Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Polva

For one person, living is cheaper in Polva: $1,201 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $7,700 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
59

Cost of Living Index in Polva
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Polva Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Polva

🇪🇪 Estonia

$1,201

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Polva

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

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $1,201 in Polva, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
Polva $1,201

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $1,915 in Polva, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
Polva $1,915

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $2,628 in Polva, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
Polva $2,628

Nosara costs about 53% more than Polva, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Nosara sits 36% above the global median, while Polva is 11% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,550

$16.99 €15.15

-27.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.5K

$89.9 €80.2

-31.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,379

$11.49 €10.25

-34.55%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,982

$4.41 €3.93

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

$1.74 ₡781

$2.16 €1.93

-19.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡588

$2.22 €1.98

-40.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,474

$6.66 €5.94

-50.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,008

$6.57 €5.86

-31.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡702

$1.09 €0.97

43.12%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,358

$1.44 €1.29

109.72%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,127

$2.91 €2.59

-13.75%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,606

$3.19 €2.84

11.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,340

$11.17 €9.96

-33.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,727

$8.98 €8.01

17.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,277

$25.79 €23.00

-45.83%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,054

$2.29 €2.04

2.62%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡721

$1.41 €1.25

14.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,156

$2.59 €2.31

85.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡725

$2.83 €2.52

-43.11%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,706

$0.73 €0.65

420.55%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,660

$0.81 €0.72

355.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡508

$2.09 €1.86

-45.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,193

$0.88 €0.79

202.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,326

$6.74 €6.01

-23.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,934

$10.13 €9.04

96.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,303

$1.94 €1.73

49.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,629

$2.06 €1.84

76.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡505

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡960

$5.97 €5.32

-64.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡705

$1.14 €1.02

37.72%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,830

$26.67 €23.79

-68.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡683

$1.94 €1.73

-21.65%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$27.5K €24.5K

-21.30%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$31.9K €28.5K

8.14%

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

$96.3 ₡43.3K

$336 €300

-71.34%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$17.49 €15.60

105.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.1K

$32.37 €28.88

65.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.2K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,546

$13.55 €12.08

-41.77%

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

$494 ₡222.0K

$660 €589

-25.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$9,854 €8,790

20.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$103 €91.5

-47.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.9K

$50.9 €45.40

8.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡35.0K

$119 €106

-34.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.8K

$133 €119

-40.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡354.1K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡637.7K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡550.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡388.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

3.44

150.58%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Polva: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Polva

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Polva

$307 25.5% 12.9% $46

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Polva

$287 23.9% 35.6% $75

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Polva

$386 32.1% 108% $200

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Polva

$183 15.2% 52.1% $63

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Polva

$27 * 2.3% 69% $60

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Polva

$12 * 1% 86.6% $75

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Nosara versus $90.0 in Polva. Groceries tell a different story – $352 in Nosara vs $307 in Polva – so Polva wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇪🇪 Polva

🕒 Local time

16:46 4:46 PM

01:46 1:46 AM

9 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

5,700

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 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 15, 2026: 1 USD = 449 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Polva 10,350 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Polva

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 Polva: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,839 in Nosara, $1,201 in Polva – roughly 53% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,758 per month in Nosara and $1,802 in Polva. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Nosara and $90.0 in Polva. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 15% more in Nosara, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Polva, where all-in costs run around $1,201, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Polva 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 $1,201 in Polva 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 Polva. 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.