Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Ligao City

For one person, living is cheaper in Ligao City: $733 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $13,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index
36

Cost of Living Index in Ligao City
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Ligao City Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Ligao City

🇵🇭 Philippines

$733

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Ligao City

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

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $733 in Ligao City, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
Ligao City $733

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $1,111 in Ligao City, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
Ligao City $1,111

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

Nosara $3,818
Ligao City $1,490

Nosara costs about 151% more than Ligao City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$4.44 ₱280

178.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$16.71 ₱1,052

266.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$2.73 ₱172

175.46%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$2.27 ₱143

94.27%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$0.65 ₱41.00

167.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$0.31 ₱19.54

322.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$1.17 ₱73.7

180.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$1.98 ₱124

125.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.62 ₱102

-3.70%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$1.15 ₱72.7

162.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$0.91 ₱57.5

175.82%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$1.92 ₱121

85.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$5.55 ₱349

33.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$4.14 ₱261

154.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$7.29 ₱459

91.63%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$2.34 ₱148

0.43%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$1.54 ₱96.9

4.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$2.34 ₱147

105.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$1.12 ₱70.6

43.75%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$1.91 ₱120

98.95%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$1.94 ₱122

90.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$0.95 ₱59.7

18.95%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$0.55 ₱34.75

383.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$2.91 ₱183

78.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$7.72 ₱486

157.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$0.98 ₱61.9

195.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$1.86 ₱117

95.16%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$0.25 ₱15.56

348.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

$9.63 ₱606

654.31%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$0.75 ₱47.10

185.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$0.20 ₱12.81

685.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$1.98 ₱125

330.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$1.20 ₱75.5

26.67%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$24.1K ₱1.5M

-10.17%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$20.6K ₱1.3M

67.29%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$122 ₱7,655

-20.80%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$15.53 ₱978

131.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$24.01 ₱1,512

123.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$32.44 ₱2,042

120.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

$5.29 ₱333

559.92%

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$5.12 ₱322

54.10%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$134 ₱8,460

267.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$7,903 ₱497.6K

50.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$33.37 ₱2,101

61.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$19.88 ₱1,252

178.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$70.7 ₱4,452

10.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$54.8 ₱3,449

45.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$266 ₱16.7K

196.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$173 ₱10.9K

358.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$516 ₱32.5K

662.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$347 ₱21.9K

308.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$2,399 ₱151.1K

188.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

$986 ₱62.1K

24.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

$272 ₱17.1K

217.09%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

6.79

26.95%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Ligao City: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Ligao City

$173 23.6% 78.2% $621

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Ligao City

$178 24.3% 49.4% $174

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Ligao City

$85 11.6% 60% $127

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Ligao City

$161 22% 13.3% $25

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Ligao City

$80 11% 33% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Ligao City

$43 5.8% 51.2% $45

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Ligao City

$12 1.7% 85.8% $75

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $788 in Nosara versus $266 in Ligao City. 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 217% 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 $17.00 in Ligao City. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $352 vs $178 – making Ligao City the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇵🇭 Ligao City

🕒 Local time

21:00 9:00 PM

11:00 11:00 AM

14 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

3,955

💱 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 Ligao City 15,890 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Ligao City

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 Ligao City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Nosara is pricier by about 151%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,758 per month in Nosara and $1,099 in Ligao City. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Groceries cost about 98% more in Nosara, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Nosara and $17.00 in Ligao City. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Ligao City, where all-in costs run around $733, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Ligao City it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Ligao City – 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 Ligao City. 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.