Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Lima

For one person, living is cheaper in Lima: $996 a month against $1,837 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $10,100 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
49

Cost of Living Index in Lima
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Lima Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$996

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Lima

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,837 in Nosara versus $996 in Lima.

Nosara $1,837
Lima $996

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,775 in Nosara versus $1,594 in Lima.

Nosara $2,775
Lima $1,594

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,712 in Nosara versus $2,191 in Lima.

Nosara $3,712
Lima $2,191

Living in Nosara is roughly 84% more expensive than in Lima, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Nosara is 37% above, Lima is 26% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.22 ₡5,509

$4.42 PEN 15.21

176.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.2 ₡27.1K

$35.04 PEN 121

71.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 ₡3,399

$6.84 PEN 23.52

10.23%

Cappuccino

$4.31 ₡1,941

$3.27 PEN 11.26

31.80%

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

$1.72 ₡773

$1.10 PEN 3.80

56.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.35 ₡608

$0.65 PEN 2.23

107.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ₡1,459

$2.58 PEN 8.88

25.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 ₡2,018

$4.47 PEN 15.39

0.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡707

$1.59 PEN 5.48

-1.26%

White Bread (500g)

$3.17 ₡1,429

$2.58 PEN 8.89

22.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 ₡1,091

$1.36 PEN 4.67

77.94%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,609

$2.95 PEN 10.14

21.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,349

$9.10 PEN 31.30

-18.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.42 ₡4,697

$5.81 PEN 19.98

79.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.66 ₡6,156

$9.83 PEN 33.80

38.96%

Apples (1kg)

$2.32 ₡1,044

$2.01 PEN 6.92

15.42%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡728

$1.08 PEN 3.70

49.07%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.74 ₡2,138

$1.37 PEN 4.71

245.99%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 ₡747

$1.48 PEN 5.08

12.16%

Potato (1kg)

$3.72 ₡1,679

$0.96 PEN 3.32

287.50%

Onion (1kg)

$3.57 ₡1,611

$0.85 PEN 2.93

320.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 ₡497

$0.88 PEN 3.03

25.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.55 ₡1,149

$0.87 PEN 2.98

193.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.95 ₡2,232

$5.90 PEN 20.31

-16.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.01 ₡9,020

$8.81 PEN 30.31

127.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.79 ₡1,256

$1.92 PEN 6.59

45.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.53 ₡1,589

$3.20 PEN 11.02

10.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.19 ₡537

$0.68 PEN 2.33

75.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.1 ₡32.5K

$26.74 PEN 92.0

169.52%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.24 ₡1,011

$3.81 PEN 13.10

-41.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 ₡701

$2.04 PEN 7.02

-24.02%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₡3,993

$7.14 PEN 24.57

24.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡708

$1.65 PEN 5.67

-4.85%

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

$21.8K ₡9.8M

$22.2K PEN 76.3K

-1.68%

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

$34.6K ₡15.6M

$25.7K PEN 88.3K

34.94%

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

$93.5 ₡42.1K

$73.0 PEN 251

27.94%

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

$35.11 ₡15.8K

$16.26 PEN 55.9

115.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.5 ₡23.2K

$27.60 PEN 94.9

86.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.4 ₡32.2K

$33.07 PEN 114

115.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.44 ₡16.0K

$19.49 PEN 67.1

81.84%

Cinema Ticket

$7.84 ₡3,535

$7.39 PEN 25.41

6.09%

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

$490 ₡220.7K

$182 PEN 626

168.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.4M

$13.3K PEN 45.8K

-10.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ₡24.1K

$52.6 PEN 181

1.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.8 ₡25.1K

$34.23 PEN 118

62.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 ₡35.7K

$83.8 PEN 288

-5.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.9 ₡35.6K

$79.0 PEN 272

-0.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$786 ₡354.3K

$723 PEN 2,488

8.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$780 ₡351.6K

$340 PEN 1,170

129.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,860 ₡1.7M

$1,184 PEN 4,074

225.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 ₡634.4K

$635 PEN 2,183

121.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,972 ₡3.1M

$2,449 PEN 8,423

184.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,201 ₡541.3K

$1,372 PEN 4,718

-12.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$876 ₡395.0K

$653 PEN 2,245

34.28%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

8.94

-3.58%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Last update for Lima: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$780 43%

Lima

$340 33.6% 56.4% $440

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$350 19.3%

Lima

$226 22.4% 35.2% $123

Eating Out

Nosara

$209 11.6%

Lima

$124 12.3% 40.8% $85

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$180 9.9%

Lima

$117 11.6% 35.1% $63

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.6%

Lima

$112 11.1% 6.7% $8

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Lima

$48 4.7% 45.1% $39

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Lima

$43 4.3% 49.9% $43

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $786 in Nosara and $723 in Lima. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Nosara pays 34% 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: $60.0 in Nosara vs $35.00 in Lima for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $350 vs $226 per month, with Lima cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇵🇪 Lima

🕒 Local time

19:03 7:03 PM

20:03 8:03 PM

1 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

9,989,369 Capital

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1 PEN = 0.291 USD

1 PEN = 0.259 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PEN, 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).

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3.44 PEN (1 PEN = 0.291 USD). 1 EUR = 3.86 PEN (1 PEN = 0.259 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Nosara Lima 2,630 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Lima

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 Lima: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara and Lima differ by about 84% in total monthly costs ($1,837 vs $996 including rent). Lima is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 34% higher in Nosara, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $786 in Nosara versus $723 in Lima. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $490 in Nosara versus $182 in Lima. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 54% higher in Nosara. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $996 in Lima versus $1,837 in Nosara, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Lima but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Lima 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 Lima 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 Lima gentler on the wallet – expenses run 84% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.