Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Playa Flamingo

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa Flamingo: $1,686 a month against $1,846 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $1,900 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Nosara outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

88

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index
81

Cost of Living Index in Playa Flamingo
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Playa Flamingo Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,846

/mo nomad

Playa Flamingo

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,686

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Playa Flamingo

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

A single person spends $1,846 per month in Nosara vs $1,686 in Playa Flamingo, rent included.

Nosara $1,846
Playa Flamingo $1,686

A couple spends around $2,833 per month in Nosara vs $2,670 in Playa Flamingo, rent included.

Nosara $2,833
Playa Flamingo $2,670

A family of three spends $3,820 per month in Nosara vs $3,654 in Playa Flamingo, rent included.

Nosara $3,820
Playa Flamingo $3,654

Nosara costs about 10% more than Playa Flamingo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Nosara and Playa Flamingo sit above the global median – Nosara by 36%, Playa Flamingo by 24%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.36 ₡5,578

$11.78 ₡5,316

4.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.8 ₡27.4K

$62.3 ₡28.1K

-2.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.88 ₡3,558

$9.89 ₡4,465

-20.32%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₡1,987

$4.36 ₡1,969

0.92%

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

$1.72 ₡776

$2.74 ₡1,235

-37.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.34 ₡603

$1.84 ₡831

-27.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.34 ₡1,506

$3.28 ₡1,480

1.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.54 ₡2,049

$4.34 ₡1,959

4.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.64 ₡739

$2.03 ₡915

-19.21%

White Bread (500g)

$3.16 ₡1,427

$3.12 ₡1,407

1.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.39 ₡1,080

$2.51 ₡1,131

-4.78%

Eggs

$3.47 ₡1,564

$3.05 ₡1,375

13.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.13 ₡3,219

$10.82 ₡4,884

-34.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.32 ₡4,657

$10.15 ₡4,582

1.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,305

$11.80 ₡5,329

18.39%

Apples (1kg)

$2.29 ₡1,032

$5.27 ₡2,381

-56.55%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 ₡732

$1.58 ₡712

2.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.81 ₡2,171

$4.86 ₡2,194

-1.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.68 ₡758

$3.92 ₡1,769

-57.14%

Potato (1kg)

$3.91 ₡1,766

$3.85 ₡1,740

1.56%

Onion (1kg)

$3.63 ₡1,641

$3.62 ₡1,633

0.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡510

$1.02 ₡459

10.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.63 ₡1,188

$3.09 ₡1,396

-14.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.02 ₡2,268

$5.09 ₡2,297

-1.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.71 ₡8,897

$20.33 ₡9,180

-3.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.91 ₡1,315

$2.77 ₡1,253

5.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.54 ₡1,598

$3.67 ₡1,659

-3.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.21 ₡545

$1.39 ₡628

-12.95%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.8 ₡33.3K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.15 ₡970

$2.51 ₡1,135

-14.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 ₡738

$1.55 ₡701

5.16%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.77 ₡3,960

$8.80 ₡3,973

-0.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡701

$1.54 ₡693

0.65%

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

$33.9K ₡15.3M

$34.0K ₡15.3M

-0.34%

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

$38.5K ₡17.4M

$42.2K ₡19.0M

-8.80%

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

$95.2 ₡43.0K

$94.5 ₡42.7K

0.77%

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

$36.29 ₡16.4K

$20.06 ₡9,054

80.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.0 ₡23.5K

$58.9 ₡26.6K

-11.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.6 ₡30.5K

$56.0 ₡25.3K

20.62%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.55 ₡16.0K

$9.92 ₡4,477

258.37%

Cinema Ticket

$7.54 ₡3,405

$7.75 ₡3,500

-2.71%

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

$496 ₡224.1K

$994 ₡448.8K

-50.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.8K ₡5.3M

$9,017 ₡4.1M

30.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.1 ₡24.9K

$70.8 ₡32.0K

-22.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.1 ₡25.3K

$56.3 ₡25.4K

-0.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.8 ₡35.1K

$130 ₡58.6K

-40.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.1 ₡35.7K

$134 ₡60.7K

-41.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$817 ₡369.0K

$1,604 ₡724.1K

-49.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$806 ₡363.8K

$640 ₡289.0K

25.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,988 ₡1.8M

$2,962 ₡1.3M

34.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,429 ₡645.2K

$1,259 ₡568.4K

13.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,068 ₡3.2M

$3,601 ₡1.6M

96.29%

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 Playa Flamingo: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$806 43.7%

Playa Flamingo

$640 38% 20.5% $166

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$351 19%

Playa Flamingo

$389 23.1% 10.8% $38

Eating Out

Nosara

$213 11.6%

Playa Flamingo

$220 13% 3% $6.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$184 9.9%

Playa Flamingo

$173 10.3% 5.5% $10

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$121 6.5%

Playa Flamingo

$176 10.5% 46% $55

Getting Around

Nosara

$89 4.8%

Playa Flamingo

$16 * 0.9% 82.2% $73

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$83 4.5%

Playa Flamingo

$72 4.2% 13.5% $11

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 $1,604 in Playa Flamingo. 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 $62 in Playa Flamingo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $351 vs $389 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇨🇷 Playa Flamingo

🕒 Local time

19:03 7:03 PM

Same time as Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Nosara Playa Flamingo 52 km

From you

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 Playa Flamingo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,846 in Nosara, $1,686 in Playa Flamingo – Playa Flamingo comes out roughly 9% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,769 per month in Nosara and $2,528 in Playa Flamingo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Nosara, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $817 there versus $1,604 in Playa Flamingo.

Kindergarten costs $496 per month in Nosara and $994 in Playa Flamingo. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,846 in Nosara and $1,686 in Playa Flamingo. That makes Playa Flamingo about 9% cheaper.

It depends on your priorities. Nosara has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,686 in Playa Flamingo to $1,846 in Nosara. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.