Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Muntinlupa

For one person, living is cheaper in Muntinlupa: $742 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $13,200 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 Muntinlupa
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Muntinlupa Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Muntinlupa

🇵🇭 Philippines

$742

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Muntinlupa

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,839 in Nosara versus $742 in Muntinlupa.

Nosara $1,839
Muntinlupa $742

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,828 in Nosara versus $1,173 in Muntinlupa.

Nosara $2,828
Muntinlupa $1,173

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,818 in Nosara versus $1,604 in Muntinlupa.

Nosara $3,818
Muntinlupa $1,604

Living in Nosara is roughly 148% more expensive than in Muntinlupa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Nosara is 36% above, Muntinlupa is 45% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$3.94 ₱248

213.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$27.36 ₱1,722

123.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$2.81 ₱177

167.62%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$2.36 ₱149

86.86%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$0.95 ₱59.7

83.16%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$0.44 ₱27.42

197.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$1.16 ₱72.7

182.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$1.78 ₱112

151.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.64 ₱103

-4.88%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$1.22 ₱76.6

147.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$1.02 ₱64.3

146.08%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$2.07 ₱130

72.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$5.00 ₱315

48.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$3.78 ₱238

178.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$6.93 ₱436

101.59%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$2.37 ₱149

-0.84%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$1.53 ₱96.4

5.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$2.58 ₱162

86.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$1.23 ₱77.6

30.89%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$1.79 ₱112

112.29%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$1.93 ₱122

91.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$0.98 ₱61.8

15.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$0.56 ₱35.06

375.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$2.90 ₱183

78.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$8.68 ₱547

129.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$1.28 ₱80.9

126.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$2.09 ₱132

73.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$0.26 ₱16.62

330.77%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

$12.39 ₱780

486.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$0.74 ₱46.66

189.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$0.23 ₱14.51

582.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$1.94 ₱122

339.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$1.22 ₱76.6

24.59%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$21.1K ₱1.3M

2.63%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$19.4K ₱1.2M

77.99%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$123 ₱7,728

-21.56%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$16.06 ₱1,011

123.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$23.97 ₱1,509

123.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$32.71 ₱2,059

118.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

$4.82 ₱304

624.27%

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$5.17 ₱325

52.61%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$135 ₱8,503

265.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$8,993 ₱566.2K

31.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$32.60 ₱2,052

65.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$19.70 ₱1,240

181.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$77.7 ₱4,889

0.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$58.6 ₱3,688

35.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$270 ₱17.0K

191.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$172 ₱10.8K

362.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$517 ₱32.5K

662.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$393 ₱24.8K

261.01%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$2,401 ₱151.1K

187.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

$994 ₱62.6K

23.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

$602 ₱37.9K

43.40%

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 Muntinlupa: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Muntinlupa

$172 23.2% 78.4% $622

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Muntinlupa

$181 24.4% 48.7% $171

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Muntinlupa

$83 11.2% 60.7% $129

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Muntinlupa

$163 21.9% 12.4% $23

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Muntinlupa

$85 11.4% 29.4% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Muntinlupa

$43 5.8% 50.7% $44

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Muntinlupa

$15 2.1% 82.4% $72

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $788 in Nosara and $270 in Muntinlupa. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Nosara pays 43% 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 $27.00 in Muntinlupa for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $352 vs $181 per month, with Muntinlupa cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇵🇭 Muntinlupa

🕒 Local time

16:08 4:08 PM

06:08 6:08 AM

14 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

543,445

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Muntinlupa 16,010 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Muntinlupa

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 Muntinlupa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Muntinlupa wins on cost – living expenses run 148% lower than in Nosara. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Muntinlupa the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 43% 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 $270 in Muntinlupa. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $494 in Nosara versus $135 in Muntinlupa. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 95% higher in Nosara. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $742 in Muntinlupa versus $1,839 in Nosara, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Muntinlupa but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Muntinlupa the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Muntinlupa delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $742 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Muntinlupa hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Nosara and Muntinlupa 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 Muntinlupa gentler on the wallet – expenses run 148% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.