Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and El Calafate

For one person, living is cheaper in El Calafate: $961 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $10,500 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
47

Cost of Living Index in El Calafate
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El Calafate Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

El Calafate

🇦🇷 Argentina

$961

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in El Calafate

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,839 in Nosara versus $961 in El Calafate.

Nosara $1,839
El Calafate $961

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,828 in Nosara versus $1,574 in El Calafate.

Nosara $2,828
El Calafate $1,574

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,818 in Nosara versus $2,187 in El Calafate.

Nosara $3,818
El Calafate $2,187

Living in Nosara is roughly 91% more expensive than in El Calafate, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Nosara is 36% above, El Calafate is 29% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$10.66 ARS 16.2K

15.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$33.87 ARS 51.4K

80.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$8.85 ARS 13.4K

-15.03%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$2.77 ARS 4,198

59.21%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$1.64 ARS 2,484

6.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$1.49 ARS 2,268

-12.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$2.08 ARS 3,157

57.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$2.93 ARS 4,452

52.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.24 ARS 1,887

25.81%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$1.61 ARS 2,446

87.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$1.93 ARS 2,930

30.05%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$2.20 ARS 3,346

62.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$10.29 ARS 15.6K

-27.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$6.07 ARS 9,209

73.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$9.50 ARS 14.4K

47.05%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$1.95 ARS 2,963

20.51%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$2.11 ARS 3,205

-23.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$1.33 ARS 2,015

260.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$2.62 ARS 3,973

-38.55%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$1.19 ARS 1,808

219.33%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$1.20 ARS 1,821

207.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$1.30 ARS 1,973

-13.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$1.48 ARS 2,245

79.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$3.16 ARS 4,800

63.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$4.97 ARS 7,536

300.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$2.06 ARS 3,133

40.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$3.16 ARS 4,799

14.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$0.76 ARS 1,159

47.37%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$1.51 ARS 2,293

41.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$0.87 ARS 1,322

80.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$5.89 ARS 8,934

44.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$1.05 ARS 1,600

44.76%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$27.4K ARS 41.6M

-21.23%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$30.2K ARS 45.9M

14.20%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$66.5 ARS 100.9K

44.82%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$16.85 ARS 25.6K

113.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$22.42 ARS 34.0K

139.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$26.64 ARS 40.4K

168.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

$13.53 ARS 20.5K

158.02%

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$6.34 ARS 9,617

24.45%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$224 ARS 340.0K

120.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$2,679 ARS 4.1M

342.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$72.7 ARS 110.3K

-25.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$70.7 ARS 107.3K

-21.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$114 ARS 173.7K

-31.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$114 ARS 172.2K

-29.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$342 ARS 518.6K

130.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$235 ARS 357.2K

237.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$695 ARS 1.1M

467.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$533 ARS 809.3K

166.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$1,858 ARS 2.8M

272.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

$1,600 ARS 2.4M

-23.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

58.5

-85.26%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for El Calafate: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

El Calafate

$235 24.5% 70.4% $559

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

El Calafate

$231 24% 34.4% $121

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

El Calafate

$174 18.1% 18% $38

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

El Calafate

$106 11% 43.1% $80

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

El Calafate

$167 17.4% 39.2% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

El Calafate

$39 4.1% 55% $48

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

El Calafate

$8.9 * 0.9% 89.8% $78

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 $788 in Nosara and $342 in El Calafate. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $61.0 in Nosara vs $34.00 in El Calafate for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $352 vs $231 per month, with El Calafate cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇦🇷 El Calafate

🕒 Local time

09:08 9:08 AM

12:08 12:08 PM

3 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

22,844

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Argentine Peso ARS $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1,517 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD). 1 EUR = 1,706 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara El Calafate 6,830 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
El Calafate

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 El Calafate: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara and El Calafate differ by about 91% in total monthly costs ($1,839 vs $961 including rent). El Calafate is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $2,758 in Nosara and $1,442 in El Calafate to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $788 in Nosara versus $342 in El Calafate. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $494 in Nosara versus $224 in El Calafate. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in El Calafate – a meal for two runs $34.00 versus $61.0 in Nosara. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $961 in El Calafate versus $1,839 in Nosara, a $2,000 budget is realistic in El Calafate but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes El Calafate 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 El Calafate 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 El Calafate gentler on the wallet – expenses run 91% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.