Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Perez Zeledon

For one person, living is cheaper in Perez Zeledon: $1,317 a month against $1,846 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $6,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

88

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index
64

Cost of Living Index in Perez Zeledon
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Perez Zeledon Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,846

/mo nomad

Perez Zeledon

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,317

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Perez Zeledon

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

A single person spends $1,846 per month in Nosara vs $1,317 in Perez Zeledon, rent included.

Nosara $1,846
Perez Zeledon $1,317

A couple spends around $2,833 per month in Nosara vs $2,364 in Perez Zeledon, rent included.

Nosara $2,833
Perez Zeledon $2,364

A family of three spends $3,820 per month in Nosara vs $3,410 in Perez Zeledon, rent included.

Nosara $3,820
Perez Zeledon $3,410

Nosara costs about 40% more than Perez Zeledon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Nosara sits 36% above the global median, while Perez Zeledon is 3% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.36 ₡5,578

$9.09 ₡4,102

35.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.8 ₡27.4K

$37.24 ₡16.8K

63.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.88 ₡3,558

$8.19 ₡3,699

-3.79%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₡1,987

$2.70 ₡1,217

62.96%

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

$1.72 ₡776

$1.97 ₡887

-12.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.34 ₡603

$1.78 ₡805

-24.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.34 ₡1,506

$1.73 ₡780

93.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.54 ₡2,049

$3.21 ₡1,447

41.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.64 ₡739

$1.60 ₡724

2.50%

White Bread (500g)

$3.16 ₡1,427

$3.13 ₡1,413

0.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.39 ₡1,080

$2.49 ₡1,122

-4.02%

Eggs

$3.47 ₡1,564

$2.49 ₡1,126

39.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.13 ₡3,219

$10.73 ₡4,846

-33.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.32 ₡4,657

$10.28 ₡4,639

0.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,305

$14.14 ₡6,384

-1.20%

Apples (1kg)

$2.29 ₡1,032

$5.24 ₡2,365

-56.30%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 ₡732

$1.08 ₡488

50.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.81 ₡2,171

$4.89 ₡2,206

-1.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.68 ₡758

$3.85 ₡1,737

-56.36%

Potato (1kg)

$3.91 ₡1,766

$3.72 ₡1,680

5.11%

Onion (1kg)

$3.63 ₡1,641

$3.59 ₡1,622

1.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡510

$0.45 ₡205

151.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.63 ₡1,188

$3.09 ₡1,394

-14.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.02 ₡2,268

$5.57 ₡2,516

-9.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.71 ₡8,897

$19.80 ₡8,937

-0.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.91 ₡1,315

$2.87 ₡1,297

1.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.54 ₡1,598

$3.63 ₡1,638

-2.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.21 ₡545

$0.81 ₡364

49.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.8 ₡33.3K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.15 ₡970

$2.49 ₡1,126

-13.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 ₡738

$1.63 ₡737

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.77 ₡3,960

$8.76 ₡3,955

0.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡701

$1.52 ₡688

1.97%

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

$33.9K ₡15.3M

$33.8K ₡15.2M

0.39%

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

$38.5K ₡17.4M

$42.1K ₡19.0M

-8.63%

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

$95.2 ₡43.0K

$93.6 ₡42.2K

1.75%

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

$36.29 ₡16.4K

$23.99 ₡10.8K

51.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.0 ₡23.5K

$59.2 ₡26.7K

-12.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.6 ₡30.5K

$67.9 ₡30.7K

-0.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.55 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$7.54 ₡3,405

$7.67 ₡3,464

-1.69%

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

$496 ₡224.1K

$498 ₡224.8K

-0.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.8K ₡5.3M

$17.3K ₡7.8M

-32.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.1 ₡24.9K

$71.8 ₡32.4K

-23.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.1 ₡25.3K

$55.0 ₡24.8K

1.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.8 ₡35.1K

$128 ₡57.7K

-39.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.1 ₡35.7K

$133 ₡60.0K

-40.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$817 ₡369.0K

$402 ₡181.3K

103.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$806 ₡363.8K

$326 ₡147.1K

147.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,988 ₡1.8M

$2,133 ₡963.0K

86.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,429 ₡645.2K

$1,260 ₡568.7K

13.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,068 ₡3.2M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,197 ₡540.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$888 ₡400.9K

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 24, 2026

Last update for Perez Zeledon: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$806 43.7%

Perez Zeledon

$326 24.8% 59.6% $480

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$351 19%

Perez Zeledon

$383 29.1% 9.1% $32

Eating Out

Nosara

$213 11.6%

Perez Zeledon

$160 12.1% 25.1% $54

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$184 9.9%

Perez Zeledon

$177 13.4% 3.7% $6.8

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$121 6.5%

Perez Zeledon

$174 13.2% 44.6% $54

Getting Around

Nosara

$89 4.8%

Perez Zeledon

$14 * 1.1% 84.4% $75

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$83 4.5%

Perez Zeledon

$83 6.3% 0.8% $0.6

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $817 in Nosara versus $402 in Perez Zeledon. 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 in Nosara versus $37 in Perez Zeledon. Groceries tell a different story – $351 in Nosara vs $383 in Perez Zeledon – so Nosara wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇨🇷 Perez Zeledon

🕒 Local time

19:46 7:46 PM

Same time as Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

135,000

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Nosara Perez Zeledon 240 km

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Nosara
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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 Perez Zeledon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,846 in Nosara, $1,317 in Perez Zeledon – Perez Zeledon comes out roughly 29% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,769 per month in Nosara and $1,975 in Perez Zeledon. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Perez Zeledon, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $402 there versus $817 in Nosara.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61 in Nosara and $37 in Perez Zeledon. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 8% cheaper in Nosara – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Perez Zeledon, where all-in costs run around $1,317, than in Nosara at $1,846. In Perez Zeledon 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 $1,317 in Perez Zeledon to $1,846 in Nosara. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.