Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Guayama

For one person, living is cheaper in Guayama: $1,266 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $6,900 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Nosara outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Guayama
Learn more

Guayama Living Index

Jump to prices

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Guayama

🇵🇷 Puerto Rico

$1,266

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Guayama

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,839 in Nosara versus $1,266 in Guayama.

Nosara $1,839
Guayama $1,266

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,828 in Nosara versus $1,989 in Guayama.

Nosara $2,828
Guayama $1,989

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,818 in Nosara versus $2,711 in Guayama.

Nosara $3,818
Guayama $2,711

Living in Nosara is roughly 45% more expensive than in Guayama, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Nosara is 36% above, Guayama is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$19.36 $19.36

-36.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$83.2 $83.2

-26.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$9.04 $9.04

-16.81%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$3.70 $3.70

19.19%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$1.86 $1.86

-6.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$1.46 $1.46

-10.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$3.02 $3.02

8.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$5.01 $5.01

-10.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$2.13 $2.13

-26.76%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$2.80 $2.80

7.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$2.37 $2.37

5.91%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$4.70 $4.70

-24.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$11.26 $11.26

-34.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$9.86 $9.86

6.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$8.55 $8.55

63.39%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$2.19 $2.19

7.31%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$2.55 $2.55

-36.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$4.93 $4.93

-2.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$4.95 $4.95

-67.47%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$3.85 $3.85

-1.30%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$3.84 $3.84

-3.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$3.50 $3.50

-67.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$1.67 $1.67

59.28%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$11.88 $11.88

-56.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$15.37 $15.37

29.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$3.07 $3.07

-5.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$3.94 $3.94

-7.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$2.54 $2.54

-15.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$0.94 $0.94

67.02%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$41.78 $41.78

-79.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$1.18 $1.18

28.81%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$39.6K $39.6K

-45.37%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$27.5K $27.5K

25.55%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$317 $317

-69.62%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$70.2 $70.2

-48.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$68.4 $68.4

-21.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$10.40 $10.40

-24.13%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$818 $818

-39.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$12.3K $12.3K

-3.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$56.1 $56.1

-3.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$62.1 $62.1

-10.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$109 $109

-28.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$113 $113

-29.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

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

6.55

31.60%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Guayama: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Guayama

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Guayama

$364 28.8% 3.4% $12

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Guayama

$265 20.9% 25% $53

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Guayama

$456 36% 145% $270

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Guayama

$153 12.1% 27.6% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Guayama

$21 * 1.6% 76.2% $67

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Guayama

$7.3 * 0.6% 91.7% $80

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $61.0 in Nosara vs $83.0 in Guayama for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $352 vs $364 per month, with Nosara cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇵🇷 Guayama

🕒 Local time

15:27 3:27 PM

17:27 5:27 PM

2 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

18,797

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to CRC – Costa Rican Colón Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Guayama 2,290 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Guayama

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 Guayama: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara and Guayama differ by about 45% in total monthly costs ($1,839 vs $1,266 including rent). Guayama is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $2,758 in Nosara and $1,899 in Guayama 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.

Childcare runs $494 in Nosara versus $818 in Guayama. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Guayama – a meal for two runs $83.0 versus $61.0 in Nosara. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,266 in Guayama versus $1,839 in Nosara, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Guayama but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Guayama 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 Guayama 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 Guayama gentler on the wallet – expenses run 45% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.