Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Javea

For one person, living is cheaper in Javea: $1,589 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index
77

Cost of Living Index in Javea
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Javea Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Javea

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,589

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Javea

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,839 in Nosara versus $1,589 in Javea.

Nosara $1,839
Javea $1,589

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,828 in Nosara versus $2,377 in Javea.

Nosara $2,828
Javea $2,377

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,818 in Nosara versus $3,165 in Javea.

Nosara $3,818
Javea $3,165

Living in Nosara is roughly 16% more expensive than in Javea, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Nosara 36% above, Javea 18% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$22.07 €19.63

-44.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$73.1 €65.0

-16.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$11.01 €9.80

-31.70%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$2.12 €1.88

108.02%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$2.86 €2.55

-39.16%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$2.18 €1.94

-39.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$3.85 €3.42

-14.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$3.62 €3.22

23.48%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.06 €0.95

47.17%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$1.23 €1.10

145.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$1.44 €1.28

74.31%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$2.92 €2.60

22.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$10.08 €8.96

-26.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$6.66 €5.92

57.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$11.31 €10.06

23.52%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$1.81 €1.61

29.83%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$1.46 €1.30

10.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$1.14 €1.02

321.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$2.64 €2.35

-39.02%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$1.89 €1.68

101.06%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$1.94 €1.72

90.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$0.63 €0.56

79.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$1.08 €0.96

146.30%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$5.76 €5.13

-10.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$4.54 €4.04

337.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$0.83 €0.74

249.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$1.42 €1.27

155.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$1.62 €1.44

-30.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

$31.98 €28.45

127.14%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$4.24 €3.77

-49.53%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$1.18 €1.05

33.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$24.42 €21.72

-65.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$1.73 €1.53

-12.14%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$35.8K €31.8K

-39.56%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$29.5K €26.3K

16.87%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$131 €116

-26.26%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$11.15 €9.92

221.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$26.46 €23.53

102.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$44.75 €39.81

59.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

$15.57 €13.85

124.21%

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$6.77 €6.02

16.54%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$397 €353

24.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$7,179 €6,386

65.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$72.5 €64.5

-25.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$27.54 €24.50

101.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$102 €91.1

-23.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$91.0 €80.9

-12.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$1,028 €915

-23.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$686 €610

15.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$1,767 €1,572

122.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$1,006 €895

41.01%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$4,599 €4,091

50.27%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

$2,803 €2,493

-56.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

3.18

171.07%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Javea: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Javea

$686 43.2% 13.6% $108

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Javea

$215 13.5% 39.1% $138

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Javea

$282 17.7% 33% $70

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Javea

$168 10.6% 9.5% $18

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Javea

$132 8.3% 9.9% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Javea

$58 3.7% 33.3% $29

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Javea

$49 3.1% 44.3% $39

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $788 in Nosara and $1,028 in Javea. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $61.0 in Nosara vs $73.0 in Javea. Groceries flip the comparison at $352 vs $215, with Javea cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇪🇸 Javea

🕒 Local time

20:23 8:23 PM

04:23 4:23 AM

8 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

29,760

💱 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 18, 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Nosara Javea 8,950 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Javea

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 Javea: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Javea wins on cost – living expenses run 16% lower than in Nosara. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Javea the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $2,758 in Nosara and $2,384 in Javea 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $788 in Nosara versus $1,028 in Javea. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $494 in Nosara versus $397 in Javea. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 64% higher in Nosara. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,589 in Javea versus $1,839 in Nosara, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Javea but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Javea the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Javea delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,589 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Javea hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Nosara and Javea 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 Javea gentler on the wallet – expenses run 16% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.