Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Maracay

For one person, living is cheaper in Maracay: $729 a month against $1,837 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $13,300 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
36

Cost of Living Index in Maracay
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Maracay Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Maracay

🇻🇪 Venezuela

$729

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Maracay

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

A single person spends $1,837 per month in Nosara vs $729 in Maracay, rent included.

Nosara $1,837
Maracay $729

A couple spends around $2,775 per month in Nosara vs $1,242 in Maracay, rent included.

Nosara $2,775
Maracay $1,242

A family of three spends $3,712 per month in Nosara vs $1,755 in Maracay, rent included.

Nosara $3,712
Maracay $1,755

Nosara costs about 152% more than Maracay, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Nosara sits 37% above the global median, while Maracay is 46% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.22 ₡5,498

$4.85 VES 4,245

151.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.2 ₡27.1K

$33.14 VES 29.0K

81.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 ₡3,391

$7.63 VES 6,669

-1.18%

Cappuccino

$4.31 ₡1,937

$1.68 VES 1,472

156.55%

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

$1.72 ₡772

$1.17 VES 1,023

47.01%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.35 ₡606

$1.20 VES 1,054

12.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ₡1,456

$1.23 VES 1,075

163.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 ₡2,014

$3.02 VES 2,641

48.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡705

$2.68 VES 2,346

-41.42%

White Bread (500g)

$3.17 ₡1,426

$2.29 VES 2,006

38.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 ₡1,089

$1.03 VES 900

134.95%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,605

$2.62 VES 2,294

36.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,342

$6.53 VES 5,709

13.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.42 ₡4,687

$5.74 VES 5,016

81.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.66 ₡6,143

$8.54 VES 7,467

59.95%

Apples (1kg)

$2.32 ₡1,042

$4.28 VES 3,739

-45.79%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡726

$1.97 VES 1,722

-18.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.74 ₡2,133

$2.22 VES 1,937

113.51%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 ₡746

$2.37 VES 2,069

-29.96%

Potato (1kg)

$3.72 ₡1,675

$2.32 VES 2,027

60.34%

Onion (1kg)

$3.57 ₡1,608

$2.20 VES 1,921

62.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 ₡496

$1.58 VES 1,386

-30.38%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.55 ₡1,147

$2.30 VES 2,013

10.87%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.95 ₡2,227

$2.48 VES 2,173

99.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.01 ₡9,001

$10.15 VES 8,877

97.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.79 ₡1,253

$1.16 VES 1,018

140.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.53 ₡1,586

$1.70 VES 1,487

107.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.19 ₡536

$0.48 VES 419

147.92%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.1 ₡32.4K

$19.78 VES 17.3K

264.36%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.24 ₡1,009

$2.94 VES 2,575

-23.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 ₡699

$2.71 VES 2,368

-42.80%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₡3,985

$10.01 VES 8,759

-11.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡706

$0.69 VES 603

127.54%

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

$21.8K ₡9.8M

$25.2K VES 22.0M

-13.39%

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

$34.6K ₡15.6M

$38.5K VES 33.7M

-10.13%

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

$93.5 ₡42.0K

$12.43 VES 10.9K

651.81%

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

$35.11 ₡15.8K

$11.57 VES 10.1K

203.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.5 ₡23.2K

$38.31 VES 33.5K

34.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.4 ₡32.1K

$29.71 VES 26.0K

140.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.44 ₡15.9K

$14.89 VES 13.0K

138.01%

Cinema Ticket

$7.84 ₡3,528

$4.08 VES 3,569

92.16%

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

$490 ₡220.2K

$74.6 VES 65.2K

556.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$5,979 VES 5.2M

98.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ₡24.1K

$52.4 VES 45.8K

2.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.8 ₡25.1K

$37.16 VES 32.5K

50.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 ₡35.7K

$83.0 VES 72.6K

-4.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.9 ₡35.5K

$93.6 VES 81.8K

-15.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$786 ₡353.6K

$228 VES 199.5K

244.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$780 ₡350.8K

$108 VES 94.7K

619.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,860 ₡1.7M

$569 VES 497.5K

578.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 ₡633.0K

$278 VES 243.0K

406.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,972 ₡3.1M

$448 VES 391.8K

1456.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,201 ₡540.2K

$198 VES 172.8K

507.71%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$876 ₡394.2K

$210 VES 183.3K

318.21%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

21.5

-59.91%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Last update for Maracay: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$780 43%

Maracay

$108 14.7% 86.1% $672

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$350 19.3%

Maracay

$267 36.2% 23.6% $83

Eating Out

Nosara

$209 11.6%

Maracay

$104 14.1% 50.5% $106

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$180 9.9%

Maracay

$62 8.5% 65.4% $118

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.6%

Maracay

$120 16.3% 0.5% $0.6

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Maracay

$38 5.1% 56.5% $49

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Maracay

$38 5.2% 56.1% $49

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $786 in Nosara versus $228 in Maracay. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 318% higher in Nosara, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $60.0 in Nosara versus $33.00 in Maracay. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $350 vs $267 – making Maracay the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇻🇪 Maracay

🕒 Local time

20:41 8:41 PM

22:41 10:41 PM

2 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

425,606

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Venezuelan Bolívar VES Bs.S

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1,000 VES = 1.14 USD

1,000 VES = 1.02 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 USD = 450 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Venezuelan Bolívar exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 USD = 875 VES (1,000 VES = 1.14 USD). 1 EUR = 980 VES (1,000 VES = 1.02 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Maracay 1,980 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Maracay

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 Maracay: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara costs about 152% more than Maracay, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,756 per month in Nosara and $1,093 in Maracay. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Maracay, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 31% more in Nosara, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $60.0 in Nosara and $33.00 in Maracay. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Maracay, where all-in costs run around $729, than in Nosara at $1,837. In Maracay it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Maracay costs $729 versus $1,837 in Nosara. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Maracay. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Nosara makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.