Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Ojochal

For one person, living is cheaper in Ojochal: $1,687 a month against $1,835 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Nosara outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index
82

Cost of Living Index in Ojochal
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Ojochal Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Ojochal

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,687

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Ojochal

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

A single person spends $1,835 per month in Nosara vs $1,687 in Ojochal, rent included.

Nosara $1,835
Ojochal $1,687

A couple spends around $2,825 per month in Nosara vs $2,675 in Ojochal, rent included.

Nosara $2,825
Ojochal $2,675

A family of three spends $3,814 per month in Nosara vs $3,664 in Ojochal, rent included.

Nosara $3,814
Ojochal $3,664

Nosara costs about 9% more than Ojochal, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Nosara and Ojochal sit above the global median – Nosara by 35%, Ojochal by 25%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.34 ₡5,535

$11.90 ₡5,338

3.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.3 ₡27.5K

$57.3 ₡25.7K

6.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.76 ₡3,481

$11.51 ₡5,161

-32.58%

Cappuccino

$4.44 ₡1,992

$4.16 ₡1,865

6.73%

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

$1.79 ₡803

$2.65 ₡1,186

-32.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.29 ₡580

$1.87 ₡839

-31.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ₡1,451

$3.36 ₡1,505

-3.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.43 ₡1,985

$4.38 ₡1,963

1.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡696

$2.34 ₡1,051

-33.76%

White Bread (500g)

$3.08 ₡1,380

$2.78 ₡1,247

10.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.53 ₡1,133

$2.50 ₡1,123

1.20%

Eggs

$3.45 ₡1,546

$3.40 ₡1,527

1.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.32 ₡3,284

$10.83 ₡4,856

-32.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.24 ₡4,594

$10.61 ₡4,758

-3.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.10 ₡6,326

$13.86 ₡6,217

1.73%

Apples (1kg)

$2.29 ₡1,027

$5.22 ₡2,339

-56.13%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 ₡737

$1.63 ₡732

0.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.79 ₡2,149

$3.27 ₡1,467

46.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.64 ₡735

$3.45 ₡1,546

-52.46%

Potato (1kg)

$3.85 ₡1,727

$2.99 ₡1,339

28.76%

Onion (1kg)

$3.75 ₡1,681

$3.05 ₡1,370

22.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.09 ₡488

$1.12 ₡503

-2.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.59 ₡1,160

$2.67 ₡1,197

-3.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.12 ₡2,295

$5.59 ₡2,508

-8.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.92 ₡8,931

$16.23 ₡7,281

22.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.80 ₡1,255

$2.56 ₡1,150

9.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.52 ₡1,580

$2.70 ₡1,209

30.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.22 ₡549

$1.35 ₡604

-9.63%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.9 ₡33.1K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.17 ₡973

$2.42 ₡1,085

-10.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 ₡698

$1.64 ₡733

-4.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.67 ₡3,886

$8.74 ₡3,921

-0.80%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡697

$1.50 ₡673

3.33%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$21.6K ₡9.7M

60.00%

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

$38.7K ₡17.4M

$35.4K ₡15.9M

9.37%

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

$94.8 ₡42.5K

$95.2 ₡42.7K

-0.44%

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

$36.15 ₡16.2K

$29.51 ₡13.2K

22.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.1 ₡23.8K

$59.4 ₡26.6K

-10.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$73.8 ₡33.1K

$72.2 ₡32.4K

2.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.63 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$7.91 ₡3,548

$7.74 ₡3,470

2.20%

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

$490 ₡219.9K

$851 ₡381.6K

-42.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$17.0K ₡7.6M

-29.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.8 ₡24.6K

$72.6 ₡32.5K

-24.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.9 ₡25.1K

$56.0 ₡25.1K

-0.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.4 ₡36.0K

$129 ₡57.9K

-37.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$132 ₡59.2K

-41.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$801 ₡359.1K

$812 ₡364.3K

-1.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$790 ₡354.1K

$631 ₡282.8K

25.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,005 ₡1.8M

$1,880 ₡843.1K

113.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,409 ₡632.0K

$1,277 ₡572.5K

10.39%

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

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

Last update for Nosara: October 20, 2026

Last update for Ojochal: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$790 43%

Ojochal

$631 37.4% 20.1% $159

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$350 19.1%

Ojochal

$370 22% 5.9% $21

Eating Out

Nosara

$213 11.6%

Ojochal

$223 13.2% 5% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$184 10%

Ojochal

$184 10.9% 0.1% $0.1

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$121 6.6%

Ojochal

$175 10.4% 45% $54

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$90 4.9%

Ojochal

$88 5.2% 2.2% $2

Getting Around

Nosara

$89 4.8%

Ojochal

$16 * 1% 82% $73

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $801 in Nosara versus $812 in Ojochal. 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 $61.0 in Nosara versus $57.0 in Ojochal. Groceries tell a different story – $350 in Nosara vs $370 in Ojochal – so Nosara wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇨🇷 Ojochal

🕒 Local time

08:09 8:09 AM

Same time as Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

6,540

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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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 Ojochal: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,835 in Nosara, $1,687 in Ojochal – roughly 9% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,753 per month in Nosara and $2,531 in Ojochal. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Nosara and $57.0 in Ojochal. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 6% cheaper in Nosara – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Ojochal, where all-in costs run around $1,687, than in Nosara at $1,835. In Ojochal 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 $1,687 in Ojochal 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 Ojochal. 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.