Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Maasin City

For one person, living is cheaper in Maasin City: $755 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $13,000 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
37

Cost of Living Index in Maasin City
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Maasin City Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Maasin City

🇵🇭 Philippines

$755

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Maasin 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 Maasin City actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,839 in Nosara versus $755 in Maasin City.

Nosara $1,839
Maasin City $755

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,828 in Nosara versus $1,132 in Maasin City.

Nosara $2,828
Maasin City $1,132

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,818 in Nosara versus $1,508 in Maasin City.

Nosara $3,818
Maasin City $1,508

Living in Nosara is roughly 144% more expensive than in Maasin City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Nosara is 36% above, Maasin City is 44% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$3.11 ₱196

297.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$23.45 ₱1,476

160.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$3.86 ₱243

94.82%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$2.57 ₱162

71.60%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$1.58 ₱99.6

10.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$0.49 ₱30.61

167.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$1.72 ₱108

90.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$2.21 ₱139

102.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.96 ₱123

-20.41%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$1.18 ₱74.3

155.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$0.91 ₱57.3

175.82%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$1.86 ₱117

91.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$9.92 ₱625

-25.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$4.41 ₱277

138.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$7.35 ₱463

90.07%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$1.62 ₱102

45.06%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$0.67 ₱41.93

140.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$1.58 ₱99.2

203.80%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$1.54 ₱97.2

4.55%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$2.34 ₱148

62.39%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$1.91 ₱120

93.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$1.20 ₱75.9

-5.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$0.67 ₱42.21

297.01%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$3.02 ₱190

71.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$6.33 ₱398

214.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$1.23 ₱77.5

135.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$1.72 ₱108

111.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$0.24 ₱15.18

366.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

$12.06 ₱760

502.32%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$0.74 ₱46.38

189.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$0.23 ₱14.49

582.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$1.92 ₱121

343.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$1.37 ₱86.0

10.95%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$20.9K ₱1.3M

3.16%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$19.3K ₱1.2M

78.50%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$122 ₱7,695

-21.22%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$14.04 ₱884

155.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$27.70 ₱1,744

93.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$30.38 ₱1,913

135.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

$4.24 ₱267

723.35%

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$5.53 ₱348

42.68%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$135 ₱8,488

266.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$7,885 ₱496.4K

50.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$32.99 ₱2,077

63.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$19.59 ₱1,233

182.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$76.0 ₱4,786

2.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$56.9 ₱3,581

39.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$269 ₱17.0K

192.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$174 ₱11.0K

356.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$474 ₱29.8K

731.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$301 ₱19.0K

370.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$2,140 ₱134.7K

222.98%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

$977 ₱61.5K

25.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

$125 ₱7,886

589.41%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

7.2

19.72%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Maasin City: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Maasin City

$174 23.1% 78.1% $620

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Maasin City

$188 25% 46.5% $164

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Maasin City

$89 11.7% 58.2% $123

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Maasin City

$164 21.7% 11.7% $22

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Maasin City

$83 11.1% 30.5% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Maasin City

$41 5.5% 52.6% $46

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Maasin City

$15 2% 82.9% $72

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $788 in Nosara and $269 in Maasin City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Nosara pays 589% 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 $23.00 in Maasin City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $352 vs $188 per month, with Maasin City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇵🇭 Maasin City

🕒 Local time

13:09 1:09 PM

03:09 3:09 AM

14 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

85,560

💱 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 19, 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 19, 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 Maasin City 15,970 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Maasin 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 Maasin City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Maasin City is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 144% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 589% 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: $788 in Nosara versus $269 in Maasin City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 87% higher in Nosara. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Maasin City – a meal for two runs $23.00 versus $61.0 in Nosara. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $755 in Maasin City versus $1,839 in Nosara, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Maasin City but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Maasin City the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Maasin City 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 Maasin City 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 Maasin City gentler on the wallet – expenses run 144% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.