Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and El Medano

Name: El Medano
Address: El Medano, ES

For one person, living is cheaper in El Medano: $1,447 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $4,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index
71

Cost of Living Index in El Medano
Learn more

El Medano Living Index

Jump to prices

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

El Medano

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,447

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $1,447 in El Medano, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
El Medano $1,447

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $2,394 in El Medano, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
El Medano $2,394

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $3,342 in El Medano, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
El Medano $3,342

Nosara costs about 27% more than El Medano, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Nosara and El Medano sit above the global median – Nosara by 36%, El Medano by 7%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$20.37 €18.12

-39.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$61.7 €54.9

-0.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$11.38 €10.13

-33.92%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$1.99 €1.77

121.61%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$1.90 €1.69

-8.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$1.30 €1.16

0.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$2.76 €2.45

18.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$3.28 €2.91

36.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.32 €1.18

18.18%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$2.41 €2.14

25.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$1.59 €1.41

57.86%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$4.18 €3.72

-14.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$14.57 €12.96

-49.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$9.25 €8.23

13.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$17.98 €15.99

-22.30%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$2.48 €2.21

-5.24%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$2.28 €2.03

-29.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$2.25 €2.00

113.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$2.53 €2.25

-36.36%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$2.10 €1.87

80.95%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$1.93 €1.72

91.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$1.64 €1.46

-31.10%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$0.98 €0.87

171.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$5.52 €4.91

-6.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$7.73 €6.88

157.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$1.68 €1.50

72.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$1.38 €1.23

163.04%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$1.67 €1.49

-32.93%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

$25.49 €22.67

184.97%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$4.08 €3.63

-47.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$1.73 €1.54

-9.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$16.58 €14.75

-48.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$1.25 €1.11

21.60%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$27.1K €24.1K

-20.38%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$28.8K €25.7K

19.65%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$98.8 €87.9

-2.53%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$22.46 €19.98

59.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$35.17 €31.28

52.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$44.58 €39.66

60.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

$15.75 €14.01

121.65%

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$9.90 €8.81

-20.30%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$407 €362

21.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$5,118 €4,553

131.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$92.2 €82.0

-41.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$41.86 €37.24

32.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$90.2 €80.3

-13.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$114 €102

-30.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$895 €796

-11.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$468 €416

69.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$1,354 €1,205

190.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$1,027 €913

38.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$3,258 €2,898

112.15%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

$2,228 €1,982

-45.07%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

3.56

142.13%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for El Medano: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

El Medano

$468 32.3% 41.1% $326

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

El Medano

$307 21.2% 12.8% $45

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

El Medano

$254 17.6% 20% $42

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

El Medano

$156 10.8% 15.8% $29

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

El Medano

$152 10.5% 26.9% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

El Medano

$64 4.5% 26.3% $23

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

El Medano

$45 3.1% 48.5% $42

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $788 in Nosara versus $895 in El Medano. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Nosara versus $62.0 in El Medano. Groceries tell a different story – $352 in Nosara vs $307 in El Medano – so El Medano wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇪🇸 El Medano

🕒 Local time

19:28 7:28 PM

02:28 2:28 AM

7 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

2,500

💱 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 19, 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 19, 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 Medano 7,450 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
El Medano

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 Medano: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,839 in Nosara, $1,447 in El Medano – roughly 27% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,758 per month in Nosara and $2,171 in El Medano. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in El Medano, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $494 per month in Nosara and $407 in El Medano. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 15% 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 $2,000 monthly budget goes further in El Medano, where all-in costs run around $1,447, than in Nosara at $1,839. In El Medano it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Nosara has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,447 in El Medano to $1,839 in Nosara. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with El Medano. 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.