Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Lomas de Zamora

For one person, living is cheaper in Lomas de Zamora: $1,223 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $7,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Nosara
🇨🇷 Costa Rica
$1,839
/mo nomad
Lomas de Zamora
🇦🇷 Argentina
$1,223
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Lomas de Zamora

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 Lomas de Zamora actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,839 in Nosara versus $1,223 in Lomas de Zamora.

  • Nosara $1,839
  • Lomas de Zamora $1,223

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,828 in Nosara versus $2,079 in Lomas de Zamora.

  • Nosara $2,828
  • Lomas de Zamora $2,079

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,818 in Nosara versus $2,935 in Lomas de Zamora.

  • Nosara $3,818
  • Lomas de Zamora $2,935

Living in Nosara is roughly 50% more expensive than in Lomas de Zamora, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Nosara is 36% above, Lomas de Zamora is 9% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Nosara
Lomas de Zamora
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$12.35 ₡5,539
$10.03 ARS 15.2K
23.13%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$61.2 ₡27.4K
$53.9 ARS 81.8K
13.46%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.52 ₡3,373
$11.58 ARS 17.6K
-35.06%
Cappuccino
$4.41 ₡1,978
$3.41 ARS 5,175
29.33%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.74 ₡780
$1.96 ARS 2,978
-11.22%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.31 ₡587
$1.70 ARS 2,572
-22.94%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.28 ₡1,471
$3.94 ARS 5,976
-16.75%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.47 ₡2,004
$4.66 ARS 7,070
-4.08%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Nosara
Lomas de Zamora
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.56 ₡701
$1.31 ARS 1,990
19.08%
White Bread (500g)
$3.02 ₡1,355
$2.04 ARS 3,102
48.04%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.51 ₡1,125
$1.57 ARS 2,385
59.87%
Eggs
$3.57 ₡1,603
$2.74 ARS 4,153
30.29%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.43 ₡3,333
$10.51 ARS 15.9K
-29.31%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.52 ₡4,717
$10.32 ARS 15.7K
1.94%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.97 ₡6,265
$13.26 ARS 20.1K
5.35%
Apples (1kg)
$2.35 ₡1,052
$2.71 ARS 4,119
-13.28%
Banana (1kg)
$1.61 ₡720
$1.95 ARS 2,955
-17.44%
Oranges (1kg)
$4.80 ₡2,152
$1.36 ARS 2,068
252.94%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.61 ₡724
$1.99 ARS 3,019
-19.10%
Potato (1kg)
$3.80 ₡1,703
$1.20 ARS 1,821
216.67%
Onion (1kg)
$3.69 ₡1,657
$1.26 ARS 1,905
192.86%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.13 ₡507
$1.36 ARS 2,070
-16.91%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.66 ₡1,191
$1.72 ARS 2,614
54.65%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$5.18 ₡2,321
$3.29 ARS 4,985
57.45%
Wine (Bottle)
$19.88 ₡8,916
$5.46 ARS 8,286
264.10%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.90 ₡1,300
$1.70 ARS 2,584
70.59%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.63 ₡1,626
$2.65 ARS 4,017
36.98%
🚌 Getting Around
Nosara
Lomas de Zamora
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.12 ₡504
$1.04 ARS 1,575
7.69%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$72.6 ₡32.6K
$26.87 ARS 40.8K
170.34%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.14 ₡958
$1.61 ARS 2,445
32.92%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.57 ₡703
$1.01 ARS 1,535
55.45%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.52 ₡3,823
$8.00 ARS 12.1K
6.50%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.52 ₡682
$1.38 ARS 2,090
10.14%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.6K ₡9.7M
$16.8K ARS 25.5M
28.73%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.5K ₡15.5M
$30.0K ARS 45.6M
14.89%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Nosara
Lomas de Zamora
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$96.3 ₡43.2K
$98.1 ARS 148.9K
-1.85%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$35.89 ₡16.1K
$19.99 ARS 30.3K
79.54%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$53.6 ₡24.0K
$27.23 ARS 41.3K
96.80%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Nosara
Lomas de Zamora
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$71.6 ₡32.1K
$30.84 ARS 46.8K
132.13%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$34.91 ₡15.7K
$32.78 ARS 49.7K
6.50%
Cinema Ticket
$7.89 ₡3,539
$7.93 ARS 12.0K
-0.50%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Nosara
Lomas de Zamora
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$494 ₡221.6K
$400 ARS 606.4K
23.66%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.9K ₡5.3M
$7,354 ARS 11.2M
61.26%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Nosara
Lomas de Zamora
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$53.9 ₡24.2K
$122 ARS 185.0K
-55.75%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$55.4 ₡24.8K
$96.0 ARS 145.6K
-42.25%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$77.9 ₡34.9K
$117 ARS 178.1K
-33.62%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$79.6 ₡35.7K
$102 ARS 154.3K
-21.70%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Nosara
Lomas de Zamora
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$788 ₡353.4K
$517 ARS 784.9K
52.34%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$794 ₡356.2K
$325 ARS 493.8K
144.10%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$3,939 ₡1.8M
$975 ARS 1.5M
303.89%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,419 ₡636.5K
$837 ARS 1.3M
69.62%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$6,912 ₡3.1M
$2,953 ARS 4.5M
134.05%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,224 ₡549.0K
$1,507 ARS 2.3M
-18.76%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Nosara
Lomas de Zamora
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$864 ₡387.3K
$761 ARS 1.2M
13.45%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
8.62
57.25
-84.94%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Lomas de Zamora: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Nosara
$794
Lomas de Zamora
$325 59% $469
Groceries & Markets
Nosara
$352
Lomas de Zamora
$271 23% $81
Eating Out
Nosara
$212
Lomas de Zamora
$200 5.8% $12
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Nosara
$186
Lomas de Zamora
$145 21.8% $40
Clothing & Footwear
Nosara
$120
Lomas de Zamora
$197 63.7% $77
Sport & Entertainment
Nosara
$87
Lomas de Zamora
$47 46.5% $41
Getting Around
Nosara
$87
Lomas de Zamora
$38 56.7% $49

