Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Plunge

For one person, living is cheaper in Plunge: $1,376 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $5,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index
67

Cost of Living Index in Plunge
Learn more

Plunge Living Index

Jump to prices

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Plunge

🇱🇹 Lithuania

$1,376

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Plunge

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

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $1,376 in Plunge, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
Plunge $1,376

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $2,179 in Plunge, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
Plunge $2,179

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $2,983 in Plunge, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
Plunge $2,983

Nosara costs about 34% more than Plunge, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Nosara and Plunge sit above the global median – Nosara by 36%, Plunge by 2%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$13.23 €11.77

-6.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$75.1 €66.8

-18.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$8.98 €7.99

-16.26%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$3.62 €3.22

21.82%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$2.22 €1.98

-21.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$2.20 €1.96

-40.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$5.57 €4.95

-41.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$5.14 €4.57

-13.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.52 €1.35

2.63%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$1.67 €1.48

80.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$2.49 €2.22

0.80%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$3.20 €2.85

11.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$10.19 €9.06

-27.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$8.40 €7.47

25.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$11.93 €10.62

17.10%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$1.95 €1.73

20.51%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$1.48 €1.32

8.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$1.76 €1.56

172.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$3.47 €3.09

-53.60%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$0.96 €0.85

295.83%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$0.83 €0.74

344.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$1.56 €1.39

-27.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$0.83 €0.74

220.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$6.14 €5.46

-15.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$9.08 €8.08

118.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$1.77 €1.57

63.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$1.96 €1.75

85.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$1.01 €0.90

10.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

$32.76 €29.14

121.73%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$3.06 €2.72

-30.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$1.20 €1.07

30.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$13.84 €12.31

-38.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$1.92 €1.71

-20.83%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$26.9K €23.9K

-19.54%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$31.4K €27.9K

9.89%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$231 €205

-58.30%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$13.80 €12.27

160.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$20.51 €18.24

161.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$39.62 €35.24

80.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

$21.77 €19.37

60.36%

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$9.87 €8.78

-20.06%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$647 €575

-23.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$11.3K €10.1K

4.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$95.1 €84.6

-43.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$41.44 €36.86

33.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$90.0 €80.0

-13.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$128 €114

-37.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$548 €488

43.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$356 €316

123.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$877 €780

348.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$684 €608

107.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$3,058 €2,720

126.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

$1,795 €1,597

-31.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

$1,246 €1,108

-30.69%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

3.99

116.04%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Plunge: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Plunge

$356 25.9% 55.2% $439

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Plunge

$258 18.7% 26.9% $95

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Plunge

$232 16.9% 9.5% $20

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Plunge

$265 19.3% 42.8% $79

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Plunge

$160 11.6% 32.9% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Plunge

$59 4.3% 32.1% $28

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Plunge

$46 3.3% 47.3% $41

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $788 in Nosara versus $548 in Plunge. 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 44% higher in Plunge, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Nosara versus $75.0 in Plunge. Groceries tell a different story – $352 in Nosara vs $258 in Plunge – so Plunge wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇱🇹 Plunge

🕒 Local time

03:54 3:54 AM

12:54 12:54 PM

9 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

20,041

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD 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).

Euro exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Plunge 10,150 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Plunge

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 Plunge: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,839 in Nosara, $1,376 in Plunge – roughly 34% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,758 per month in Nosara and $2,063 in Plunge. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 122% less in Plunge. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $494 per month in Nosara and $647 in Plunge. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Plunge, where all-in costs run around $1,376, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Plunge 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 $1,376 in Plunge 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 Plunge. 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.