Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Luquillo

For one person, living is cheaper in Luquillo: $1,260 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $6,900 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Nosara outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Luquillo
Learn more

Luquillo Living Index

Jump to prices

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Luquillo

🇵🇷 Puerto Rico

$1,260

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Luquillo

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,839 in Nosara versus $1,260 in Luquillo.

Nosara $1,839
Luquillo $1,260

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,828 in Nosara versus $2,013 in Luquillo.

Nosara $2,828
Luquillo $2,013

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,818 in Nosara versus $2,766 in Luquillo.

Nosara $3,818
Luquillo $2,766

Living in Nosara is roughly 46% more expensive than in Luquillo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Nosara is 36% above, Luquillo is 7% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$19.51 $19.51

-36.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$80.9 $80.9

-24.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$9.07 $9.07

-17.09%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$3.56 $3.56

23.88%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$1.60 $1.60

8.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$1.46 $1.46

-10.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$3.06 $3.06

7.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$2.28 $2.28

96.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$2.23 $2.23

-30.04%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$3.54 $3.54

-14.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$2.32 $2.32

8.19%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$7.61 $7.61

-53.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$12.44 $12.44

-40.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$9.60 $9.60

9.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$13.39 $13.39

4.33%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$4.94 $4.94

-52.43%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$2.53 $2.53

-36.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$4.73 $4.73

1.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$4.92 $4.92

-67.28%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$3.74 $3.74

1.60%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$4.00 $4.00

-7.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$3.42 $3.42

-66.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$1.66 $1.66

60.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$11.86 $11.86

-56.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$12.10 $12.10

64.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$3.04 $3.04

-4.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$3.94 $3.94

-7.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$2.54 $2.54

-15.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$1.54 $1.54

1.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$41.93 $41.93

-79.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$0.85 $0.85

78.82%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$39.8K $39.8K

-45.69%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$27.7K $27.7K

24.45%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$274 $274

-64.81%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$69.4 $69.4

-48.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$69.2 $69.2

-22.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$10.51 $10.51

-24.93%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$825 $825

-40.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$12.4K $12.4K

-4.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$55.8 $55.8

-3.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$61.5 $61.5

-9.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$108 $108

-27.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$112 $112

-28.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

$4,190 $4,190

-79.39%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

6.55

31.60%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Luquillo: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Luquillo

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Luquillo

$406 32.3% 15.4% $54

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Luquillo

$258 20.5% 21.8% $46

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Luquillo

$412 32.7% 122% $226

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Luquillo

$152 12% 26.2% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Luquillo

$21 * 1.7% 75.9% $66

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Luquillo

$10 * 0.8% 88.2% $77

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Luquillo pays 385% 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 $81.0 in Luquillo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $352 vs $406 per month, with Nosara cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇵🇷 Luquillo

🕒 Local time

12:52 12:52 PM

14:52 2:52 PM

2 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

20,000

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1 USD = 0.889 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR 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).

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

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Luquillo 2,340 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Luquillo

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 Luquillo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Luquillo is cheaper overall, especially in leisure and transport. The 46% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 385% lower in Luquillo. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Shoppers in Nosara pay roughly 15% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you'll spend $1,839 per month in Nosara versus $1,260 in Luquillo – a 46% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,260 in Luquillo versus $1,839 in Nosara, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Luquillo but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Luquillo the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Luquillo 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 Luquillo 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 Luquillo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 46% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.