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $788 in Nosara and $517 in Lomas de Zamora. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Nosara pays 13% 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 $54.0 in Lomas de Zamora for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $352 vs $271 per month, with Lomas de Zamora cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇨🇷 Nosara
🇦🇷 Lomas de Zamora
🕒 Local time
14:14 2:14 PM
17:14 5:14 PM
3 h ahead of Nosara
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
4,912
616,279
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

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

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1,517 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD). 1 EUR = 1,706 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Nosara Lomas de Zamora 5,740 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Nosara
  • Lomas de Zamora

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 Lomas de Zamora: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Nosara and in Lomas de Zamora?
Nosara and Lomas de Zamora differ by about 50% in total monthly costs ($1,839 vs $1,223 including rent). Lomas de Zamora is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city pays better: Nosara or Lomas de Zamora?
Average pay runs 13% higher in Nosara, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
How do apartment prices compare in Nosara and in Lomas de Zamora?
Rent for a central apartment: $788 in Nosara versus $517 in Lomas de Zamora. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
Dining out is cheaper in Lomas de Zamora – a meal for two runs $54.0 versus $61.0 in Nosara. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Which city is more expensive overall: Nosara or Lomas de Zamora?
All in, you'll spend $1,839 per month in Nosara versus $1,223 in Lomas de Zamora – a 50% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
Which city is more doable on $2,000 per month?
At $1,223 in Lomas de Zamora versus $1,839 in Nosara, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Lomas de Zamora but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Lomas de Zamora the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Nosara and Lomas de Zamora?
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.
Is Nosara or Lomas de Zamora safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Nosara and Lomas de Zamora are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Where should expats move: Nosara or Lomas de Zamora?
Expats usually find Lomas de Zamora gentler on the wallet – expenses run 50% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

Nosara vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?