Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Fontainebleau

For one person, living is cheaper in Fontainebleau: $1,127 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $8,500 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
55

Cost of Living Index in Fontainebleau
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Fontainebleau Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Fontainebleau

🇫🇷 France

$1,127

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Fontainebleau

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,839 in Nosara versus $1,127 in Fontainebleau.

Nosara $1,839
Fontainebleau $1,127

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,828 in Nosara versus $2,529 in Fontainebleau.

Nosara $2,828
Fontainebleau $2,529

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,818 in Nosara versus $3,931 in Fontainebleau.

Nosara $3,818
Fontainebleau $3,931

Living in Nosara is roughly 63% more expensive than in Fontainebleau, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Nosara is 36% above, Fontainebleau is 17% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$17.58 €15.64

-29.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$66.3 €59.0

-7.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$13.29 €11.82

-43.42%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$3.85 €3.42

14.55%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$3.13 €2.79

-44.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$1.65 €1.47

-20.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$8.04 €7.15

-59.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$5.64 €5.01

-20.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.32 €1.17

18.18%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$1.97 €1.76

53.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$2.80 €2.49

-10.36%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$4.03 €3.58

-11.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$21.50 €19.12

-65.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$12.19 €10.84

-13.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$23.50 €20.90

-40.55%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$3.33 €2.96

-29.43%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$2.11 €1.88

-23.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$2.38 €2.11

101.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$3.17 €2.82

-49.21%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$1.92 €1.71

97.92%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$2.06 €1.83

79.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$1.52 €1.36

-25.66%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$0.68 €0.61

291.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$13.91 €12.37

-62.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$7.74 €6.89

156.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$2.40 €2.13

20.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$4.27 €3.80

-14.99%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$2.27 €2.02

-5.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$2.09 €1.85

-24.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$24.36 €21.67

-65.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$2.21 €1.97

-31.22%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$33.9K €30.2K

-36.32%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$34.2K €30.4K

0.85%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$206 €184

-53.36%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$15.25 €13.57

135.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$31.23 €27.78

71.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$22.61 €20.11

216.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

$13.32 €11.85

162.09%

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$10.52 €9.36

-25.00%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$633 €563

-21.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$8,147 €7,247

45.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$87.8 €78.1

-38.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$40.29 €35.83

37.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$101 €89.7

-22.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$104 €92.4

-23.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$936 €833

-15.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$1,670 €1,485

135.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$1,405 €1,250

0.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

$3,045 €2,709

-71.64%

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 Fontainebleau: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Fontainebleau

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Fontainebleau

$371 32.9% 5.3% $19

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Fontainebleau

$297 26.4% 40.3% $85

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Fontainebleau

$253 22.4% 36.2% $67

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Fontainebleau

$150 13.3% 24.7% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Fontainebleau

$44 3.9% 50% $44

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Fontainebleau

$13 * 1.1% 85.4% $74

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 $936 in Fontainebleau. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Fontainebleau pays 253% 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 $66.0 in Fontainebleau for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $352 vs $371 per month, with Nosara cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇫🇷 Fontainebleau

🕒 Local time

12:14 12:14 PM

20:14 8:14 PM

8 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

15,945

💱 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 17, 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 17, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Nosara Fontainebleau 9,060 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Fontainebleau

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 Fontainebleau: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Fontainebleau wins on cost – living expenses run 63% lower than in Nosara. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Fontainebleau the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 253% lower in Fontainebleau. 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 $936 in Fontainebleau. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Nosara pay roughly 5% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you'll spend $1,839 per month in Nosara versus $1,127 in Fontainebleau – a 63% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,127 in Fontainebleau versus $1,839 in Nosara, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Fontainebleau but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Fontainebleau the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Fontainebleau delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,127 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Fontainebleau hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Nosara and Fontainebleau 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 Fontainebleau gentler on the wallet – expenses run 63% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.