Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Pando

For one person, living is cheaper in Pando: $997 a month against $1,835 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $10,100 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
48

Cost of Living Index in Pando
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Pando Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Pando

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$997

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Pando

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

A single person spends $1,835 per month in Nosara vs $997 in Pando, rent included.

Nosara $1,835
Pando $997

A couple spends around $2,825 per month in Nosara vs $1,900 in Pando, rent included.

Nosara $2,825
Pando $1,900

A family of three spends $3,814 per month in Nosara vs $2,802 in Pando, rent included.

Nosara $3,814
Pando $2,802

Nosara costs about 84% more than Pando, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Nosara sits 35% above the global median, while Pando is 26% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.34 ₡5,535

$12.97 UYU 521

-4.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.3 ₡27.5K

$43.80 UYU 1,758

40.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.76 ₡3,481

$13.92 UYU 559

-44.25%

Cappuccino

$4.44 ₡1,992

$5.07 UYU 203

-12.43%

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

$1.79 ₡803

$2.35 UYU 94.2

-23.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.29 ₡580

$2.26 UYU 90.8

-42.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ₡1,451

$2.93 UYU 117

10.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.43 ₡1,985

$3.61 UYU 145

22.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡696

$1.13 UYU 45.54

37.17%

White Bread (500g)

$3.08 ₡1,380

$2.82 UYU 113

9.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.53 ₡1,133

$1.69 UYU 67.8

49.70%

Eggs

$3.45 ₡1,546

$4.32 UYU 173

-20.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.32 ₡3,284

$12.35 UYU 496

-40.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.24 ₡4,594

$11.88 UYU 477

-13.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.10 ₡6,326

$12.07 UYU 485

16.82%

Apples (1kg)

$2.29 ₡1,027

$3.04 UYU 122

-24.67%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 ₡737

$3.34 UYU 134

-50.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.79 ₡2,149

$2.30 UYU 92.3

108.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.64 ₡735

$3.97 UYU 159

-58.69%

Potato (1kg)

$3.85 ₡1,727

$2.07 UYU 83.1

85.99%

Onion (1kg)

$3.75 ₡1,681

$2.08 UYU 83.5

80.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.09 ₡488

$1.57 UYU 63.2

-30.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.59 ₡1,160

$1.91 UYU 76.6

35.60%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.12 ₡2,295

$9.96 UYU 400

-48.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.92 ₡8,931

$7.97 UYU 320

149.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.80 ₡1,255

$3.02 UYU 121

-7.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.52 ₡1,580

$3.36 UYU 135

4.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.22 ₡549

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.9 ₡33.1K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.17 ₡973

$3.59 UYU 144

-39.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 ₡698

$3.44 UYU 138

-54.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.67 ₡3,886

$9.78 UYU 393

-11.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡697

$2.15 UYU 86.3

-27.91%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$35.9K UYU 1.4M

-3.64%

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

$38.7K ₡17.4M

$40.2K UYU 1.6M

-3.65%

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

$94.8 ₡42.5K

$113 UYU 4,536

-16.11%

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

$36.15 ₡16.2K

$24.04 UYU 965

50.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.1 ₡23.8K

$46.87 UYU 1,881

13.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$73.8 ₡33.1K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.63 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$7.91 ₡3,548

$12.53 UYU 503

-36.87%

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

$490 ₡219.9K

$492 UYU 19.7K

-0.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$6,713 UYU 269.4K

77.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.8 ₡24.6K

$88.1 UYU 3,535

-37.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.9 ₡25.1K

$37.69 UYU 1,513

48.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.4 ₡36.0K

$163 UYU 6,545

-50.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$117 UYU 4,714

-33.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$801 ₡359.1K

$346 UYU 13.9K

131.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$790 ₡354.1K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,005 ₡1.8M

$740 UYU 29.7K

441.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,409 ₡632.0K

$606 UYU 24.3K

132.46%

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

72.40%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 20, 2026

Last update for Pando: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$790 43%

Pando

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$350 19.1%

Pando

$338 33.9% 3.4% $12

Eating Out

Nosara

$213 11.6%

Pando

$247 24.7% 16% $34

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$184 10%

Pando

$184 18.5% 0% $0.1

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$121 6.6%

Pando

$183 18.3% 51.1% $62

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$90 4.9%

Pando

$25 * 2.5% 72% $65

Getting Around

Nosara

$89 4.8%

Pando

$21 * 2.1% 76.6% $68

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 $346 in Pando. 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 $44.00 in Pando. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $350 vs $338 – making Pando the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇺🇾 Pando

🕒 Local time

09:40 9:40 AM

12:40 12:40 PM

3 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

25,949

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

100 UYU = 2.49 USD

100 UYU = 2.22 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 24, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Uruguayan Peso exchange rates as of October 24, 2026: 1 USD = 40.14 UYU (100 UYU = 2.49 USD). 1 EUR = 45.12 UYU (100 UYU = 2.22 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Pando 5,870 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Pando

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 Pando: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,835 in Nosara, $997 in Pando – roughly 84% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,753 per month in Nosara and $1,496 in Pando. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Pando, 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 $44.00 in Pando. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 4% more in Nosara, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Pando, where all-in costs run around $997, than in Nosara at $1,835. In Pando 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 $997 in Pando 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 Pando. 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.