Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Estepona

For one person, living costs are similar in Nosara and in Estepona: $1,839 and $1,807 a month, rent and utilities included.

89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index
88

Cost of Living Index in Estepona
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Estepona Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Estepona

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,807

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Estepona

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,839 in Nosara versus $1,807 in Estepona.

Nosara $1,839
Estepona $1,807

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,828 in Nosara versus $2,759 in Estepona.

Nosara $2,828
Estepona $2,759

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,818 in Nosara versus $3,712 in Estepona.

Nosara $3,818
Estepona $3,712

Living in Nosara is roughly 2% more expensive than in Estepona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Nosara 36% above, Estepona 34% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$19.42 €17.28

-36.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$78.0 €69.4

-21.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$10.05 €8.94

-25.17%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$2.67 €2.37

65.17%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$2.37 €2.11

-26.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$2.03 €1.81

-35.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$4.34 €3.86

-24.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$4.42 €3.93

1.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.24 €1.10

25.81%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$1.67 €1.49

80.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$1.54 €1.37

62.99%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$3.47 €3.09

2.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$13.51 €12.01

-45.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$8.15 €7.25

29.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$15.81 €14.07

-11.64%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$3.54 €3.15

-33.62%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$2.08 €1.85

-22.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$2.20 €1.96

118.18%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$3.11 €2.77

-48.23%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$2.24 €2.00

69.64%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$2.17 €1.93

70.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$1.68 €1.50

-32.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$1.09 €0.97

144.04%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$6.72 €5.97

-22.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$5.92 €5.27

235.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$1.47 €1.31

97.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$2.90 €2.58

25.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$2.76 €2.46

-59.42%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$1.75 €1.55

22.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$1.04 €0.93

50.96%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$13.38 €11.90

-36.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$1.84 €1.64

-17.39%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$35.5K €31.6K

-39.12%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$29.2K €26.0K

18.19%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$120 €107

-19.72%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$15.97 €14.21

124.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$30.74 €27.34

74.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$44.96 €40.00

59.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

$22.60 €20.11

54.47%

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$11.29 €10.04

-30.12%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$554 €493

-10.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$8,051 €7,162

47.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$56.5 €50.3

-4.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$41.50 €36.91

33.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$95.9 €85.3

-18.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$99.5 €88.5

-19.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$1,186 €1,055

-33.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$869 €773

-8.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$2,227 €1,981

76.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$1,421 €1,264

-0.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$4,673 €4,157

47.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

$4,540 €4,038

-73.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

$1,459 €1,298

-40.81%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

3.5

146.29%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Estepona: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Estepona

$869 48.1% 9.4% $74

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Estepona

$288 16% 18.2% $64

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Estepona

$266 14.7% 25.4% $54

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Estepona

$167 9.2% 10.3% $19

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Estepona

$132 7.3% 9.9% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Estepona

$68 3.7% 22.7% $20

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Estepona

$18 * 1% 79.3% $69

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 $1,186 in Estepona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Estepona pays 69% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $61.0 in Nosara vs $78.0 in Estepona. Groceries flip the comparison at $352 vs $288, with Estepona cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇪🇸 Estepona

🕒 Local time

22:09 10:09 PM

06:09 6:09 AM

8 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

76,975

💱 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 18, 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Estepona 8,510 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Estepona

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 Estepona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Estepona is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, utilities, and leisure. The 2% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 69% lower in Estepona. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $788 in Nosara versus $1,186 in Estepona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $494 in Nosara versus $554 in Estepona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Estepona – a meal for two runs $78.0 versus $61.0 in Nosara. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,807 in Estepona versus $1,839 in Nosara, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Estepona but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Estepona the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Estepona 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 Estepona 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 Estepona gentler on the wallet – expenses run 2% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.