Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Las Piedras

For one person, living is cheaper in Las Piedras: $961 a month against $1,835 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $10,500 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
47

Cost of Living Index in Las Piedras
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Las Piedras Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Las Piedras

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$961

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Las Piedras

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

A single person spends $1,835 per month in Nosara vs $961 in Las Piedras, rent included.

Nosara $1,835
Las Piedras $961

A couple spends around $2,825 per month in Nosara vs $1,577 in Las Piedras, rent included.

Nosara $2,825
Las Piedras $1,577

A family of three spends $3,814 per month in Nosara vs $2,193 in Las Piedras, rent included.

Nosara $3,814
Las Piedras $2,193

Nosara costs about 91% more than Las Piedras, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Nosara sits 35% above the global median, while Las Piedras is 29% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.34 ₡5,535

$13.18 UYU 529

-6.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.3 ₡27.5K

$43.97 UYU 1,765

39.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.76 ₡3,481

$13.86 UYU 556

-44.01%

Cappuccino

$4.44 ₡1,992

$4.49 UYU 180

-1.11%

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

$1.79 ₡803

$2.38 UYU 95.4

-24.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.29 ₡580

$2.07 UYU 83.3

-37.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ₡1,451

$3.04 UYU 122

6.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.43 ₡1,985

$3.56 UYU 143

24.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡696

$1.17 UYU 46.88

32.48%

White Bread (500g)

$3.08 ₡1,380

$2.70 UYU 108

14.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.53 ₡1,133

$1.67 UYU 67.2

51.50%

Eggs

$3.45 ₡1,546

$4.21 UYU 169

-18.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.32 ₡3,284

$11.89 UYU 477

-38.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.24 ₡4,594

$11.26 UYU 452

-9.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.10 ₡6,326

$11.90 UYU 478

18.49%

Apples (1kg)

$2.29 ₡1,027

$2.83 UYU 114

-19.08%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 ₡737

$2.76 UYU 111

-40.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.79 ₡2,149

$1.73 UYU 69.6

176.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.64 ₡735

$3.20 UYU 128

-48.75%

Potato (1kg)

$3.85 ₡1,727

$1.91 UYU 76.5

101.57%

Onion (1kg)

$3.75 ₡1,681

$2.00 UYU 80.3

87.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.09 ₡488

$1.45 UYU 58.1

-24.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.59 ₡1,160

$1.93 UYU 77.6

34.20%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.12 ₡2,295

$5.32 UYU 214

-3.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.92 ₡8,931

$8.23 UYU 330

142.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.80 ₡1,255

$2.25 UYU 90.3

24.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.52 ₡1,580

$2.76 UYU 111

27.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.22 ₡549

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.9 ₡33.1K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.17 ₡973

$1.85 UYU 74.2

17.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 ₡698

$0.44 UYU 17.60

254.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.67 ₡3,886

$10.24 UYU 411

-15.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡697

$2.19 UYU 88.0

-29.22%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$26.4K UYU 1.1M

30.92%

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

$38.7K ₡17.4M

$37.0K UYU 1.5M

4.81%

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

$94.8 ₡42.5K

$113 UYU 4,552

-16.40%

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

$36.15 ₡16.2K

$20.83 UYU 836

73.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.1 ₡23.8K

$44.70 UYU 1,794

18.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$73.8 ₡33.1K

$29.41 UYU 1,181

150.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.63 ₡16.0K

$74.8 UYU 3,002

-52.37%

Cinema Ticket

$7.91 ₡3,548

$11.99 UYU 481

-34.03%

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

$490 ₡219.9K

$505 UYU 20.3K

-2.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$6,551 UYU 262.9K

81.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.8 ₡24.6K

$89.9 UYU 3,608

-39.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.9 ₡25.1K

$38.05 UYU 1,527

46.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.4 ₡36.0K

$127 UYU 5,081

-36.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$120 UYU 4,799

-34.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$801 ₡359.1K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$790 ₡354.1K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,005 ₡1.8M

$421 UYU 16.9K

852.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,409 ₡632.0K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,064 ₡3.2M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,236 ₡554.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$887 ₡397.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

72.40%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 20, 2026

Last update for Las Piedras: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$790 43%

Las Piedras

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$350 19.1%

Las Piedras

$316 32.8% 9.8% $34

Eating Out

Nosara

$213 11.6%

Las Piedras

$241 25.1% 13.3% $28

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$184 10%

Las Piedras

$179 18.6% 2.8% $5.1

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$121 6.6%

Las Piedras

$168 17.5% 39.1% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$90 4.9%

Las Piedras

$53 5.6% 40.4% $36

Getting Around

Nosara

$89 4.8%

Las Piedras

$4 * 0.4% 95.4% $85

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Nosara versus $44.00 in Las Piedras. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $350 vs $316 – making Las Piedras the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇺🇾 Las Piedras

🕒 Local time

15:11 3:11 PM

18:11 6:11 PM

3 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

71,268

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

100 UYU = 2.49 USD

100 UYU = 2.22 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

UYU, USD, EUR to CRC – Costa Rican Colón Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Uruguayan Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 40.14 UYU (100 UYU = 2.49 USD). 1 EUR = 45.12 UYU (100 UYU = 2.22 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Nosara Las Piedras 5,860 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Las Piedras

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 Las Piedras: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Nosara is pricier by about 91%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,753 per month in Nosara and $1,442 in Las Piedras. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,835 in Nosara and $961 in Las Piedras. That's a gap of about 91%.

Kindergarten costs $490 per month in Nosara and $505 in Las Piedras. 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 Las Piedras, where all-in costs run around $961, than in Nosara at $1,835. In Las Piedras it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Las Piedras – 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 Las Piedras. 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.