Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Goa

For one person, living is cheaper in Goa: $473 a month against $1,837 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $16,400 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
23

Cost of Living Index in Goa
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Goa Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Goa

🇮🇳 India

$473

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Goa

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,837 in Nosara versus $473 in Goa.

Nosara $1,837
Goa $473

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,775 in Nosara versus $789 in Goa.

Nosara $2,775
Goa $789

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,712 in Nosara versus $1,104 in Goa.

Nosara $3,712
Goa $1,104

Living in Nosara is roughly 288% more expensive than in Goa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Nosara is 37% above, Goa is 65% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.22 ₡5,509

$3.07 ₹297

298.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.2 ₡27.1K

$15.75 ₹1,525

282.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 ₡3,399

$5.80 ₹561

30.00%

Cappuccino

$4.31 ₡1,941

$1.20 ₹116

259.17%

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

$1.72 ₡773

$0.35 ₹33.84

391.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.35 ₡608

$0.17 ₹16.21

694.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ₡1,459

$1.16 ₹113

179.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 ₡2,018

$2.54 ₹246

76.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡707

$0.73 ₹71.0

115.07%

White Bread (500g)

$3.17 ₡1,429

$0.53 ₹51.7

498.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 ₡1,091

$0.68 ₹65.6

255.88%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,609

$0.89 ₹86.3

301.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,349

$7.48 ₹724

-0.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.42 ₡4,697

$2.96 ₹286

252.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.66 ₡6,156

Apples (1kg)

$2.32 ₡1,044

$1.69 ₹164

37.28%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡728

$0.80 ₹77.2

101.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.74 ₡2,138

$1.54 ₹149

207.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 ₡747

$0.41 ₹40.08

304.88%

Potato (1kg)

$3.72 ₡1,679

$0.30 ₹28.63

1140.00%

Onion (1kg)

$3.57 ₡1,611

$0.40 ₹38.61

792.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 ₡497

$0.49 ₹47.85

124.49%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.55 ₡1,149

$0.30 ₹29.25

750.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.95 ₡2,232

$4.84 ₹468

2.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.01 ₡9,020

$6.81 ₹660

193.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.79 ₡1,256

$0.90 ₹87.1

210.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.53 ₡1,589

$2.80 ₹271

26.07%

Buffalo Round (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) (1kg)

$4.98 ₹482

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.19 ₡537

$0.25 ₹24.17

376.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.1 ₡32.5K

$9.58 ₹927

652.30%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.24 ₡1,011

$1.06 ₹102

111.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 ₡701

$0.31 ₹29.74

400.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₡3,993

$1.49 ₹144

494.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡708

$1.05 ₹102

49.52%

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

$21.8K ₡9.8M

$12.4K ₹1.2M

76.31%

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

$34.6K ₡15.6M

$29.9K ₹2.9M

15.65%

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

$93.5 ₡42.1K

$25.55 ₹2,473

265.75%

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

$35.11 ₡15.8K

$3.08 ₹298

1039.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.5 ₡23.2K

$9.41 ₹911

447.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.4 ₡32.2K

$17.11 ₹1,656

317.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.44 ₡16.0K

$1.07 ₹104

3212.15%

Cinema Ticket

$7.84 ₡3,535

$3.07 ₹297

155.37%

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

$490 ₡220.7K

$110 ₹10.6K

347.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.4M

$1,663 ₹160.9K

614.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ₡24.1K

$32.08 ₹3,105

66.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.8 ₡25.1K

$34.08 ₹3,298

63.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 ₡35.7K

$57.9 ₹5,606

36.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.9 ₡35.6K

$27.70 ₹2,681

184.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$786 ₡354.3K

$180 ₹17.4K

337.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$780 ₡351.6K

$159 ₹15.4K

389.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,860 ₡1.7M

$525 ₹50.8K

635.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 ₡634.4K

$406 ₹39.3K

246.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,972 ₡3.1M

$1,123 ₹108.7K

521.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,201 ₡541.3K

$667 ₹64.5K

80.15%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$876 ₡395.0K

$349 ₹33.8K

150.89%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

9.12

-5.48%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Last update for Goa: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$780 43%

Goa

$159 33.2% 79.6% $621

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$350 19.3%

Goa

$109 22.7% 68.9% $241

Eating Out

Nosara

$209 11.6%

Goa

$69 14.4% 66.9% $140

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$180 9.9%

Goa

$38 7.9% 78.9% $142

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.6%

Goa

$68 14.2% 43.2% $52

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Goa

$23 4.8% 73.3% $64

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Goa

$13 2.8% 84.8% $74

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $786 in Nosara and $180 in Goa. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Nosara pays 151% 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 $16.00 in Goa for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $350 vs $109 per month, with Goa cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇮🇳 Goa

🕒 Local time

20:23 8:23 PM

07:53 7:53 AM

11 h 30 min ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

1,458,545

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.33 USD

1,000 INR = 9.21 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

INR, 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).

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 96.78 INR (100 INR = 1.03 USD). 1 EUR = 109 INR (1,000 INR = 9.21 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Nosara Goa 16,420 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Goa

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 Goa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara and Goa differ by about 288% in total monthly costs ($1,837 vs $473 including rent). Goa is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 151% higher in Nosara, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $786 in Nosara versus $180 in Goa. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 222% higher in Nosara. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Goa – a meal for two runs $16.00 versus $60.0 in Nosara. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $473 in Goa versus $1,837 in Nosara, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Goa but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Goa 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 Goa 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 Goa gentler on the wallet – expenses run 288% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.