Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and New Providence

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,837 a month against $2,134 in New Providence, rent and utilities included – about $3,600 less a year. The total is higher in New Providence despite lower rent and utilities.

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Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

New Providence

🇧🇸 Bahamas

$2,134

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in New Providence

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

A single person spends $1,837 per month in Nosara vs $2,134 in New Providence, rent included.

Nosara $1,837
New Providence $2,134

A couple spends around $2,775 per month in Nosara vs $5,196 in New Providence, rent included.

Nosara $2,775
New Providence $5,196

A family of three spends $3,712 per month in Nosara vs $8,257 in New Providence, rent included.

Nosara $3,712
New Providence $8,257

Nosara is about 14% cheaper than New Providence, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Nosara and New Providence sit above the global median – Nosara by 37%, New Providence by 59%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.22 ₡5,509

$74.6 BSD 74.6

-83.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.2 ₡27.1K

$151 BSD 151

-60.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 ₡3,399

Cappuccino

$4.31 ₡1,941

$5.40 BSD 5.40

-20.19%

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

$1.72 ₡773

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.35 ₡608

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ₡1,459

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 ₡2,018

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡707

$2.17 BSD 2.17

-27.65%

White Bread (500g)

$3.17 ₡1,429

$4.91 BSD 4.91

-35.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 ₡1,091

$5.05 BSD 5.05

-52.08%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,609

$10.12 BSD 10.12

-64.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,349

$19.69 BSD 19.69

-62.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.42 ₡4,697

$10.09 BSD 10.09

3.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.66 ₡6,156

$20.37 BSD 20.37

-32.94%

Apples (1kg)

$2.32 ₡1,044

$4.45 BSD 4.45

-47.87%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡728

$6.10 BSD 6.10

-73.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.74 ₡2,138

$7.17 BSD 7.17

-33.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 ₡747

$4.02 BSD 4.02

-58.71%

Potato (1kg)

$3.72 ₡1,679

$4.02 BSD 4.02

-7.46%

Onion (1kg)

$3.57 ₡1,611

$2.95 BSD 2.95

21.02%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 ₡497

$2.95 BSD 2.95

-62.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.55 ₡1,149

$2.93 BSD 2.93

-12.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.95 ₡2,232

$15.16 BSD 15.16

-67.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.01 ₡9,020

$25.37 BSD 25.37

-21.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.79 ₡1,256

$3.72 BSD 3.72

-25.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.53 ₡1,589

$4.08 BSD 4.08

-13.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.19 ₡537

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.1 ₡32.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.24 ₡1,011

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 ₡701

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₡3,993

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡708

$1.76 BSD 1.76

-10.80%

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

$21.8K ₡9.8M

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

$34.6K ₡15.6M

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

$93.5 ₡42.1K

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

$35.11 ₡15.8K

$40.39 BSD 40.39

-13.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.5 ₡23.2K

$100 BSD 100

-48.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.4 ₡32.2K

$76.5 BSD 76.5

-6.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.44 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$7.84 ₡3,535

$14.72 BSD 14.72

-46.74%

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

$490 ₡220.7K

$1,525 BSD 1,525

-67.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.4M

$14.8K BSD 14.8K

-19.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ₡24.1K

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.8 ₡25.1K

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 ₡35.7K

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.9 ₡35.6K

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$786 ₡354.3K

$1,518 BSD 1,518

-48.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$780 ₡351.6K

$692 BSD 692

12.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,860 ₡1.7M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 ₡634.4K

$4,529 BSD 4,529

-68.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,972 ₡3.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,201 ₡541.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$876 ₡395.0K

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 5, 2026

Last update for New Providence: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$780 43%

New Providence

–

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$350 19.3%

New Providence

–

Eating Out

Nosara

$209 11.6%

New Providence

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$180 9.9%

New Providence

–

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.6%

New Providence

–

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

New Providence

–

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.8%

New Providence

–

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $786 in Nosara versus $1,518 in New Providence. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $60.0 in Nosara versus $151 in New Providence. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $350 vs $552 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇧🇸 New Providence

🕒 Local time

07:43 7:43 AM

09:43 9:43 AM

2 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

296,522

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Bahamian Dollar BSD $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1 BSD = 1 USD

1 BSD = 0.892 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 505 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Bahamian Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1 BSD (1 BSD = 1 USD). 1 EUR = 1.12 BSD (1 BSD = 0.892 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Nosara New Providence 1,910 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
New Providence

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 New Providence: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

New Providence costs about 16% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,756 per month in Nosara and $3,201 in New Providence. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Nosara, 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 $1,837 in Nosara and $2,134 in New Providence. That's a gap of about 16%.

Kindergarten costs $490 per month in Nosara and $1,525 in New Providence. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Nosara, where all-in costs run around $1,837, than in New Providence at $2,134. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in New Providence it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Nosara costs $1,837 versus $2,134 in New Providence. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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 Nosara. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, New Providence makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.