Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Panglao

For one person, living is cheaper in Panglao: $817 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $12,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index
40

Cost of Living Index in Panglao
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Panglao Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Panglao

🇵🇭 Philippines

$817

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Panglao

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

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $817 in Panglao, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
Panglao $817

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $1,137 in Panglao, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
Panglao $1,137

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $1,456 in Panglao, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
Panglao $1,456

Nosara costs about 125% more than Panglao, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Nosara sits 36% above the global median, while Panglao is 39% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$3.08 ₱194

300.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$23.75 ₱1,495

157.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$3.94 ₱248

90.86%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$2.27 ₱143

94.27%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$1.60 ₱101

8.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$0.53 ₱33.19

147.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$1.55 ₱97.6

111.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$1.90 ₱119

135.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.59 ₱100

-1.89%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$1.13 ₱70.9

167.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$0.94 ₱59.2

167.02%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$1.79 ₱113

99.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$8.58 ₱540

-13.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$4.61 ₱290

128.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$7.62 ₱480

83.33%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$1.92 ₱121

22.40%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$1.39 ₱87.5

15.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$1.87 ₱118

156.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$1.53 ₱96.1

5.23%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$2.41 ₱152

57.68%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$1.96 ₱123

88.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$1.14 ₱71.8

-0.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$0.47 ₱29.49

465.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$2.91 ₱183

78.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$5.70 ₱359

248.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$0.79 ₱49.65

267.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$1.56 ₱97.9

132.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$0.23 ₱14.60

386.96%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

$11.32 ₱713

541.70%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$0.73 ₱46.14

193.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$0.23 ₱14.53

582.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$1.94 ₱122

339.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$0.90 ₱57.0

68.89%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$21.2K ₱1.3M

1.89%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$19.2K ₱1.2M

79.67%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$58.9 ₱3,711

63.37%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$6.75 ₱425

431.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$24.52 ₱1,544

118.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$20.96 ₱1,320

241.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

$4.71 ₱297

641.19%

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$3.92 ₱247

101.28%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$135 ₱8,504

265.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$7,988 ₱502.9K

48.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$32.48 ₱2,045

66.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$19.59 ₱1,233

182.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$66.4 ₱4,183

17.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$47.63 ₱2,999

67.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$280 ₱17.7K

180.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$343 ₱21.6K

131.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$567 ₱35.7K

595.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$390 ₱24.6K

263.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$947 ₱59.6K

629.88%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

$1,014 ₱63.8K

20.76%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

7.2

19.72%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Panglao: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Panglao

$343 42% 56.8% $451

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Panglao

$183 22.3% 48.2% $170

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Panglao

$84 10.3% 60.4% $128

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Panglao

$90 11% 51.4% $96

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Panglao

$75 9.2% 37.7% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Panglao

$29 3.5% 67% $59

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Panglao

$14 1.7% 83.8% $73

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $788 in Nosara versus $280 in Panglao. 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 $24.00 in Panglao. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $352 vs $183 – making Panglao the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇵🇭 Panglao

🕒 Local time

19:06 7:06 PM

09:06 9:06 AM

14 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

39,839

💱 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 18, 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 18, 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 Panglao 16,100 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Panglao

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 Panglao: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,839 in Nosara, $817 in Panglao – roughly 125% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,758 per month in Nosara and $1,226 in Panglao. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 542% less in Panglao. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $494 per month in Nosara and $135 in Panglao. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Panglao, where all-in costs run around $817, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Panglao 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 $817 in Panglao 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 Panglao. 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.