Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Porto Rafti

For one person, living is cheaper in Porto Rafti: $1,315 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $6,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index
64

Cost of Living Index in Porto Rafti
Learn more

Porto Rafti Living Index

Jump to prices

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Porto Rafti

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,315

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Porto Rafti

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

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $1,315 in Porto Rafti, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
Porto Rafti $1,315

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $2,018 in Porto Rafti, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
Porto Rafti $2,018

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $2,720 in Porto Rafti, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
Porto Rafti $2,720

Nosara costs about 40% more than Porto Rafti, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,547

$10.96 €9.74

12.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.5K

$58.8 €52.2

4.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,377

$8.88 €7.88

-15.32%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,981

$4.15 €3.68

6.27%

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

$1.74 ₡781

$2.30 €2.04

-24.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡588

$0.58 €0.52

125.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,473

$4.55 €4.04

-27.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,007

$5.15 €4.57

-13.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡702

$1.54 €1.36

1.30%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,357

$1.10 €0.98

174.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,127

$2.27 €2.02

10.57%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,605

$4.75 €4.21

-24.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,338

$11.49 €10.20

-35.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,724

$9.43 €8.38

11.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,274

$13.64 €12.12

2.42%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,054

$2.21 €1.97

6.33%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡721

$2.16 €1.92

-25.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,155

$1.66 €1.47

189.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡725

$1.91 €1.69

-15.71%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,706

$1.15 €1.02

230.43%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,659

$1.09 €0.97

238.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$0.92 €0.82

22.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,193

$0.55 €0.49

383.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,324

$5.08 €4.51

1.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,929

$6.88 €6.11

188.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,302

$1.64 €1.46

76.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,628

$2.27 €2.02

59.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡505

$1.33 €1.18

-15.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

$44.89 €39.86

61.82%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡959

$4.56 €4.05

-53.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡704

$1.09 €0.97

44.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,828

$13.75 €12.21

-38.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡683

$1.97 €1.75

-22.84%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$27.7K €24.6K

-21.99%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$23.2K €20.6K

48.72%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$148 €131

-34.81%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$22.16 €19.68

61.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.1K

$27.34 €24.28

96.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.2K

$50.9 €45.21

40.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

$25.21 €22.39

38.48%

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,544

$8.98 €7.97

-12.14%

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

$494 ₡221.9K

$479 €425

3.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$4,538 €4,030

161.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$70.2 €62.3

-23.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.9K

$28.31 €25.14

95.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡35.0K

$75.0 €66.6

3.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.8K

$107 €95.1

-25.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.9K

$480 €426

64.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.7K

$395 €350

101.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$742 €659

430.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡637.4K

$610 €542

132.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$4,714 €4,187

46.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.8K

$2,180 €1,936

-43.85%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.8K

$841 €747

2.66%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

4.36

97.71%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Porto Rafti: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Porto Rafti

$395 30% 50.3% $400

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Porto Rafti

$260 19.7% 26.3% $93

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Porto Rafti

$209 15.9% 1.5% $3.2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Porto Rafti

$197 15% 6.2% $11

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Porto Rafti

$126 9.6% 5.1% $6.2

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Porto Rafti

$69 5.2% 21.2% $19

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Porto Rafti

$60 4.6% 30.9% $27

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $788 in Nosara versus $480 in Porto Rafti. 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 3% 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 $59.0 in Porto Rafti. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $352 vs $260 – making Porto Rafti the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇬🇷 Porto Rafti

🕒 Local time

08:55 8:55 AM

17:55 5:55 PM

9 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

10,526

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR

1 EUR = 1.13 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 16, 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 16, 2026: 1 USD = 0.888 EUR (1 EUR = 1.13 USD).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Porto Rafti 11,000 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Porto Rafti

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 Porto Rafti: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,839 in Nosara, $1,315 in Porto Rafti – roughly 40% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,758 per month in Nosara and $1,973 in Porto Rafti. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 62% less in Porto Rafti. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $494 per month in Nosara and $479 in Porto Rafti. 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 Porto Rafti, where all-in costs run around $1,315, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Porto Rafti 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 $1,315 in Porto Rafti 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 Porto Rafti. 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.