Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Dipolog

For one person, living is cheaper in Dipolog: $602 a month against $1,846 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $14,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

88

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index
29

Cost of Living Index in Dipolog
Learn more

Dipolog Living Index

Jump to prices

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,846

/mo nomad

Dipolog

🇵🇭 Philippines

$602

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Dipolog

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

A single person spends $1,846 per month in Nosara vs $602 in Dipolog, rent included.

Nosara $1,846
Dipolog $602

A couple spends around $2,833 per month in Nosara vs $839 in Dipolog, rent included.

Nosara $2,833
Dipolog $839

A family of three spends $3,820 per month in Nosara vs $1,076 in Dipolog, rent included.

Nosara $3,820
Dipolog $1,076

Nosara costs about 206% more than Dipolog, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Nosara sits 36% above the global median, while Dipolog is 56% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.36 ₡5,575

$1.36 ₱86.9

808.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.8 ₡27.4K

$19.30 ₱1,233

214.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.88 ₡3,557

$2.72 ₱174

189.71%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₡1,986

$2.02 ₱129

117.82%

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

$1.72 ₡776

$0.64 ₱40.78

168.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.34 ₡603

$0.29 ₱18.75

362.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.34 ₡1,505

$1.04 ₱66.6

221.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.54 ₡2,048

$1.72 ₱110

163.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.64 ₡739

$1.60 ₱102

2.50%

White Bread (500g)

$3.16 ₡1,426

$0.77 ₱48.93

310.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.39 ₡1,080

$0.82 ₱52.5

191.46%

Eggs

$3.47 ₡1,564

$1.87 ₱119

85.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.13 ₡3,217

$5.77 ₱369

23.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.32 ₡4,655

$4.12 ₱263

150.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,302

$5.71 ₱365

144.66%

Apples (1kg)

$2.29 ₡1,031

$1.60 ₱102

43.13%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 ₡731

$1.07 ₱68.7

51.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.81 ₡2,169

$2.91 ₱186

65.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.68 ₡758

$1.43 ₱91.5

17.48%

Potato (1kg)

$3.91 ₡1,765

$1.84 ₱118

112.50%

Onion (1kg)

$3.63 ₡1,640

$2.68 ₱171

35.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡509

$1.47 ₱93.6

-23.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.63 ₡1,188

$0.61 ₱39.25

331.15%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.02 ₡2,267

$3.04 ₱194

65.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.71 ₡8,893

$3.93 ₱251

401.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.91 ₡1,314

$1.13 ₱71.9

157.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.54 ₡1,597

$1.26 ₱80.4

180.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.21 ₡545

$0.26 ₱16.72

365.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.8 ₡33.3K

$10.99 ₱702

571.16%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.15 ₡969

$0.81 ₱51.5

165.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 ₡738

$0.32 ₱20.72

409.37%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.77 ₡3,958

$2.32 ₱148

278.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡700

$0.89 ₱57.0

74.16%

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

$33.9K ₡15.3M

$21.2K ₱1.4M

59.90%

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

$38.5K ₡17.4M

$19.0K ₱1.2M

102.61%

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

$95.2 ₡43.0K

$64.3 ₱4,106

48.16%

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

$36.29 ₡16.4K

$7.73 ₱494

369.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.0 ₡23.5K

$23.98 ₱1,532

116.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.6 ₡30.5K

$32.70 ₱2,090

106.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.55 ₡16.0K

$4.65 ₱297

664.52%

Cinema Ticket

$7.54 ₡3,404

$4.70 ₱300

60.43%

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

$496 ₡224.0K

$32.00 ₱2,045

1451.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.8K ₡5.3M

$8,107 ₱518.0K

45.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.1 ₡24.9K

$33.03 ₱2,111

66.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.1 ₡25.3K

$19.08 ₱1,219

193.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.8 ₡35.1K

$55.9 ₱3,574

39.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.1 ₡35.7K

$23.76 ₱1,518

232.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$817 ₡368.9K

$156 ₱9,955

424.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$806 ₡363.6K

$172 ₱11.0K

368.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,988 ₡1.8M

$513 ₱32.7K

678.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,429 ₡644.9K

$134 ₱8,589

963.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,068 ₡3.2M

$2,401 ₱153.4K

194.35%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,197 ₡540.1K

$1,119 ₱71.5K

6.95%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$888 ₡400.7K

$234 ₱15.0K

279.29%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

7.33

17.60%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 24, 2026

Last update for Dipolog: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$806 43.7%

Dipolog

$172 28.6% 78.7% $634

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$351 19%

Dipolog

$163 27% 53.6% $188

Eating Out

Nosara

$213 11.6%

Dipolog

$56 9.2% 73.9% $158

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$184 9.9%

Dipolog

$96 15.9% 47.7% $88

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$121 6.5%

Dipolog

$59 9.9% 50.8% $61

Getting Around

Nosara

$89 4.8%

Dipolog

$14 2.4% 83.7% $74

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$83 4.5%

Dipolog

$42 7% 49.1% $41

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $817 in Nosara versus $156 in Dipolog. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Nosara are about 3.8 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61 in Nosara versus $19 in Dipolog. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $351 vs $163 – making Dipolog the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇵🇭 Dipolog

🕒 Local time

10:37 10:37 AM

00:37 12:37 AM

14 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

130,759

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR

100 PHP = 1.57 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 502 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 63.89 PHP (100 PHP = 1.57 USD). 1 EUR = 71.11 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Dipolog 16,200 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Dipolog

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 Dipolog: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara costs about 206% more than Dipolog, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,769 per month in Nosara and $904 in Dipolog. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Dipolog, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $156 there versus $817 in Nosara.

Kindergarten costs $496 per month in Nosara and $32 in Dipolog. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 116% 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 $800 monthly budget goes further in Dipolog, where all-in costs run around $602, than in Nosara at $1,846. In Dipolog it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Dipolog – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Dipolog. 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.