Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Fuenlabrada

For one person, living is cheaper in Fuenlabrada: $1,714 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $1,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Nosara
🇨🇷 Costa Rica
$1,839
/mo nomad
Fuenlabrada
🇪🇸 Spain
$1,714
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Fuenlabrada

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,839 in Nosara versus $1,714 in Fuenlabrada.

  • Nosara $1,839
  • Fuenlabrada $1,714

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,828 in Nosara versus $2,551 in Fuenlabrada.

  • Nosara $2,828
  • Fuenlabrada $2,551

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,818 in Nosara versus $3,389 in Fuenlabrada.

  • Nosara $3,818
  • Fuenlabrada $3,389

Living in Nosara is roughly 7% more expensive than in Fuenlabrada, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Nosara 36% above, Fuenlabrada 27% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Nosara
Fuenlabrada
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$12.35 ₡5,539
$16.51 €14.68
-25.20%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$61.2 ₡27.4K
$68.6 €61.0
-10.76%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.52 ₡3,373
$11.30 €10.05
-33.45%
Cappuccino
$4.41 ₡1,978
$2.00 €1.78
120.50%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.74 ₡780
$3.30 €2.94
-47.27%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.31 ₡587
$1.88 €1.68
-30.32%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.28 ₡1,471
$3.41 €3.03
-3.81%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.47 ₡2,004
$4.66 €4.14
-4.08%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Nosara
Fuenlabrada
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.56 ₡701
$1.14 €1.01
36.84%
White Bread (500g)
$3.02 ₡1,355
$1.02 €0.90
196.08%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.51 ₡1,125
$1.96 €1.74
28.06%
Eggs
$3.57 ₡1,603
$3.97 €3.53
-10.08%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.43 ₡3,333
$18.13 €16.13
-59.02%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.52 ₡4,717
$9.40 €8.36
11.91%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.97 ₡6,265
$20.96 €18.64
-33.35%
Apples (1kg)
$2.35 ₡1,052
$2.81 €2.50
-16.37%
Banana (1kg)
$1.61 ₡720
$2.37 €2.11
-32.07%
Oranges (1kg)
$4.80 ₡2,152
$2.51 €2.23
91.24%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.61 ₡724
$2.76 €2.46
-41.67%
Potato (1kg)
$3.80 ₡1,703
$2.15 €1.91
76.74%
Onion (1kg)
$3.69 ₡1,657
$2.15 €1.91
71.63%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.13 ₡507
$1.51 €1.34
-25.17%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.66 ₡1,191
$0.56 €0.50
375.00%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$5.18 ₡2,321
$6.00 €5.33
-13.67%
Wine (Bottle)
$19.88 ₡8,916
$7.79 €6.93
155.20%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.90 ₡1,300
$1.11 €0.98
161.26%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.63 ₡1,626
$2.26 €2.01
60.62%
🚌 Getting Around
Nosara
Fuenlabrada
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.12 ₡504
$1.48 €1.32
-24.32%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$72.6 ₡32.6K
$32.41 €28.83
124.13%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.14 ₡958
$3.82 €3.40
-43.98%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.57 ₡703
$1.49 €1.33
5.37%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.52 ₡3,823
$23.06 €20.51
-63.05%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.52 ₡682
$1.82 €1.62
-16.48%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.6K ₡9.7M
$35.1K €31.2K
-38.35%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.5K ₡15.5M
$29.6K €26.3K
16.69%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Nosara
Fuenlabrada
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$96.3 ₡43.2K
$191 €170
-49.55%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$35.89 ₡16.1K
$18.04 €16.04
98.95%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$53.6 ₡24.0K
$33.47 €29.77
60.11%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Nosara
Fuenlabrada
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$71.6 ₡32.1K
$44.07 €39.20
62.45%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$34.91 ₡15.7K
$15.42 €13.72
126.39%
Cinema Ticket
$7.89 ₡3,539
$10.03 €8.92
-21.34%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Nosara
Fuenlabrada
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$494 ₡221.6K
$183 €163
169.84%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.9K ₡5.3M
$5,962 €5,303
98.89%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Nosara
Fuenlabrada
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$53.9 ₡24.2K
$74.1 €65.9
-27.17%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$55.4 ₡24.8K
$36.71 €32.65
50.94%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$77.9 ₡34.9K
$78.6 €70.0
-0.92%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$79.6 ₡35.7K
$93.9 €83.5
-15.20%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Nosara
Fuenlabrada
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$788 ₡353.4K
$881 €784
-10.60%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$794 ₡356.2K
$682 €607
16.41%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$3,939 ₡1.8M
$1,340 €1,192
193.95%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,419 ₡636.5K
$1,034 €919
37.32%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$6,912 ₡3.1M
$3,268 €2,907
111.51%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,224 ₡549.0K
$2,240 €1,992
-45.35%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Nosara
Fuenlabrada
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$864 ₡387.3K
$1,691 €1,504
-48.93%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
8.62
3.08
179.87%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Fuenlabrada: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Nosara
$794
Fuenlabrada
$682 14.1% $112
Groceries & Markets
Nosara
$352
Fuenlabrada
$311 11.8% $41
Eating Out
Nosara
$212
Fuenlabrada
$237 11.9% $25
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Nosara
$186
Fuenlabrada
$242 30.5% $57
Clothing & Footwear
Nosara
$120
Fuenlabrada
$127 6.2% $7.4
Sport & Entertainment
Nosara
$87
Fuenlabrada
$64 26.6% $23
Getting Around
Nosara
$87
Fuenlabrada
$50 43% $37

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $788 in Nosara and $881 in Fuenlabrada. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Fuenlabrada pays 96% 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 $69.0 in Fuenlabrada. Groceries flip the comparison at $352 vs $311, with Fuenlabrada cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know
🇨🇷 Nosara
🇪🇸 Fuenlabrada
🕒 Local time
01:15 1:15 AM
09:15 9:15 AM
8 h ahead of Nosara
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
4,912
188,736
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to CRC – Costa Rican Colón Converter

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Nosara Fuenlabrada 8,600 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Nosara
  • Fuenlabrada

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 Fuenlabrada: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Fuenlabrada cheaper than Nosara?
Fuenlabrada is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, utilities, and leisure. The 7% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
Where can you earn more: Nosara or Fuenlabrada?
On paper, salaries run 96% lower in Fuenlabrada. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
What is the rent difference between Nosara and Fuenlabrada?
Rent for a central apartment: $788 in Nosara versus $881 in Fuenlabrada. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Is eating out cheaper in Nosara or in Fuenlabrada?
Dining out is cheaper in Fuenlabrada – a meal for two runs $69.0 versus $61.0 in Nosara. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
What are total monthly expenses in Nosara and in Fuenlabrada?
All in, you'll spend $1,839 per month in Nosara versus $1,714 in Fuenlabrada – a 7% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
Is $2,500 a realistic budget for living in Nosara or in Fuenlabrada?
At $1,714 in Fuenlabrada versus $1,839 in Nosara, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Fuenlabrada but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Fuenlabrada the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is Nosara or Fuenlabrada more family-friendly?
For families, Fuenlabrada 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.
Which city is safer, Nosara or Fuenlabrada?
Safety-wise, Nosara and Fuenlabrada are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Which city is easier to live in as a foreigner?
Expats usually find Fuenlabrada gentler on the wallet – expenses run 7% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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