.73

220.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

$13.58 ₱855

434.90%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$0.81 ₱51.2

164.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$0.23 ₱14.41

582.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$1.95 ₱123

336.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$1.28 ₱80.5

18.75%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$21.1K ₱1.3M

2.54%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$18.9K ₱1.2M

82.55%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$106 ₱6,688

-9.36%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$19.39 ₱1,221

85.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$31.90 ₱2,009

67.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$33.90 ₱2,135

111.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

$3.61 ₱228

867.04%

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$4.70 ₱296

67.87%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$107 ₱6,766

359.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$7,555 ₱475.7K

56.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$61.2 ₱3,852

-11.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$30.84 ₱1,942

79.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$71.5 ₱4,502

8.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$62.5 ₱3,935

27.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$280 ₱17.6K

181.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$172 ₱10.8K

362.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$629 ₱39.6K

525.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$320 ₱20.1K

343.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$1,640 ₱103.2K

321.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

$1,429 ₱90.0K

-14.36%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

$214 ₱13.5K

303.72%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

8.31

3.73%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Davao: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Davao

$172 21.6% 78.4% $623

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Davao

$200 25.2% 43.1% $152

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Davao

$102 12.9% 51.6% $109

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Davao

$158 19.8% 15.2% $28

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Davao

$102 12.8% 15.3% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Davao

$43 5.5% 50.4% $44

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Davao

$17 2.1% 80.6% $70

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $788 in Nosara and $280 in Davao. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Nosara pays 304% 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 $27.00 in Davao for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $352 vs $200 per month, with Davao cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇵🇭 Davao

🕒 Local time

14:30 2:30 PM

04:30 4:30 AM

14 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

1,632,991

💱 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 = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.79 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Davao 16,070 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Davao

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 Davao: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Davao is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 132% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 304% 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: $788 in Nosara versus $280 in Davao. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Davao – a meal for two runs $27.00 versus $61.0 in Nosara. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,839 per month in Nosara versus $794 in Davao – a 132% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $794 in Davao versus $1,839 in Nosara, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Davao but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Davao the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Davao 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 Davao 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 Davao gentler on the wallet – expenses run 132% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.