Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Pisco

For one person, living is cheaper in Pisco: $658 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $14,200 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
32

Cost of Living Index in Pisco
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Pisco Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Pisco

🇵🇪 Peru

$658

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Pisco

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

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $658 in Pisco, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
Pisco $658

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $1,019 in Pisco, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
Pisco $1,019

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $1,380 in Pisco, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
Pisco $1,380

Nosara costs about 180% more than Pisco, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Nosara sits 36% above the global median, while Pisco is 51% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$4.37 PEN 15.02

182.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$34.60 PEN 119

76.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$6.86 PEN 23.56

9.62%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$3.18 PEN 10.93

38.68%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$1.06 PEN 3.64

64.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$0.65 PEN 2.22

101.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$2.69 PEN 9.23

21.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$4.48 PEN 15.38

-0.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.64 PEN 5.64

-4.88%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$2.27 PEN 7.80

33.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$1.25 PEN 4.28

100.80%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$1.29 PEN 4.44

176.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$6.22 PEN 21.36

19.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$4.82 PEN 16.56

118.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$6.40 PEN 21.98

118.28%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$1.32 PEN 4.54

78.03%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$0.99 PEN 3.41

62.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$1.36 PEN 4.66

252.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$0.61 PEN 2.08

163.93%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$0.45 PEN 1.55

744.44%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$0.92 PEN 3.14

301.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$0.82 PEN 2.81

37.80%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$0.93 PEN 3.18

186.02%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$5.74 PEN 19.72

-9.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$8.54 PEN 29.34

132.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$1.85 PEN 6.34

56.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$2.43 PEN 8.34

49.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$0.85 PEN 2.93

31.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

$35.08 PEN 120

107.07%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$3.87 PEN 13.29

-44.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$2.07 PEN 7.10

-24.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$7.43 PEN 25.52

14.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$1.64 PEN 5.64

-7.32%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$22.4K PEN 77.0K

-3.65%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$25.3K PEN 86.9K

36.47%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$43.24 PEN 149

122.69%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$16.04 PEN 55.1

123.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$11.49 PEN 39.46

366.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$20.15 PEN 69.2

255.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

$8.94 PEN 30.72

290.49%

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$7.38 PEN 25.36

6.91%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$176 PEN 604

180.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$13.3K PEN 45.6K

-10.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$53.7 PEN 185

0.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$13.00 PEN 44.65

326.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$45.65 PEN 157

70.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$35.25 PEN 121

125.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$161 PEN 554

388.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$129 PEN 443

516.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$144 PEN 494

886.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$1,834 PEN 6,300

276.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

$1,331 PEN 4,572

-8.06%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

$565 PEN 1,941

52.77%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

8.94

-3.58%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Pisco: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Pisco

$129 19.6% 83.8% $665

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Pisco

$181 27.5% 48.6% $171

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Pisco

$123 18.7% 41.9% $89

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Pisco

$71 10.8% 61.9% $115

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Pisco

$66 10.1% 44.7% $54

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Pisco

$35 5.3% 60% $52

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Pisco

$53 8% 39.5% $34

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $788 in Nosara versus $161 in Pisco. 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 53% higher in Nosara, 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 $61.0 in Nosara versus $35.00 in Pisco. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $352 vs $181 – making Pisco the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇵🇪 Pisco

🕒 Local time

10:29 10:29 AM

11:29 11:29 AM

1 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

14,917

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1 PEN = 0.291 USD

1 PEN = 0.259 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PEN, 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).

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 3.43 PEN (1 PEN = 0.291 USD). 1 EUR = 3.86 PEN (1 PEN = 0.259 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Nosara Pisco 2,830 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Pisco

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 Pisco: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,839 in Nosara, $658 in Pisco – roughly 180% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,758 per month in Nosara and $987 in Pisco. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 107% less in Pisco. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $494 per month in Nosara and $176 in Pisco. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Pisco, where all-in costs run around $658, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Pisco 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 $658 in Pisco 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 Pisco. 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.