Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Freeport

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,837 a month against $2,642 in Freeport, rent and utilities included – about $9,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index
130

Cost of Living Index in Freeport
Learn more

Freeport Living Index

Jump to prices

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Freeport

🇧🇸 Bahamas

$2,642

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Freeport

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,837 in Nosara versus $2,642 in Freeport.

Nosara $1,837
Freeport $2,642

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,775 in Nosara versus $4,318 in Freeport.

Nosara $2,775
Freeport $4,318

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,712 in Nosara versus $5,994 in Freeport.

Nosara $3,712
Freeport $5,994

Living in Nosara costs roughly 30% less than in Freeport, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Nosara 37% above, Freeport 97% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.22 ₡5,509

$47.39 BSD 47.39

-74.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.2 ₡27.1K

$101 BSD 101

-40.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 ₡3,399

$12.49 BSD 12.49

-39.63%

Cappuccino

$4.31 ₡1,941

$6.53 BSD 6.53

-34.00%

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

$1.72 ₡773

$3.09 BSD 3.09

-44.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.35 ₡608

$2.81 BSD 2.81

-51.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ₡1,459

$4.74 BSD 4.74

-31.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 ₡2,018

$7.16 BSD 7.16

-37.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡707

$2.38 BSD 2.38

-34.03%

White Bread (500g)

$3.17 ₡1,429

$5.47 BSD 5.47

-42.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 ₡1,091

$8.63 BSD 8.63

-71.96%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,609

$8.82 BSD 8.82

-59.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,349

$16.83 BSD 16.83

-55.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.42 ₡4,697

$6.94 BSD 6.94

50.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.66 ₡6,156

$14.10 BSD 14.10

-3.12%

Apples (1kg)

$2.32 ₡1,044

$10.02 BSD 10.02

-76.85%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡728

$4.08 BSD 4.08

-60.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.74 ₡2,138

$9.91 BSD 9.91

-52.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 ₡747

$12.72 BSD 12.72

-86.95%

Potato (1kg)

$3.72 ₡1,679

$4.43 BSD 4.43

-16.03%

Onion (1kg)

$3.57 ₡1,611

$2.63 BSD 2.63

35.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 ₡497

$4.33 BSD 4.33

-74.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.55 ₡1,149

$3.20 BSD 3.20

-20.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.95 ₡2,232

$15.05 BSD 15.05

-67.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.01 ₡9,020

$19.64 BSD 19.64

1.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.79 ₡1,256

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.53 ₡1,589

$4.60 BSD 4.60

-23.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.19 ₡537

$1.85 BSD 1.85

-35.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.1 ₡32.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.24 ₡1,011

$2.98 BSD 2.98

-24.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 ₡701

$3.05 BSD 3.05

-49.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₡3,993

$98.8 BSD 98.8

-91.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡708

$1.68 BSD 1.68

-6.55%

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

$21.8K ₡9.8M

$37.5K BSD 37.5K

-41.90%

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

$34.6K ₡15.6M

$34.8K BSD 34.8K

-0.36%

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

$93.5 ₡42.1K

$278 BSD 278

-66.37%

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

$35.11 ₡15.8K

$63.7 BSD 63.7

-44.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.5 ₡23.2K

$66.2 BSD 66.2

-22.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.4 ₡32.2K

$56.4 BSD 56.4

26.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.44 ₡16.0K

$54.6 BSD 54.6

-35.03%

Cinema Ticket

$7.84 ₡3,535

$18.08 BSD 18.08

-56.64%

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

$490 ₡220.7K

$575 BSD 575

-14.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.4M

$8,515 BSD 8,515

39.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ₡24.1K

$47.85 BSD 47.85

11.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.8 ₡25.1K

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 ₡35.7K

$92.6 BSD 92.6

-14.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.9 ₡35.6K

$69.7 BSD 69.7

13.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$786 ₡354.3K

$984 BSD 984

-20.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$780 ₡351.6K

$930 BSD 930

-16.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,860 ₡1.7M

$2,210 BSD 2,210

74.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 ₡634.4K

$1,974 BSD 1,974

-28.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,972 ₡3.1M

$4,289 BSD 4,289

62.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,201 ₡541.3K

$3,253 BSD 3,253

-63.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$876 ₡395.0K

$1,573 BSD 1,573

-44.28%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

12.72

-32.23%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Last update for Freeport: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$780 43%

Freeport

$930 34.7% 19.2% $150

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$350 19.3%

Freeport

$576 * 21.5% 64.9% $227

Eating Out

Nosara

$209 11.6%

Freeport

$557 20.7% 166% $347

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$180 9.9%

Freeport

$408 15.2% 127% $228

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.6%

Freeport

$95 * 3.5% 21.4% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Freeport

$93 3.5% 6.3% $5.5

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Freeport

$26 * 1% 70.5% $61

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 $786 in Nosara and $984 in Freeport. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Freeport pays 79% 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 $101 in Freeport for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $350 vs $576 per month, with Nosara cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇧🇸 Freeport

🕒 Local time

01:28 1:28 AM

03:28 3:28 AM

2 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

45,945

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Bahamian Dollar BSD $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1 BSD = 1 USD

1 BSD = 0.892 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BSD, 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 = 506 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Bahamian Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1 BSD (1 BSD = 1 USD). 1 EUR = 1.12 BSD (1 BSD = 0.892 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Freeport 1,980 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Freeport

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 Freeport: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara and Freeport differ by about 44% in total monthly costs ($1,837 vs $2,642 including rent). Nosara is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 79% lower in Freeport. 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: $786 in Nosara versus $984 in Freeport. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $490 in Nosara versus $575 in Freeport. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Nosara – a meal for two runs $60.0 versus $101 in Freeport. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,837 in Nosara versus $2,642 in Freeport, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Nosara but tight or insufficient in Freeport. The gap between the two cities makes Nosara 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 Freeport 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 Nosara gentler on the wallet – expenses run 44% less than in Freeport. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.