Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Guarda

For one person, living is cheaper in Guarda: $1,281 a month against $1,835 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $6,600 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
62

Cost of Living Index in Guarda
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Guarda Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Guarda

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,281

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Guarda

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

A single person spends $1,835 per month in Nosara vs $1,281 in Guarda, rent included.

Nosara $1,835
Guarda $1,281

A couple spends around $2,825 per month in Nosara vs $1,993 in Guarda, rent included.

Nosara $2,825
Guarda $1,993

A family of three spends $3,814 per month in Nosara vs $2,705 in Guarda, rent included.

Nosara $3,814
Guarda $2,705

Nosara costs about 43% more than Guarda, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Nosara sits 35% above the global median, while Guarda is 5% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.34 ₡5,535

$12.86 €11.44

-4.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.3 ₡27.5K

$45.18 €40.19

35.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.76 ₡3,481

$11.11 €9.89

-30.15%

Cappuccino

$4.44 ₡1,992

$1.70 €1.51

161.18%

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

$1.79 ₡803

$1.92 €1.71

-6.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.29 ₡580

$1.67 €1.48

-22.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ₡1,451

$2.27 €2.02

42.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.43 ₡1,985

$3.95 €3.52

12.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡696

$0.98 €0.87

58.16%

White Bread (500g)

$3.08 ₡1,380

$1.67 €1.49

84.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.53 ₡1,133

$1.60 €1.42

58.12%

Eggs

$3.45 ₡1,546

$3.79 €3.37

-8.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.32 ₡3,284

$11.34 €10.08

-35.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.24 ₡4,594

$11.99 €10.67

-14.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.10 ₡6,326

$23.90 €21.25

-41.00%

Apples (1kg)

$2.29 ₡1,027

$2.41 €2.14

-4.98%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 ₡737

$1.69 €1.50

-2.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.79 ₡2,149

$2.11 €1.87

127.01%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.64 ₡735

$2.34 €2.08

-29.91%

Potato (1kg)

$3.85 ₡1,727

$2.34 €2.08

64.53%

Onion (1kg)

$3.75 ₡1,681

$2.32 €2.07

61.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.09 ₡488

$0.92 €0.82

18.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.59 ₡1,160

$1.14 €1.01

127.19%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.12 ₡2,295

$6.84 €6.08

-25.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.92 ₡8,931

$5.13 €4.57

288.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.80 ₡1,255

$1.72 €1.53

62.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.52 ₡1,580

$2.51 €2.23

40.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.22 ₡549

$1.69 €1.51

-27.81%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.9 ₡33.1K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.17 ₡973

$4.96 €4.41

-56.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 ₡698

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.67 ₡3,886

$17.02 €15.14

-49.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡697

$2.21 €1.96

-29.86%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$32.4K €28.8K

6.64%

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

$38.7K ₡17.4M

$38.5K €34.3K

0.61%

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

$94.8 ₡42.5K

$190 €169

-50.06%

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

$36.15 ₡16.2K

$16.68 €14.83

116.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.1 ₡23.8K

$49.92 €44.40

6.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$73.8 ₡33.1K

$56.1 €49.94

31.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.63 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$7.91 ₡3,548

$6.92 €6.16

14.31%

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

$490 ₡219.9K

$429 €382

14.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$13.5K €12.0K

-11.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.8 ₡24.6K

$33.49 €29.79

63.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.9 ₡25.1K

$22.63 €20.13

146.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.4 ₡36.0K

$134 €119

-40.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$165 €147

-52.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$801 ₡359.1K

$398 €354

101.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$790 ₡354.1K

$284 €253

178.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,005 ₡1.8M

$736 €655

443.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,409 ₡632.0K

$561 €499

151.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,064 ₡3.2M

$1,364 €1,213

417.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,236 ₡554.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$887 ₡397.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

3.27

163.61%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 20, 2026

Last update for Guarda: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$790 43%

Guarda

$284 22.2% 64% $506

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$350 19.1%

Guarda

$309 24.1% 11.7% $41

Eating Out

Nosara

$213 11.6%

Guarda

$190 14.9% 10.6% $22

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$184 10%

Guarda

$256 20% 39.4% $72

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$121 6.6%

Guarda

$160 12.5% 32.1% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$90 4.9%

Guarda

$70 5.5% 21.9% $20

Getting Around

Nosara

$89 4.8%

Guarda

$12 * 0.9% 86.8% $77

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $801 in Nosara versus $398 in Guarda. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Nosara versus $45.00 in Guarda. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $350 vs $309 – making Guarda the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇵🇹 Guarda

🕒 Local time

07:08 7:08 AM

14:08 2:08 PM

7 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

40,126

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to CRC – Costa Rican Colón Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 22, 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 22, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Nosara Guarda 8,310 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Guarda

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 Guarda: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara costs about 43% more than Guarda, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,753 per month in Nosara and $1,922 in Guarda. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Guarda, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,835 in Nosara and $1,281 in Guarda. That's a gap of about 43%.

Kindergarten costs $490 per month in Nosara and $429 in Guarda. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Guarda, where all-in costs run around $1,281, than in Nosara at $1,835. In Guarda it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Guarda costs $1,281 versus $1,835 in Nosara. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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.

If budget matters most, go with Guarda. 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.