Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Gladstone

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,846 a month against $2,533 in Gladstone, rent and utilities included – about $8,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

88

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index
123

Cost of Living Index in Gladstone
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Gladstone Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,846

/mo nomad

Gladstone

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,533

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Gladstone

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,846 in Nosara versus $2,533 in Gladstone.

Nosara $1,846
Gladstone $2,533

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,833 in Nosara versus $3,459 in Gladstone.

Nosara $2,833
Gladstone $3,459

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,820 in Nosara versus $4,385 in Gladstone.

Nosara $3,820
Gladstone $4,385

Living in Nosara costs roughly 27% less than in Gladstone, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Nosara 36% above, Gladstone 86% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.36 ₡5,575

$17.68 A$25.14

-30.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.8 ₡27.4K

$81.1 A$115

-25.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.88 ₡3,557

$11.89 A$16.91

-33.73%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₡1,986

$4.13 A$5.87

6.54%

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

$1.72 ₡776

$3.10 A$4.41

-44.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.34 ₡603

$2.75 A$3.91

-51.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.34 ₡1,505

$7.52 A$10.69

-55.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.54 ₡2,048

$9.28 A$13.20

-51.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.64 ₡739

$1.52 A$2.17

7.89%

White Bread (500g)

$3.16 ₡1,426

$2.73 A$3.88

15.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.39 ₡1,080

$2.30 A$3.27

3.91%

Eggs

$3.47 ₡1,564

$4.85 A$6.90

-28.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.13 ₡3,217

$9.23 A$13.13

-22.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.32 ₡4,655

$9.21 A$13.09

12.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,302

$14.50 A$20.61

-3.66%

Apples (1kg)

$2.29 ₡1,031

$3.83 A$5.45

-40.21%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 ₡731

$3.12 A$4.44

-48.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.81 ₡2,169

$3.30 A$4.69

45.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.68 ₡758

$4.67 A$6.64

-64.03%

Potato (1kg)

$3.91 ₡1,765

$2.63 A$3.75

48.67%

Onion (1kg)

$3.63 ₡1,640

$2.38 A$3.38

52.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡509

$2.41 A$3.42

-53.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.63 ₡1,188

$1.61 A$2.29

63.35%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.02 ₡2,267

$41.88 A$59.6

-88.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.71 ₡8,893

$13.91 A$19.78

41.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.91 ₡1,314

$4.85 A$6.90

-40.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.54 ₡1,597

$5.35 A$7.61

-33.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.21 ₡545

$2.83 A$4.02

-57.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.8 ₡33.3K

$84.8 A$121

-13.04%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.15 ₡969

$4.02 A$5.72

-46.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 ₡738

$1.39 A$1.98

17.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.77 ₡3,958

$44.05 A$62.6

-80.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡700

$1.27 A$1.80

22.05%

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

$33.9K ₡15.3M

$26.9K A$38.2K

26.06%

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

$38.5K ₡17.4M

$24.9K A$35.4K

54.35%

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

$95.2 ₡43.0K

$205 A$291

-53.50%

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

$36.29 ₡16.4K

$27.56 A$39.19

31.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.0 ₡23.5K

$54.4 A$77.3

-4.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.6 ₡30.5K

$56.1 A$79.8

20.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.55 ₡16.0K

$17.63 A$25.07

101.64%

Cinema Ticket

$7.54 ₡3,404

$13.90 A$19.77

-45.76%

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

$496 ₡224.0K

$1,958 A$2,785

-74.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.8K ₡5.3M

$20.4K A$28.9K

-42.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.1 ₡24.9K

$70.3 A$100

-21.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.1 ₡25.3K

$62.5 A$88.8

-10.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.8 ₡35.1K

$98.6 A$140

-21.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.1 ₡35.7K

$123 A$174

-35.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$817 ₡368.9K

$1,381 A$1,964

-40.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$806 ₡363.6K

$1,223 A$1,739

-34.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,988 ₡1.8M

$1,370 A$1,948

191.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,429 ₡644.9K

$1,465 A$2,083

-2.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,068 ₡3.2M

$5,583 A$7,939

26.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,197 ₡540.1K

$4,980 A$7,081

-75.96%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$888 ₡400.7K

$5,599 A$7,962

-84.14%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

5.25

64.19%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 24, 2026

Last update for Gladstone: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$806 43.7%

Gladstone

$1.2K 48.3% 51.8% $417

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$351 19%

Gladstone

$367 14.5% 4.5% $16

Eating Out

Nosara

$213 11.6%

Gladstone

$306 12.1% 43.6% $93

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$184 9.9%

Gladstone

$287 11.3% 56.2% $103

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$121 6.5%

Gladstone

$159 6.3% 32.1% $39

Getting Around

Nosara

$89 4.8%

Gladstone

$107 4.2% 20.5% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$83 4.5%

Gladstone

$84 3.3% 1.5% $1.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $817 in Nosara and $1,381 in Gladstone. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Gladstone pays about 6.3 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $61 in Nosara vs $81 in Gladstone for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $351 vs $367 per month, with Nosara cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇦🇺 Gladstone

🕒 Local time

07:59 7:59 AM

23:59 11:59 PM

16 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

34,703

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR

1 AUD = 0.703 USD

1 AUD = 0.632 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 502 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 AUD (1 AUD = 0.703 USD). 1 EUR = 1.58 AUD (1 AUD = 0.632 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Gladstone 13,810 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Gladstone

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 Gladstone: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara wins on cost – living expenses run 27% lower than in Gladstone. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Nosara the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 84% lower in Nosara. 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: $817 in Nosara versus $1,381 in Gladstone. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,846 per month in Nosara versus $2,533 in Gladstone – a 37% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Nosara runs roughly 13% less than in Gladstone. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Nosara gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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 Gladstone 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 27% less than in Gladstone. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.