Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Naga

For one person, living is cheaper in Naga: $558 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $15,400 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
38

Cost of Living Index in Naga
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Naga Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Naga

🇵🇭 Philippines

$558

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Naga

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,839 in Nosara versus $558 in Naga.

Nosara $1,839
Naga $558

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,828 in Nosara versus $852 in Naga.

Nosara $2,828
Naga $852

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,818 in Nosara versus $1,147 in Naga.

Nosara $3,818
Naga $1,147

Living in Nosara is roughly 230% more expensive than in Naga, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Nosara is 36% above, Naga is 59% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$5.26 ₱331

134.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$13.42 ₱845

355.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$2.70 ₱170

178.52%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$2.67 ₱168

65.17%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$0.71 ₱44.50

145.07%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$0.25 ₱15.80

424.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$1.32 ₱83.3

148.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$3.14 ₱197

42.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.95 ₱123

-20.00%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$0.85 ₱53.3

255.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$0.82 ₱51.7

206.10%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$1.70 ₱107

110.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$10.19 ₱642

-27.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$4.07 ₱256

158.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$6.99 ₱440

99.86%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$1.98 ₱125

18.69%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$1.63 ₱102

-1.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$2.44 ₱154

96.72%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$2.43 ₱153

-33.74%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$2.57 ₱162

47.86%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$2.22 ₱140

66.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$4.76 ₱300

-76.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$0.62 ₱39.28

329.03%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$2.89 ₱182

79.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$3.77 ₱237

427.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$1.61 ₱101

80.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$0.57 ₱36.08

275.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$1.26 ₱79.4

20.63%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$99.1 ₱6,242

-2.87%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$23.41 ₱1,474

53.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$26.23 ₱1,651

104.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$8.07 ₱508

787.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$4.80 ₱302

64.38%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$8,052 ₱507.0K

47.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$158 ₱9,919

400.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$85.9 ₱5,411

824.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$251 ₱15.8K

1468.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$194 ₱12.2K

632.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

$145 ₱9,126

495.76%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Naga: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Naga

$86 15.4% 89.2% $708

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Naga

$206 * 36.9% 41.6% $146

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Naga

$99 17.7% 53.3% $113

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Naga

$149 26.7% 19.9% $37

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Naga

- * 0% 100%

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Naga

$18 3.2% 79.8% $70

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Naga

$0.6 * 0.1% 99.3% $87

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $788 in Nosara and $158 in Naga. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Nosara pays 496% 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 $13.00 in Naga for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $352 vs $206 per month, with Naga cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇵🇭 Naga

🕒 Local time

08:27 8:27 AM

22:27 10:27 PM

14 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

115,750

💱 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 19, 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 19, 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 Naga 15,890 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Naga

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 Naga: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara and Naga differ by about 230% in total monthly costs ($1,839 vs $558 including rent). Naga is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 496% 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 $158 in Naga. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Naga – a meal for two runs $13.00 versus $61.0 in Nosara. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,839 per month in Nosara versus $558 in Naga – a 230% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $558 in Naga versus $1,839 in Nosara, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Naga but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Naga 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 Naga 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 Naga gentler on the wallet – expenses run 230% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.