Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Minas

For one person, living is cheaper in Minas: $1,069 a month against $1,835 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $9,200 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
52

Cost of Living Index in Minas
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Minas Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Minas

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,069

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Minas

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

A single person spends $1,835 per month in Nosara vs $1,069 in Minas, rent included.

Nosara $1,835
Minas $1,069

A couple spends around $2,825 per month in Nosara vs $1,734 in Minas, rent included.

Nosara $2,825
Minas $1,734

A family of three spends $3,814 per month in Nosara vs $2,400 in Minas, rent included.

Nosara $3,814
Minas $2,400

Nosara costs about 72% more than Minas, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Nosara sits 35% above the global median, while Minas is 21% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.34 ₡5,535

$14.86 UYU 597

-16.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.3 ₡27.5K

$69.7 UYU 2,799

-12.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.76 ₡3,481

$14.61 UYU 586

-46.89%

Cappuccino

$4.44 ₡1,992

$4.66 UYU 187

-4.72%

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

$1.79 ₡803

$2.77 UYU 111

-35.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.29 ₡580

$2.01 UYU 80.7

-35.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ₡1,451

$4.87 UYU 196

-33.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.43 ₡1,985

$3.84 UYU 154

15.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡696

$1.39 UYU 55.8

11.51%

White Bread (500g)

$3.08 ₡1,380

$2.90 UYU 116

6.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.53 ₡1,133

$1.72 UYU 69.1

47.09%

Eggs

$3.45 ₡1,546

$4.61 UYU 185

-25.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.32 ₡3,284

$14.12 UYU 567

-48.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.24 ₡4,594

$11.33 UYU 455

-9.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.10 ₡6,326

$12.00 UYU 482

17.50%

Apples (1kg)

$2.29 ₡1,027

$2.86 UYU 115

-19.93%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 ₡737

$2.82 UYU 113

-41.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.79 ₡2,149

$1.73 UYU 69.5

176.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.64 ₡735

$3.09 UYU 124

-46.93%

Potato (1kg)

$3.85 ₡1,727

$1.92 UYU 76.9

100.52%

Onion (1kg)

$3.75 ₡1,681

$2.15 UYU 86.2

74.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.09 ₡488

$1.43 UYU 57.5

-23.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.59 ₡1,160

$1.90 UYU 76.3

36.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.12 ₡2,295

$5.34 UYU 214

-4.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.92 ₡8,931

$8.49 UYU 341

134.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.80 ₡1,255

$2.26 UYU 90.6

23.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.52 ₡1,580

$2.84 UYU 114

23.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.22 ₡549

$0.76 UYU 30.54

60.53%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.9 ₡33.1K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.17 ₡973

$1.88 UYU 75.5

15.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 ₡698

$0.40 UYU 16.02

290.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.67 ₡3,886

$10.47 UYU 420

-17.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡697

$2.16 UYU 86.5

-28.24%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$26.4K UYU 1.1M

30.68%

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

$38.7K ₡17.4M

$36.8K UYU 1.5M

5.21%

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

$94.8 ₡42.5K

$186 UYU 7,459

-48.98%

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

$36.15 ₡16.2K

$20.60 UYU 827

75.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.1 ₡23.8K

$45.30 UYU 1,818

17.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$73.8 ₡33.1K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.63 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$7.91 ₡3,548

$12.43 UYU 499

-36.36%

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

$490 ₡219.9K

$615 UYU 24.7K

-20.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$11.0K UYU 443.2K

7.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.8 ₡24.6K

$104 UYU 4,185

-47.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.9 ₡25.1K

$56.9 UYU 2,284

-1.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.4 ₡36.0K

$122 UYU 4,899

-34.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$131 UYU 5,247

-40.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$801 ₡359.1K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$790 ₡354.1K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,005 ₡1.8M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,409 ₡632.0K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,064 ₡3.2M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,236 ₡554.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$887 ₡397.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

5.74

50.17%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 20, 2026

Last update for Minas: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$790 43%

Minas

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$350 19.1%

Minas

$329 30.8% 5.8% $20

Eating Out

Nosara

$213 11.6%

Minas

$270 25.2% 26.9% $57

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$184 10%

Minas

$252 23.6% 36.8% $68

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$121 6.6%

Minas

$186 17.4% 53.9% $65

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$90 4.9%

Minas

$25 * 2.3% 72.3% $65

Getting Around

Nosara

$89 4.8%

Minas

$6.9 * 0.7% 92.2% $82

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Nosara versus $70.0 in Minas. Groceries tell a different story – $350 in Nosara vs $329 in Minas – so Minas wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇺🇾 Minas

🕒 Local time

14:31 2:31 PM

17:31 5:31 PM

3 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

38,446

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

100 UYU = 2.49 USD

100 UYU = 2.22 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Uruguayan Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 40.14 UYU (100 UYU = 2.49 USD). 1 EUR = 45.12 UYU (100 UYU = 2.22 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Minas 5,880 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Minas

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 Minas: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,835 in Nosara, $1,069 in Minas – roughly 72% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,753 per month in Nosara and $1,604 in Minas. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,835 in Nosara and $1,069 in Minas. That's a gap of about 72%.

Kindergarten costs $490 per month in Nosara and $615 in Minas. 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 Minas, where all-in costs run around $1,069, than in Nosara at $1,835. In Minas 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 $1,069 in Minas to $1,835 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 Minas. 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.