Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Encarnacion

For one person, living is cheaper in Encarnacion: $838 a month against $1,837 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $12,000 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
40

Cost of Living Index in Encarnacion
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Encarnacion Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Encarnacion

🇵🇾 Paraguay

$838

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Encarnacion

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,837 in Nosara versus $838 in Encarnacion.

Nosara $1,837
Encarnacion $838

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,775 in Nosara versus $1,272 in Encarnacion.

Nosara $2,775
Encarnacion $1,272

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,712 in Nosara versus $1,706 in Encarnacion.

Nosara $3,712
Encarnacion $1,706

Living in Nosara is roughly 119% more expensive than in Encarnacion, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Nosara is 37% above, Encarnacion is 37% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.22 ₡5,509

$4.27 ₲24.2K

186.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.2 ₡27.1K

$34.51 ₲195.9K

74.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 ₡3,399

$6.63 ₲37.7K

13.73%

Cappuccino

$4.31 ₡1,941

$2.49 ₲14.1K

73.09%

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

$1.72 ₡773

$1.48 ₲8,399

16.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.35 ₡608

$0.51 ₲2,914

164.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ₡1,459

$0.96 ₲5,446

237.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 ₡2,018

$2.03 ₲11.5K

120.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡707

$1.07 ₲6,064

46.73%

White Bread (500g)

$3.17 ₡1,429

$0.84 ₲4,768

277.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 ₡1,091

$1.79 ₲10.2K

35.20%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,609

$1.58 ₲8,972

125.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,349

$5.38 ₲30.5K

38.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.42 ₡4,697

$3.25 ₲18.4K

220.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.66 ₡6,156

$5.53 ₲31.4K

147.02%

Apples (1kg)

$2.32 ₡1,044

$2.04 ₲11.6K

13.73%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡728

$0.78 ₲4,426

106.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.74 ₡2,138

$0.94 ₲5,351

404.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 ₡747

$1.65 ₲9,386

0.61%

Potato (1kg)

$3.72 ₡1,679

$0.90 ₲5,104

313.33%

Onion (1kg)

$3.57 ₡1,611

$0.88 ₲4,977

305.68%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 ₡497

$0.56 ₲3,163

96.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.55 ₡1,149

$0.50 ₲2,860

410.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.95 ₡2,232

$1.52 ₲8,644

225.66%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.01 ₡9,020

$5.39 ₲30.6K

271.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.79 ₡1,256

$0.82 ₲4,629

240.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.53 ₡1,589

$1.47 ₲8,345

140.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.19 ₡537

$0.47 ₲2,658

153.19%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.1 ₡32.5K

$35.08 ₲199.1K

105.44%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.24 ₡1,011

$1.33 ₲7,575

68.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 ₡701

$0.71 ₲4,004

118.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₡3,993

$6.72 ₲38.2K

31.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡708

$1.21 ₲6,864

29.75%

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

$21.8K ₡9.8M

$13.8K ₲78.2M

58.35%

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

$34.6K ₡15.6M

$26.3K ₲149.5M

31.48%

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

$93.5 ₡42.1K

$44.25 ₲251.2K

111.19%

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

$35.11 ₡15.8K

$13.05 ₲74.0K

169.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.5 ₡23.2K

$18.56 ₲105.3K

177.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.4 ₡32.2K

$30.43 ₲172.7K

134.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.44 ₡16.0K

$13.15 ₲74.7K

169.51%

Cinema Ticket

$7.84 ₡3,535

$5.92 ₲33.6K

32.43%

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

$490 ₡220.7K

$195 ₲1.1M

150.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.4M

$3,335 ₲18.9M

256.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ₡24.1K

$57.2 ₲324.8K

-6.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.8 ₡25.1K

$28.13 ₲159.6K

98.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 ₡35.7K

$67.6 ₲383.9K

17.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.9 ₡35.6K

$69.0 ₲391.9K

14.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$786 ₡354.3K

$503 ₲2.9M

56.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$780 ₡351.6K

$324 ₲1.8M

140.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,860 ₡1.7M

$658 ₲3.7M

486.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 ₡634.4K

$523 ₲3.0M

169.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,972 ₡3.1M

$1,548 ₲8.8M

350.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,201 ₡541.3K

$1,403 ₲8.0M

-14.45%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$876 ₡395.0K

$361 ₲2.0M

142.88%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

9.5

-9.26%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Last update for Encarnacion: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$780 43%

Encarnacion

$324 39.4% 58.4% $456

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$350 19.3%

Encarnacion

$139 16.9% 60.2% $211

Eating Out

Nosara

$209 11.6%

Encarnacion

$101 12.2% 51.9% $109

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$180 9.9%

Encarnacion

$76 9.2% 57.9% $104

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.6%

Encarnacion

$100 12.1% 17% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Encarnacion

$42 5.1% 51.5% $45

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Encarnacion

$42 5.1% 51.8% $45

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $786 in Nosara and $503 in Encarnacion. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Nosara pays 143% 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: $60.0 in Nosara vs $35.00 in Encarnacion for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $350 vs $139 per month, with Encarnacion cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇵🇾 Encarnacion

🕒 Local time

04:16 4:16 AM

07:16 7:16 AM

3 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

127,600

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Paraguayan Guarani PYG ₲

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

10,000 PYG = 1.76 USD

10,000 PYG = 1.57 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 505 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Paraguayan Guarani exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 5,676 PYG (10,000 PYG = 1.76 USD). 1 EUR = 6,361 PYG (10,000 PYG = 1.57 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Encarnacion 5,250 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Encarnacion

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 Encarnacion: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara and Encarnacion differ by about 119% in total monthly costs ($1,837 vs $838 including rent). Encarnacion is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 143% 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: $786 in Nosara versus $503 in Encarnacion. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,837 per month in Nosara versus $838 in Encarnacion – a 119% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Encarnacion runs roughly 105% less than in Nosara. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $838 in Encarnacion versus $1,837 in Nosara, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Encarnacion but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Encarnacion 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 Encarnacion 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 Encarnacion gentler on the wallet – expenses run 119% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.