Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Lagos

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $2,049 in Lagos, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Lagos outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index
99

Cost of Living Index in Lagos
Learn more

Lagos Living Index

Jump to prices

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Lagos

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,049

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Lagos

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,839 in Nosara versus $2,049 in Lagos.

Nosara $1,839
Lagos $2,049

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,828 in Nosara versus $3,107 in Lagos.

Nosara $2,828
Lagos $3,107

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,818 in Nosara versus $4,164 in Lagos.

Nosara $3,818
Lagos $4,164

Living in Nosara costs roughly 10% less than in Lagos, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Nosara 36% above, Lagos 52% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$12.43 €11.06

-0.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$55.2 €49.08

10.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$7.97 €7.09

-5.65%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$2.70 €2.40

63.33%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$2.36 €2.10

-26.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$1.72 €1.53

-23.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$3.97 €3.53

-17.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$4.34 €3.86

3.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.02 €0.91

52.94%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$2.36 €2.10

27.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$2.13 €1.90

17.84%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$3.45 €3.07

3.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$17.45 €15.52

-57.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$8.14 €7.24

29.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$14.89 €13.25

-6.18%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$2.82 €2.51

-16.67%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$1.38 €1.23

16.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$1.78 €1.58

169.66%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$2.56 €2.28

-37.11%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$2.05 €1.82

85.37%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$2.05 €1.82

80.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$1.25 €1.11

-9.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$0.37 €0.33

618.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$5.88 €5.23

-11.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$4.50 €4.00

341.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$0.86 €0.76

237.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$2.73 €2.43

32.97%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$1.63 €1.45

-31.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

$33.85 €30.11

114.59%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$5.66 €5.03

-62.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$0.98 €0.87

60.20%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$1.93 €1.72

-21.24%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$33.5K €29.8K

-35.44%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$36.1K €32.1K

-4.42%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$146 €130

-34.27%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$21.27 €18.92

68.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$42.77 €38.04

25.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$53.9 €47.94

32.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

$27.74 €24.68

25.85%

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$6.34 €5.64

24.45%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$538 €479

-8.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$11.3K €10.1K

4.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$80.5 €71.6

-32.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$49.54 €44.06

11.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$70.7 €62.9

10.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$112 €99.9

-29.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$1,135 €1,010

-30.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$1,105 €983

-28.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$2,414 €2,147

63.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$2,020 €1,797

-29.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$3,987 €3,546

73.36%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

$4,758 €4,232

-74.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

$1,206 €1,073

-28.40%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

3.85

123.90%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Lagos: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Lagos

$1.1K 53.9% 39.1% $311

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Lagos

$275 13.4% 22% $78

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Lagos

$201 9.8% 5.3% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Lagos

$211 10.3% 13.3% $25

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Lagos

$141 6.9% 17.3% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Lagos

$67 3.3% 23.8% $21

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Lagos

$51 2.5% 41.5% $36

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $788 in Nosara and $1,135 in Lagos. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lagos pays 40% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $61.0 in Nosara vs $55.0 in Lagos for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $352 vs $275 per month, with Lagos cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇵🇹 Lagos

🕒 Local time

21:24 9:24 PM

04:24 4:24 AM

7 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

33,500

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Lagos 8,190 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Lagos

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 Lagos: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara and Lagos differ by about 11% in total monthly costs ($1,839 vs $2,049 including rent). Nosara is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 40% lower in Lagos. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $788 in Nosara versus $1,135 in Lagos. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Lagos pay roughly 28% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Dining out is cheaper in Nosara – a meal for two runs $61.0 versus $55.0 in Lagos. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,839 in Nosara versus $2,049 in Lagos, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Nosara but tight or insufficient in Lagos. The gap between the two cities makes Nosara 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 Lagos 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 Nosara gentler on the wallet – expenses run 11% less than in Lagos. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.