Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Marawi

For one person, living is cheaper in Marawi: $727 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $13,300 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
36

Cost of Living Index in Marawi
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Marawi Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Marawi

🇵🇭 Philippines

$727

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Marawi

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,839 in Nosara versus $727 in Marawi.

Nosara $1,839
Marawi $727

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,828 in Nosara versus $1,104 in Marawi.

Nosara $2,828
Marawi $1,104

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,818 in Nosara versus $1,481 in Marawi.

Nosara $3,818
Marawi $1,481

Living in Nosara is roughly 153% more expensive than in Marawi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Nosara is 36% above, Marawi is 46% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$3.97 ₱250

211.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$16.84 ₱1,060

263.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$2.72 ₱171

176.47%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$2.20 ₱139

100.45%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$0.61 ₱38.65

185.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$0.33 ₱21.03

296.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$1.07 ₱67.2

206.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$2.11 ₱133

111.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.60 ₱101

-2.50%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$1.10 ₱69.1

174.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$0.97 ₱60.8

158.76%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$1.97 ₱124

81.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$5.45 ₱343

36.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$4.19 ₱264

151.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$6.88 ₱433

103.05%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$2.46 ₱155

-4.47%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$1.61 ₱102

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$2.41 ₱152

99.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$1.13 ₱71.2

42.48%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$1.93 ₱121

96.89%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$2.03 ₱128

81.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$0.92 ₱57.9

22.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$0.58 ₱36.33

358.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$2.60 ₱164

99.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$7.71 ₱485

157.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$1.04 ₱65.7

178.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$1.97 ₱124

84.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$0.22 ₱13.77

409.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

$12.71 ₱800

471.52%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$0.74 ₱46.65

189.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$0.24 ₱15.03

554.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$2.15 ₱136

296.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$1.19 ₱74.8

27.73%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$20.6K ₱1.3M

5.14%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$19.0K ₱1.2M

81.77%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$119 ₱7,466

-18.80%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$17.08 ₱1,075

110.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$24.37 ₱1,534

119.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$30.56 ₱1,924

134.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

$4.56 ₱287

665.57%

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$4.55 ₱286

73.41%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$132 ₱8,339

273.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$7,903 ₱497.6K

50.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$32.59 ₱2,052

65.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$19.71 ₱1,241

181.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$70.5 ₱4,436

10.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$54.8 ₱3,452

45.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$272 ₱17.1K

190.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$173 ₱10.9K

359.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$514 ₱32.3K

666.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$348 ₱21.9K

307.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$2,286 ₱144.0K

202.28%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

$989 ₱62.2K

23.81%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

$289 ₱18.2K

198.78%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

6.79

26.95%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Marawi: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Marawi

$173 23.8% 78.2% $621

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Marawi

$179 24.6% 49.2% $173

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Marawi

$80 11% 62.4% $132

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Marawi

$160 22% 13.9% $26

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Marawi

$80 11% 33.5% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Marawi

$40 5.5% 54.6% $48

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Marawi

$16 2.1% 82.2% $72

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $788 in Nosara and $272 in Marawi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Nosara pays 199% 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 $17.00 in Marawi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $352 vs $179 per month, with Marawi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇵🇭 Marawi

🕒 Local time

15:33 3:33 PM

05:33 5:33 AM

14 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

207,010

💱 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 17, 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 17, 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

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Between locations

Nosara Marawi 16,140 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Marawi

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 Marawi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara and Marawi differ by about 153% in total monthly costs ($1,839 vs $727 including rent). Marawi is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 199% 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 $272 in Marawi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,839 per month in Nosara versus $727 in Marawi – a 153% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Marawi runs roughly 472% less than in Nosara. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $727 in Marawi versus $1,839 in Nosara, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Marawi but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Marawi the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Safety-wise, Nosara and Marawi 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 Marawi gentler on the wallet – expenses run 153% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.