Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Isabela

For one person, living is cheaper in Isabela: $1,271 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $6,800 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 Isabela
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Isabela Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Isabela

🇵🇷 Puerto Rico

$1,271

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Isabela

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,839 in Nosara versus $1,271 in Isabela.

Nosara $1,839
Isabela $1,271

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

Nosara $2,828
Isabela $1,989

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,818 in Nosara versus $2,707 in Isabela.

Nosara $3,818
Isabela $2,707

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$19.06 $19.06

-35.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$82.1 $82.1

-25.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$9.24 $9.24

-18.61%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$3.67 $3.67

20.16%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$1.89 $1.89

-7.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$1.47 $1.47

-10.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$3.09 $3.09

6.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$5.07 $5.07

-11.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.94 $1.94

-19.59%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$2.89 $2.89

4.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$1.22 $1.22

105.74%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$2.95 $2.95

21.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$11.08 $11.08

-32.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$6.56 $6.56

60.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$13.14 $13.14

6.32%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$4.30 $4.30

-45.35%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$2.54 $2.54

-36.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$5.00 $5.00

-4.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$4.89 $4.89

-67.08%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$3.89 $3.89

-2.31%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$3.94 $3.94

-6.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$3.37 $3.37

-66.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$1.58 $1.58

68.35%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$12.06 $12.06

-57.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$15.85 $15.85

25.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$3.14 $3.14

-7.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$3.98 $3.98

-8.79%

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

$2.55 $2.55

-16.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$1.53 $1.53

2.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$41.80 $41.80

-79.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$0.82 $0.82

85.37%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$40.2K $40.2K

-46.19%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$27.7K $27.7K

24.41%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$326 $326

-70.46%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$68.5 $68.5

-47.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$70.6 $70.6

-24.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$10.54 $10.54

-25.14%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$814 $814

-39.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$12.5K $12.5K

-5.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$57.2 $57.2

-5.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$60.9 $60.9

-8.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$107 $107

-27.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$115 $115

-30.52%

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 Isabela: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Isabela

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Isabela

$359 28.2% 1.9% $6.6

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Isabela

$263 20.7% 24.3% $51

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Isabela

$465 36.6% 150% $279

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Isabela

$153 12% 27.4% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Isabela

$21 * 1.7% 75.9% $66

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Isabela

$10 * 0.8% 88.3% $77

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 $82.0 in Isabela for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $352 vs $359 per month, with Nosara cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇵🇷 Isabela

🕒 Local time

12:52 12:52 PM

14:52 2:52 PM

2 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

45,000

💱 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 = 0.889 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 = 0.889 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Isabela 2,220 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Isabela

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 Isabela: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Isabela wins on cost – living expenses run 45% lower than in Nosara. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Isabela the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $2,758 in Nosara and $1,907 in Isabela 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 $814 in Isabela. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Isabela – a meal for two runs $82.0 versus $61.0 in Nosara. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,271 in Isabela versus $1,839 in Nosara, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Isabela but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Isabela the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Isabela delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,271 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Isabela hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Nosara and Isabela 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 Isabela 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.