Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and El Ejido

For one person, living is cheaper in El Ejido: $1,634 a month against $1,835 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in El Ejido
Learn more

El Ejido Living Index

Jump to prices

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

El Ejido

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,634

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,835 in Nosara versus $1,634 in El Ejido.

Nosara $1,835
El Ejido $1,634

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,825 in Nosara versus $2,449 in El Ejido.

Nosara $2,825
El Ejido $2,449

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,814 in Nosara versus $3,264 in El Ejido.

Nosara $3,814
El Ejido $3,264

Living in Nosara is roughly 12% more expensive than in El Ejido, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Nosara 35% above, El Ejido 21% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.34 ₡5,535

$16.73 €14.88

-26.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.3 ₡27.5K

$67.6 €60.2

-9.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.76 ₡3,481

$11.10 €9.87

-30.09%

Cappuccino

$4.44 ₡1,992

$2.17 €1.93

104.61%

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

$1.79 ₡803

$2.31 €2.06

-22.51%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.29 ₡580

$1.34 €1.19

-3.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ₡1,451

$3.29 €2.92

-1.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.43 ₡1,985

$3.27 €2.91

35.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡696

$1.13 €1.01

37.17%

White Bread (500g)

$3.08 ₡1,380

$1.57 €1.39

96.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.53 ₡1,133

$1.63 €1.45

55.21%

Eggs

$3.45 ₡1,546

$3.40 €3.02

1.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.32 ₡3,284

$16.79 €14.93

-56.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.24 ₡4,594

$9.56 €8.51

7.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.10 ₡6,326

$17.46 €15.53

-19.24%

Apples (1kg)

$2.29 ₡1,027

$2.58 €2.30

-11.24%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 ₡737

$1.95 €1.73

-15.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.79 ₡2,149

$1.95 €1.74

145.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.64 ₡735

$2.69 €2.39

-39.03%

Potato (1kg)

$3.85 ₡1,727

$1.93 €1.71

99.48%

Onion (1kg)

$3.75 ₡1,681

$1.92 €1.71

95.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.09 ₡488

$1.24 €1.11

-12.10%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.59 ₡1,160

$0.71 €0.63

264.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.12 ₡2,295

$6.66 €5.92

-23.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.92 ₡8,931

$5.77 €5.13

245.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.80 ₡1,255

$1.21 €1.08

131.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.52 ₡1,580

$2.12 €1.88

66.04%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.22 ₡549

$1.71 €1.52

-28.65%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.9 ₡33.1K

$36.17 €32.17

104.31%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.17 ₡973

$3.06 €2.73

-29.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 ₡698

$1.31 €1.17

19.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.67 ₡3,886

$16.86 €15.00

-48.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡697

$1.86 €1.65

-16.67%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$31.3K €27.9K

10.32%

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

$38.7K ₡17.4M

$31.3K €27.8K

23.77%

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

$94.8 ₡42.5K

$142 €126

-33.24%

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

$36.15 ₡16.2K

$18.78 €16.71

92.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.1 ₡23.8K

$29.88 €26.58

77.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$73.8 ₡33.1K

$41.99 €37.35

75.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.63 ₡16.0K

$16.57 €14.74

115.03%

Cinema Ticket

$7.91 ₡3,548

$9.00 €8.01

-12.11%

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

$490 ₡219.9K

$689 €613

-28.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$9,454 €8,410

25.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.8 ₡24.6K

$85.4 €76.0

-35.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.9 ₡25.1K

$35.45 €31.53

57.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.4 ₡36.0K

$93.2 €82.9

-13.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$106 €94.0

-26.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$801 ₡359.1K

$902 €802

-11.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$790 ₡354.1K

$668 €594

18.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,005 ₡1.8M

$1,326 €1,179

202.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,409 ₡632.0K

$994 €884

41.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,064 ₡3.2M

$3,015 €2,682

134.27%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,236 ₡554.3K

$2,239 €1,992

-44.81%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$887 ₡397.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

2.99

188.29%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 20, 2026

Last update for El Ejido: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$790 43%

El Ejido

$668 40.9% 15.4% $122

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$350 19.1%

El Ejido

$288 17.7% 17.5% $61

Eating Out

Nosara

$213 11.6%

El Ejido

$231 14.1% 8.5% $18

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$184 10%

El Ejido

$191 11.7% 3.6% $6.7

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$121 6.6%

El Ejido

$144 8.8% 18.9% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$90 4.9%

El Ejido

$60 3.7% 33.1% $30

Getting Around

Nosara

$89 4.8%

El Ejido

$53 3.2% 40.7% $36

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $801 in Nosara and $902 in El Ejido. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $61.0 in Nosara vs $68.0 in El Ejido. Groceries flip the comparison at $350 vs $288, with El Ejido cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇪🇸 El Ejido

🕒 Local time

07:28 7:28 AM

15:28 3:28 PM

8 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

89,975

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to CRC – Costa Rican Colón Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 24, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 24, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara El Ejido 8,710 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
El Ejido

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 Ejido: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

El Ejido is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, leisure, and utilities. The 12% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $2,753 in Nosara and $2,451 in El Ejido 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: $801 in Nosara versus $902 in El Ejido. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in El Ejido – a meal for two runs $68.0 versus $61.0 in Nosara. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,835 per month in Nosara versus $1,634 in El Ejido – a 12% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,634 in El Ejido versus $1,835 in Nosara, a $2,500 budget is realistic in El Ejido but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes El Ejido the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, El Ejido 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 El Ejido 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 Ejido gentler on the wallet – expenses run 12% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.