Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Palawan

For one person, living is cheaper in Palawan: $792 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $12,600 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 Palawan
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Palawan Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Palawan

🇵🇭 Philippines

$792

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Palawan

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

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $792 in Palawan, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
Palawan $792

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $1,230 in Palawan, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
Palawan $1,230

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $1,668 in Palawan, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
Palawan $1,668

Nosara costs about 132% more than Palawan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Nosara sits 36% above the global median, while Palawan is 41% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$3.62 ₱228

241.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$19.14 ₱1,205

219.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$3.37 ₱212

123.15%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$2.63 ₱165

67.68%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$0.83 ₱52.5

109.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$0.39 ₱24.65

235.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$1.29 ₱81.4

154.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$2.16 ₱136

106.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.90 ₱120

-17.89%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$1.26 ₱79.4

139.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$1.01 ₱63.5

148.51%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$1.98 ₱125

80.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$7.83 ₱493

-5.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$4.21 ₱265

149.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$7.78 ₱490

79.56%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$3.00 ₱189

-21.67%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$1.56 ₱98.2

3.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$2.72 ₱171

76.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$1.62 ₱102

-0.62%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$2.31 ₱146

64.50%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$2.59 ₱163

42.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$1.06 ₱66.9

6.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$0.71 ₱44.86

274.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$2.78 ₱175

86.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$6.85 ₱431

190.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$1.20 ₱75.4

141.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$2.03 ₱128

78.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$0.28 ₱17.81

300.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

$11.29 ₱711

543.40%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$0.83 ₱52.4

157.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$0.24 ₱15.20

554.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$2.15 ₱136

296.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$1.10 ₱69.2

38.18%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$26.5K ₱1.7M

-18.46%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$20.1K ₱1.3M

72.07%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$114 ₱7,183

-15.60%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$32.54 ₱2,049

10.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$27.55 ₱1,734

94.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$34.48 ₱2,171

107.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

$4.36 ₱275

700.69%

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$5.80 ₱365

36.03%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$150 ₱9,463

228.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$4,228 ₱266.2K

180.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$45.09 ₱2,839

19.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$26.54 ₱1,671

108.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$74.9 ₱4,713

4.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$53.6 ₱3,377

48.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$264 ₱16.6K

197.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$177 ₱11.1K

349.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$589 ₱37.1K

568.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$390 ₱24.5K

264.07%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$2,359 ₱148.5K

193.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

$994 ₱62.6K

23.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

6.67

29.24%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Palawan: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Palawan

$177 22.4% 77.7% $617

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Palawan

$204 25.7% 42.2% $149

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Palawan

$86 10.9% 59.2% $126

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Palawan

$174 22% 6.2% $12

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Palawan

$90 11.4% 25% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Palawan

$46 5.8% 47.3% $41

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Palawan

$14 1.8% 83.4% $73

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $788 in Nosara versus $264 in Palawan. 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 $19.00 in Palawan. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $352 vs $204 – making Palawan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇵🇭 Palawan

🕒 Local time

15:25 3:25 PM

05:25 5:25 AM

14 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

939,594

💱 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 Palawan 16,530 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Palawan

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 Palawan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,839 in Nosara, $792 in Palawan – roughly 132% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,758 per month in Nosara and $1,187 in Palawan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 543% less in Palawan. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $494 per month in Nosara and $150 in Palawan. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Palawan, where all-in costs run around $792, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Palawan 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 $792 in Palawan to $1,839 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 Palawan. 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.