Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Legazpi

For one person, living is cheaper in Legazpi: $723 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $13,400 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
35

Cost of Living Index in Legazpi
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Legazpi Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Legazpi

🇵🇭 Philippines

$723

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Legazpi

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

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $723 in Legazpi, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
Legazpi $723

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $1,106 in Legazpi, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
Legazpi $1,106

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $1,490 in Legazpi, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
Legazpi $1,490

Nosara costs about 154% more than Legazpi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Nosara sits 36% above the global median, while Legazpi is 46% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$3.93 ₱247

214.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$16.45 ₱1,036

271.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$2.76 ₱174

172.46%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$2.28 ₱143

93.42%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$0.62 ₱39.20

180.65%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$0.31 ₱19.29

322.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$1.16 ₱73.0

182.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$1.99 ₱126

124.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.60 ₱101

-2.50%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$1.16 ₱73.2

160.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$0.90 ₱56.9

178.89%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$2.75 ₱173

29.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$5.66 ₱356

31.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$4.10 ₱258

156.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$6.96 ₱438

100.72%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$2.44 ₱154

-3.69%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$1.58 ₱99.7

1.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$2.36 ₱148

103.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$1.13 ₱71.4

42.48%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$2.01 ₱127

89.05%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$2.00 ₱126

84.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$0.97 ₱61.1

16.49%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$0.55 ₱34.66

383.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$2.95 ₱186

75.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$7.62 ₱480

160.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$1.01 ₱63.8

187.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$1.94 ₱122

87.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$0.22 ₱13.88

409.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

$10.95 ₱690

563.38%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$0.74 ₱46.46

189.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$0.23 ₱14.44

582.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$1.93 ₱121

341.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$1.17 ₱73.9

29.91%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$20.1K ₱1.3M

7.47%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$21.1K ₱1.3M

63.68%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$122 ₱7,697

-21.24%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$14.86 ₱935

141.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$30.81 ₱1,940

73.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$31.98 ₱2,013

123.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

$4.42 ₱279

689.82%

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$5.12 ₱322

54.10%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$132 ₱8,292

275.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$8,019 ₱504.9K

47.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$32.94 ₱2,074

63.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$19.55 ₱1,231

183.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$94.6 ₱5,954

-17.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$56.5 ₱3,555

40.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$195 ₱12.3K

303.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$145 ₱9,114

448.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$519 ₱32.7K

659.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$315 ₱19.9K

350.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$2,202 ₱138.6K

213.91%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

$913 ₱57.5K

34.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

$272 ₱17.1K

217.61%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

10.12

-14.82%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Legazpi: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Legazpi

$145 20% 81.8% $650

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Legazpi

$182 25.2% 48.3% $170

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Legazpi

$81 11.1% 62% $131

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Legazpi

$168 23.2% 9.6% $18

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Legazpi

$92 12.7% 23.7% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Legazpi

$42 5.8% 51.7% $45

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Legazpi

$14 1.9% 84.2% $73

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $788 in Nosara versus $195 in Legazpi. 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 218% higher in Nosara, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Nosara versus $16.00 in Legazpi. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $352 vs $182 – making Legazpi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇵🇭 Legazpi

🕒 Local time

22:45 10:45 PM

12:45 12:45 PM

14 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

209,533

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, USD, EUR 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).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.78 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Legazpi 15,880 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Legazpi

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 Legazpi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,839 in Nosara, $723 in Legazpi – roughly 154% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,758 per month in Nosara and $1,084 in Legazpi. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,839 in Nosara and $723 in Legazpi. That's a gap of about 154%.

Public transport costs about 563% less in Legazpi. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Legazpi, where all-in costs run around $723, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Legazpi it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Nosara has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $723 in Legazpi to $1,839 in Nosara. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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 Legazpi. 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.