Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Lugo

For one person, living is cheaper in Lugo: $1,535 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $3,600 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
74

Cost of Living Index in Lugo
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Lugo Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Lugo

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,535

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Lugo

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,839 in Nosara versus $1,535 in Lugo.

Nosara $1,839
Lugo $1,535

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,828 in Nosara versus $2,263 in Lugo.

Nosara $2,828
Lugo $2,263

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,818 in Nosara versus $2,991 in Lugo.

Nosara $3,818
Lugo $2,991

Living in Nosara is roughly 20% more expensive than in Lugo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Nosara 36% above, Lugo 14% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$13.65 €12.14

-9.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$55.3 €49.16

10.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$10.13 €9.01

-25.77%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$2.10 €1.87

110.00%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$2.93 €2.61

-40.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$1.46 €1.30

-10.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$3.34 €2.97

-1.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$2.29 €2.04

95.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.19 €1.06

31.09%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$1.12 €1.00

169.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$1.38 €1.23

81.88%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$2.75 €2.45

29.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$13.62 €12.12

-45.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$6.00 €5.34

75.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$16.45 €14.63

-15.08%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$2.80 €2.49

-16.07%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$2.01 €1.79

-19.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$2.28 €2.03

110.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$3.58 €3.19

-55.03%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$1.15 €1.02

230.43%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$2.18 €1.94

69.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$1.42 €1.26

-20.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$0.78 €0.70

241.03%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$6.05 €5.38

-14.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$4.52 €4.02

339.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$1.51 €1.35

92.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$2.84 €2.53

27.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$0.69 €0.62

62.32%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

$33.79 €30.06

114.97%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$5.38 €4.78

-60.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$1.33 €1.18

18.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$18.53 €16.48

-54.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$1.78 €1.58

-14.61%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$29.8K €26.5K

-27.52%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$30.7K €27.3K

12.53%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$145 €129

-33.40%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$19.39 €17.25

85.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$33.29 €29.61

60.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$44.55 €39.63

60.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

$14.36 €12.77

143.11%

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$9.13 €8.12

-13.58%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$347 €308

42.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$8,223 €7,314

44.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$107 €95.5

-49.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$72.2 €64.3

-23.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$122 €109

-36.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$142 €126

-43.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$916 €815

-13.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$565 €502

40.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$1,315 €1,170

199.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$791 €704

79.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$3,282 €2,920

110.56%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

$2,203 €1,960

-44.45%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

$1,727 €1,536

-49.99%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

2.96

191.22%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Lugo: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Lugo

$565 36.8% 28.9% $230

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Lugo

$258 16.8% 26.7% $94

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Lugo

$204 13.3% 3.8% $8.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Lugo

$197 12.9% 6.2% $12

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Lugo

$200 13% 66.3% $80

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Lugo

$63 4.1% 28.1% $25

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Lugo

$49 3.2% 44.2% $39

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $788 in Nosara and $916 in Lugo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lugo pays 100% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $61.0 in Nosara vs $55.0 in Lugo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $352 vs $258 per month, with Lugo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇪🇸 Lugo

🕒 Local time

14:27 2:27 PM

22:27 10:27 PM

8 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

98,214

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to CRC – Costa Rican Colón Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

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).

Euro exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Nosara Lugo 8,280 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Lugo

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 Lugo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lugo is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and utilities. The 20% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 100% lower in Lugo. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $788 in Nosara versus $916 in Lugo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $494 in Nosara versus $347 in Lugo. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 36% higher in Nosara. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,535 in Lugo versus $1,839 in Nosara, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Lugo but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Lugo the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Lugo is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Nosara, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Nosara and Lugo 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 Lugo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 20% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.