Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Gence

For one person, living is cheaper in Gence: $711 a month against $1,837 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $13,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Nosara
🇨🇷 Costa Rica
$1,837
/mo nomad
Gence
🇦🇿 Azerbaijan
$711
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Gence

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

A single person spends $1,837 per month in Nosara vs $711 in Gence, rent included.

  • Nosara $1,837
  • Gence $711

A couple spends around $2,775 per month in Nosara vs $1,175 in Gence, rent included.

  • Nosara $2,775
  • Gence $1,175

A family of three spends $3,712 per month in Nosara vs $1,640 in Gence, rent included.

  • Nosara $3,712
  • Gence $1,640

Nosara costs about 158% more than Gence, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Nosara sits 37% above the global median, while Gence is 47% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Nosara
Gence
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$12.22 ₡5,509
$6.95 ₼11.81
75.83%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$60.2 ₡27.1K
$29.24 ₼49.69
105.88%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.54 ₡3,399
$8.30 ₼14.11
-9.16%
Cappuccino
$4.31 ₡1,941
$2.65 ₼4.50
62.64%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.72 ₡773
$0.84 ₼1.44
104.76%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.35 ₡608
$0.49 ₼0.83
175.51%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.24 ₡1,459
$1.21 ₼2.05
167.77%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.48 ₡2,018
$2.38 ₼4.05
88.24%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Nosara
Gence
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.57 ₡707
$1.33 ₼2.27
18.05%
White Bread (500g)
$3.17 ₡1,429
$0.35 ₼0.60
805.71%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.42 ₡1,091
$1.74 ₼2.95
39.08%
Eggs
$3.57 ₡1,609
$1.14 ₼1.94
213.16%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.43 ₡3,349
$2.83 ₼4.81
162.54%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.42 ₡4,697
$3.51 ₼5.96
196.87%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.66 ₡6,156
$7.59 ₼12.90
79.97%
Apples (1kg)
$2.32 ₡1,044
$0.62 ₼1.06
274.19%
Banana (1kg)
$1.61 ₡728
$1.31 ₼2.22
22.90%
Oranges (1kg)
$4.74 ₡2,138
$1.38 ₼2.34
243.48%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.66 ₡747
$1.06 ₼1.80
56.60%
Potato (1kg)
$3.72 ₡1,679
$0.63 ₼1.07
490.48%
Onion (1kg)
$3.57 ₡1,611
$0.51 ₼0.87
600.00%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.10 ₡497
$0.44 ₼0.74
150.00%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.55 ₡1,149
$0.43 ₼0.73
493.02%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.95 ₡2,232
$3.61 ₼6.13
37.12%
Wine (Bottle)
$20.01 ₡9,020
$1.40 ₼2.38
1329.29%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.79 ₡1,256
$0.92 ₼1.56
203.26%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.53 ₡1,589
$1.78 ₼3.03
98.31%
🚌 Getting Around
Nosara
Gence
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.19 ₡537
$0.30 ₼0.51
296.67%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$72.1 ₡32.5K
$14.81 ₼25.18
386.63%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.24 ₡1,011
$1.74 ₼2.95
28.74%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.55 ₡701
$0.28 ₼0.47
453.57%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.86 ₡3,993
$2.30 ₼3.91
285.22%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.57 ₡708
$0.69 ₼1.17
127.54%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.8K ₡9.8M
$20.8K ₼35.3K
5.04%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.6K ₡15.6M
$22.7K ₼38.5K
52.91%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Nosara
Gence
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$93.5 ₡42.1K
$33.78 ₼57.4
176.64%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$35.11 ₡15.8K
$12.58 ₼21.39
179.09%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$51.5 ₡23.2K
$14.89 ₼25.31
245.80%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Nosara
Gence
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$71.4 ₡32.2K
$20.99 ₼35.67
240.16%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$35.44 ₡16.0K
$23.26 ₼39.53
52.36%
Cinema Ticket
$7.84 ₡3,535
$5.95 ₼10.10
31.76%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Nosara
Gence
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$490 ₡220.7K
$231 ₼392
112.25%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.9K ₡5.4M
$5,803 ₼9,863
104.71%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Nosara
Gence
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$53.5 ₡24.1K
$89.2 ₼152
-39.96%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$55.8 ₡25.1K
$59.1 ₼100
-5.59%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$79.3 ₡35.7K
$125 ₼213
-36.77%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$78.9 ₡35.6K
$118 ₼200
-32.89%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Nosara
Gence
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$786 ₡354.3K
$353 ₼599
122.84%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$780 ₡351.6K
$179 ₼303
336.77%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$3,860 ₡1.7M
$579 ₼984
566.48%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,407 ₡634.4K
$349 ₼594
302.80%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$6,972 ₡3.1M
$815 ₼1,385
755.41%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,201 ₡541.3K
$473 ₼803
153.99%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Nosara
Gence
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$876 ₡395.0K
$294 ₼500
198.08%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
8.62
8
7.75%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Last update for Gence: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Nosara
$780
Gence
$179 77.1% $601
Groceries & Markets
Nosara
$350
Gence
$120 65.8% $230
Eating Out
Nosara
$209
Gence
$128 38.7% $81
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Nosara
$180
Gence
$61 66% $119
Clothing & Footwear
Nosara
$120
Gence
$176 46.2% $56
Sport & Entertainment
Nosara
$87
Gence
$33 62.2% $54
Getting Around
Nosara
$87
Gence
$19 77.9% $68

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $786 in Nosara versus $353 in Gence. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 198% higher in Nosara, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $60.0 in Nosara versus $29.00 in Gence. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $350 vs $120 – making Gence the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇨🇷 Nosara
🇦🇿 Gence
🕒 Local time
21:06 9:06 PM
07:06 7:06 AM
10 h ahead of Nosara
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
4,912
335,800
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

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

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).

Azerbaijani Manat exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.7 AZN (1 AZN = 0.588 USD). 1 EUR = 1.91 AZN (1 AZN = 0.525 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Nosara Gence 12,540 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Nosara
  • Gence

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 Gence: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Gence cheaper than Nosara?
Yes – Nosara is pricier by about 158%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,756 per month in Nosara and $1,067 in Gence. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Gence, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Kindergarten costs $490 per month in Nosara and $231 in Gence. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
How do food prices compare in Nosara and in Gence?
Groceries cost about 192% more in Nosara, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Nosara or in Gence?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Gence, where all-in costs run around $711, than in Nosara at $1,837. In Gence it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Nosara or Gence more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Gence – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is safer, Nosara or Gence?
Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Gence. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Nosara makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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