Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Kingstown

For one person, living is cheaper in Kingstown: $1,321 a month against $1,837 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $6,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Nosara outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index
64

Cost of Living Index in Kingstown
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Kingstown Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Kingstown

🇻🇨 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

$1,321

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Kingstown

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

A single person spends $1,837 per month in Nosara vs $1,321 in Kingstown, rent included.

Nosara $1,837
Kingstown $1,321

A couple spends around $2,775 per month in Nosara vs $1,994 in Kingstown, rent included.

Nosara $2,775
Kingstown $1,994

A family of three spends $3,712 per month in Nosara vs $2,666 in Kingstown, rent included.

Nosara $3,712
Kingstown $2,666

Nosara costs about 39% more than Kingstown, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Nosara sits 37% above the global median, while Kingstown is 1% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.22 ₡5,509

$6.33 EC$17.08

93.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.2 ₡27.1K

$37.40 EC$101

60.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 ₡3,399

$10.36 EC$27.98

-27.22%

Cappuccino

$4.31 ₡1,941

$4.01 EC$10.84

7.48%

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

$1.72 ₡773

$2.33 EC$6.28

-26.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.35 ₡608

$1.82 EC$4.91

-25.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ₡1,459

$1.69 EC$4.57

91.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 ₡2,018

$2.21 EC$5.95

102.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡707

$3.15 EC$8.49

-50.16%

White Bread (500g)

$3.17 ₡1,429

$2.16 EC$5.82

46.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 ₡1,091

$1.43 EC$3.86

69.23%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,609

$4.61 EC$12.44

-22.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,349

$13.19 EC$35.60

-43.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.42 ₡4,697

$3.86 EC$10.42

169.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.66 ₡6,156

$12.25 EC$33.09

11.51%

Apples (1kg)

$2.32 ₡1,044

$9.78 EC$26.41

-76.28%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡728

$3.48 EC$9.40

-53.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.74 ₡2,138

$9.89 EC$26.70

-52.07%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 ₡747

$5.99 EC$16.16

-72.29%

Potato (1kg)

$3.72 ₡1,679

$3.89 EC$10.50

-4.37%

Onion (1kg)

$3.57 ₡1,611

$3.88 EC$10.48

-7.99%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 ₡497

$2.84 EC$7.67

-61.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.55 ₡1,149

$2.17 EC$5.87

17.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.95 ₡2,232

$4.15 EC$11.20

19.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.01 ₡9,020

$16.74 EC$45.20

19.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.79 ₡1,256

$2.75 EC$7.43

1.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.53 ₡1,589

$2.46 EC$6.65

43.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.19 ₡537

$1.19 EC$3.21

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.1 ₡32.5K

$50.2 EC$136

43.51%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.24 ₡1,011

$11.24 EC$30.36

-80.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 ₡701

$1.80 EC$4.87

-13.89%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₡3,993

$29.10 EC$78.6

-69.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡708

$3.22 EC$8.69

-51.24%

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

$21.8K ₡9.8M

$38.6K EC$104.3K

-43.58%

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

$34.6K ₡15.6M

$30.4K EC$82.0K

14.08%

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

$93.5 ₡42.1K

$75.3 EC$203

24.07%

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

$35.11 ₡15.8K

$33.71 EC$91.0

4.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.5 ₡23.2K

$51.7 EC$140

-0.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.4 ₡32.2K

$32.27 EC$87.1

121.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.44 ₡16.0K

$4.66 EC$12.58

660.52%

Cinema Ticket

$7.84 ₡3,535

$4.60 EC$12.42

70.43%

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

$490 ₡220.7K

$105 EC$283

367.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.4M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ₡24.1K

$63.6 EC$172

-15.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.8 ₡25.1K

$61.3 EC$166

-9.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 ₡35.7K

$74.4 EC$201

6.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.9 ₡35.6K

$94.0 EC$254

-16.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$786 ₡354.3K

$284 EC$768

176.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$780 ₡351.6K

$329 EC$887

137.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,860 ₡1.7M

$565 EC$1,525

583.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 ₡634.4K

$474 EC$1,280

196.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,972 ₡3.1M

$589 EC$1,590

1083.82%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,201 ₡541.3K

$599 EC$1,616

100.61%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$876 ₡395.0K

$1,069 EC$2,886

-18.01%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

7.5

14.93%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Last update for Kingstown: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$780 43%

Kingstown

$329 24.9% 57.9% $451

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$350 19.3%

Kingstown

$421 31.9% 20.5% $72

Eating Out

Nosara

$209 11.6%

Kingstown

$159 12.1% 23.9% $50

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$180 9.9%

Kingstown

$161 12.2% 10.7% $19

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.6%

Kingstown

$132 10% 9.7% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Kingstown

$41 3.2% 52.4% $46

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Kingstown

$75 5.7% 13.4% $12

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $786 in Nosara versus $284 in Kingstown. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 22% higher in Kingstown, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $60.0 in Nosara versus $37.00 in Kingstown. Groceries tell a different story – $350 in Nosara vs $421 in Kingstown – so Nosara wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇻🇨 Kingstown

🕒 Local time

03:05 3:05 AM

05:05 5:05 AM

2 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

25,720 Capital

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

East Caribbean Dollar XCD $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1 XCD = 0.37 USD

1 XCD = 0.33 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

XCD, 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).

East Caribbean Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 2.7 XCD (1 XCD = 0.37 USD). 1 EUR = 3.03 XCD (1 XCD = 0.33 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Kingstown 2,680 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Kingstown

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 Kingstown: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Nosara is pricier by about 39%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,756 per month in Nosara and $1,982 in Kingstown. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 44% less in Kingstown. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $490 per month in Nosara and $105 in Kingstown. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Kingstown, where all-in costs run around $1,321, than in Nosara at $1,837. In Kingstown it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Kingstown – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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 Kingstown. 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.