Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and General Santos

For one person, living is cheaper in General Santos: $628 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $14,500 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
31

Cost of Living Index in General Santos
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General Santos Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

General Santos

🇵🇭 Philippines

$628

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in General Santos

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,839 in Nosara versus $628 in General Santos.

Nosara $1,839
General Santos $628

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,828 in Nosara versus $1,009 in General Santos.

Nosara $2,828
General Santos $1,009

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,818 in Nosara versus $1,391 in General Santos.

Nosara $3,818
General Santos $1,391

Living in Nosara is roughly 193% more expensive than in General Santos, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Nosara is 36% above, General Santos is 53% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$3.38 ₱213

265.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$27.40 ₱1,725

123.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$2.72 ₱172

176.47%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$2.56 ₱161

72.27%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$0.28 ₱17.41

521.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$0.25 ₱15.83

424.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$1.58 ₱99.3

107.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$2.34 ₱147

91.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$2.00 ₱126

-22.00%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$1.08 ₱68.2

179.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$0.87 ₱54.7

188.51%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$1.86 ₱117

91.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$6.38 ₱402

16.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$4.77 ₱300

120.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$9.25 ₱582

51.03%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$2.74 ₱172

-14.23%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$1.07 ₱67.2

50.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$2.45 ₱154

95.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$1.19 ₱74.6

35.29%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$1.98 ₱125

91.92%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$3.28 ₱207

12.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$1.24 ₱78.2

-8.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$0.68 ₱42.60

291.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$2.46 ₱155

110.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$7.76 ₱488

156.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$1.25 ₱78.5

132.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$1.68 ₱106

116.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$0.39 ₱24.37

187.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

$8.15 ₱513

791.29%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$0.78 ₱49.25

174.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$0.25 ₱15.79

528.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$0.82 ₱51.4

939.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$1.12 ₱70.7

35.71%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$20.9K ₱1.3M

3.54%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$19.1K ₱1.2M

80.53%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$76.6 ₱4,825

25.64%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$6.53 ₱411

449.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$31.67 ₱1,994

69.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$4.91 ₱309

60.69%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$109 ₱6,840

354.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$7,532 ₱474.2K

57.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$59.8 ₱3,767

-9.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$30.67 ₱1,931

80.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$70.3 ₱4,428

10.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$60.7 ₱3,823

31.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$174 ₱11.0K

351.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$112 ₱7,068

607.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$359 ₱22.6K

997.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$238 ₱15.0K

495.71%

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

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

8.31

3.73%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for General Santos: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

General Santos

$112 17.9% 85.9% $682

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

General Santos

$199 31.7% 43.5% $153

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

General Santos

$81 12.8% 61.9% $131

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

General Santos

$115 18.3% 38.2% $71

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

General Santos

$100 15.9% 17% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

General Santos

$9.8 * 1.6% 88.8% $78

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

General Santos

$12 1.9% 86.5% $75

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 $174 in General Santos. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $61.0 in Nosara vs $27.00 in General Santos for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $352 vs $199 per month, with General Santos cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇵🇭 General Santos

🕒 Local time

18:01 6:01 PM

08:01 8:01 AM

14 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

697,315

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, USD, EUR 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).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.78 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara General Santos 16,160 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
General Santos

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 General Santos: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

General Santos wins on cost – living expenses run 193% lower than in Nosara. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making General Santos the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $2,758 in Nosara and $942 in General Santos to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $788 in Nosara versus $174 in General Santos. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in General Santos – a meal for two runs $27.00 versus $61.0 in Nosara. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,839 per month in Nosara versus $628 in General Santos – a 193% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $628 in General Santos versus $1,839 in Nosara, a $1,000 budget is realistic in General Santos but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes General Santos the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but General Santos delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $628 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes General Santos hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Nosara and General Santos 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 General Santos gentler on the wallet – expenses run 193% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.