Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Oranjestad

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,837 a month against $2,327 in Oranjestad, rent and utilities included – about $5,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index
113

Cost of Living Index in Oranjestad
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Oranjestad Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Oranjestad

🇦🇼 Aruba

$2,327

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Oranjestad

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

A single person spends $1,837 per month in Nosara vs $2,327 in Oranjestad, rent included.

Nosara $1,837
Oranjestad $2,327

A couple spends around $2,775 per month in Nosara vs $4,208 in Oranjestad, rent included.

Nosara $2,775
Oranjestad $4,208

A family of three spends $3,712 per month in Nosara vs $6,089 in Oranjestad, rent included.

Nosara $3,712
Oranjestad $6,089

Nosara is about 21% cheaper than Oranjestad, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Nosara and Oranjestad sit above the global median – Nosara by 37%, Oranjestad by 74%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.22 ₡5,509

$22.18 AWG 39.71

-44.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.2 ₡27.1K

$79.3 AWG 142

-24.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 ₡3,399

$10.14 AWG 18.16

-25.64%

Cappuccino

$4.31 ₡1,941

$4.29 AWG 7.68

0.47%

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

$1.72 ₡773

$1.41 AWG 2.52

21.99%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.35 ₡608

$1.66 AWG 2.97

-18.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ₡1,459

$2.92 AWG 5.24

10.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 ₡2,018

$4.10 AWG 7.33

9.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡707

$1.84 AWG 3.30

-14.67%

White Bread (500g)

$3.17 ₡1,429

$2.93 AWG 5.24

8.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 ₡1,091

$2.91 AWG 5.21

-16.84%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,609

$5.40 AWG 9.66

-33.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,349

$12.62 AWG 22.59

-41.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.42 ₡4,697

$9.22 AWG 16.50

13.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.66 ₡6,156

$12.03 AWG 21.54

13.55%

Apples (1kg)

$2.32 ₡1,044

$4.68 AWG 8.37

-50.43%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡728

$2.31 AWG 4.13

-30.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.74 ₡2,138

$5.11 AWG 9.15

-7.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 ₡747

$3.56 AWG 6.38

-53.37%

Potato (1kg)

$3.72 ₡1,679

$2.19 AWG 3.91

69.86%

Onion (1kg)

$3.57 ₡1,611

$2.05 AWG 3.67

74.15%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 ₡497

$2.67 AWG 4.78

-58.80%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.55 ₡1,149

$1.59 AWG 2.84

60.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.95 ₡2,232

$9.91 AWG 17.75

-50.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.01 ₡9,020

$9.70 AWG 17.36

106.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.79 ₡1,256

$3.95 AWG 7.07

-29.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.53 ₡1,589

$4.33 AWG 7.74

-18.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.19 ₡537

$2.14 AWG 3.83

-44.39%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.1 ₡32.5K

$30.14 AWG 54.0

139.12%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.24 ₡1,011

$16.86 AWG 30.18

-86.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 ₡701

$3.83 AWG 6.86

-59.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₡3,993

$24.95 AWG 44.67

-64.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡708

$2.04 AWG 3.65

-23.04%

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

$21.8K ₡9.8M

$25.9K AWG 46.4K

-15.85%

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

$34.6K ₡15.6M

$34.7K AWG 62.2K

-0.27%

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

$93.5 ₡42.1K

$252 AWG 451

-62.91%

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

$35.11 ₡15.8K

$48.35 AWG 86.6

-27.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.5 ₡23.2K

$104 AWG 187

-50.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.4 ₡32.2K

$62.3 AWG 111

14.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.44 ₡16.0K

$26.38 AWG 47.22

34.34%

Cinema Ticket

$7.84 ₡3,535

$12.02 AWG 21.52

-34.78%

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

$490 ₡220.7K

$254 AWG 455

92.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.4M

$8,657 AWG 15.5K

37.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ₡24.1K

$59.1 AWG 106

-9.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.8 ₡25.1K

$51.3 AWG 91.9

8.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 ₡35.7K

$109 AWG 195

-27.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.9 ₡35.6K

$104 AWG 186

-24.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$786 ₡354.3K

$935 AWG 1,673

-15.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$780 ₡351.6K

$936 AWG 1,676

-16.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,860 ₡1.7M

$2,703 AWG 4,839

42.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 ₡634.4K

$3,031 AWG 5,426

-53.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,972 ₡3.1M

$2,210 AWG 3,956

215.51%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,201 ₡541.3K

$1,744 AWG 3,121

-31.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$876 ₡395.0K

$1,706 AWG 3,053

-48.62%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

6.25

37.92%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Last update for Oranjestad: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$780 43%

Oranjestad

$936 40.6% 20.1% $157

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$350 19.3%

Oranjestad

$365 15.8% 4.3% $15

Eating Out

Nosara

$209 11.6%

Oranjestad

$294 12.8% 40.6% $85

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$180 9.9%

Oranjestad

$405 17.5% 125% $225

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.6%

Oranjestad

$145 6.3% 20.7% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Oranjestad

$86 3.7% 0.9% $0.8

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Oranjestad

$75 3.2% 14% $12

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $786 in Nosara versus $935 in Oranjestad. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 95% higher in Oranjestad, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $60.0 in Nosara versus $79.0 in Oranjestad. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $350 vs $365 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇦🇼 Oranjestad

🕒 Local time

01:22 1:22 AM

03:22 3:22 AM

2 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

35,000 Capital

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Aruban Florin AWG ƒ

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1 AWG = 0.559 USD

1 AWG = 0.498 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AWG, 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 = 506 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Aruban Florin exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.79 AWG (1 AWG = 0.559 USD). 1 EUR = 2.01 AWG (1 AWG = 0.498 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Oranjestad 1,730 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Oranjestad

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 Oranjestad: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,837 in Nosara, $2,327 in Oranjestad – roughly 27% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,756 per month in Nosara and $3,491 in Oranjestad. 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.

Public transport costs about 139% less in Nosara. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $490 per month in Nosara and $254 in Oranjestad. 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 Oranjestad at $2,327. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Oranjestad 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 $1,837 in Nosara to $2,327 in Oranjestad. 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 Nosara. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Oranjestad makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.