Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Marikina

For one person, living is cheaper in Marikina: $704 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $13,600 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
34

Cost of Living Index in Marikina
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Marikina Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Marikina

🇵🇭 Philippines

$704

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Marikina

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

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $704 in Marikina, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
Marikina $704

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $1,094 in Marikina, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
Marikina $1,094

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $1,484 in Marikina, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
Marikina $1,484

Nosara costs about 161% more than Marikina, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Nosara sits 36% above the global median, while Marikina is 48% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$4.07 ₱257

203.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$32.37 ₱2,038

89.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$3.17 ₱199

137.22%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$2.29 ₱144

92.58%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$0.55 ₱34.81

216.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$0.33 ₱20.92

296.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$1.01 ₱63.7

224.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$2.36 ₱149

89.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.85 ₱117

-15.68%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$1.23 ₱77.7

145.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$1.06 ₱66.5

136.79%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$2.08 ₱131

71.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$7.39 ₱466

0.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$4.20 ₱264

150.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$6.78 ₱427

106.05%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$2.46 ₱155

-4.47%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$2.03 ₱128

-20.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$2.33 ₱146

106.01%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$2.30 ₱145

-30.00%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$2.38 ₱150

59.66%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$3.48 ₱219

6.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$1.10 ₱69.5

2.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$0.70 ₱44.21

280.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$2.93 ₱184

76.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$8.73 ₱550

127.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$0.98 ₱62.0

195.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$2.05 ₱129

77.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$0.50 ₱31.34

124.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$0.73 ₱46.04

193.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$0.23 ₱14.53

582.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$1.94 ₱122

339.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$1.24 ₱78.3

22.58%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$21.7K ₱1.4M

-0.32%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$19.4K ₱1.2M

77.63%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$139 ₱8,744

-30.67%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$16.19 ₱1,019

121.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$28.10 ₱1,769

90.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$36.73 ₱2,312

94.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$7.11 ₱448

10.97%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$131 ₱8,250

277.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$7,456 ₱469.4K

59.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$59.9 ₱3,774

-10.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$28.37 ₱1,786

95.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$75.4 ₱4,745

3.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$54.7 ₱3,442

45.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$180 ₱11.3K

337.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$79.2 ₱4,986

902.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$322 ₱20.3K

1122.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$145 ₱9,110

880.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$1,134 ₱71.4K

509.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

$481 ₱30.3K

154.70%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

$387 ₱24.3K

123.36%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

6.75

27.70%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Marikina: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Marikina

$79 11.3% 90% $715

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Marikina

$206 29.2% 41.6% $147

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Marikina

$83 11.8% 60.9% $129

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Marikina

$183 26% 1.4% $2.6

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Marikina

$98 14% 18.2% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Marikina

$51 7.2% 41.7% $36

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Marikina

$3.9 * 0.6% 95.5% $83

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $788 in Nosara versus $180 in Marikina. 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 123% 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 $61.0 in Nosara versus $32.00 in Marikina. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $352 vs $206 – making Marikina the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇵🇭 Marikina

🕒 Local time

13:52 1:52 PM

03:52 3:52 AM

14 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

456,059

💱 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 = 70.79 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Marikina 15,990 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Marikina

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 Marikina: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,839 in Nosara, $704 in Marikina – roughly 161% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,758 per month in Nosara and $1,056 in Marikina. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,839 in Nosara and $704 in Marikina. That's a gap of about 161%.

Kindergarten costs $494 per month in Nosara and $131 in Marikina. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Marikina, where all-in costs run around $704, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Marikina it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Nosara has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $704 in Marikina to $1,839 in Nosara. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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 Marikina. 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.