Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Puerto de Tierra

For one person, living is cheaper in Puerto de Tierra: $1,317 a month against $1,846 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $6,300 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
63

Cost of Living Index in Puerto de Tierra
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Puerto de Tierra Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,846

/mo nomad

Puerto de Tierra

🇵🇷 Puerto Rico

$1,317

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Puerto de Tierra

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 Puerto de Tierra actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,846 per month in Nosara vs $1,317 in Puerto de Tierra, rent included.

Nosara $1,846
Puerto de Tierra $1,317

A couple spends around $2,833 per month in Nosara vs $2,076 in Puerto de Tierra, rent included.

Nosara $2,833
Puerto de Tierra $2,076

A family of three spends $3,820 per month in Nosara vs $2,835 in Puerto de Tierra, rent included.

Nosara $3,820
Puerto de Tierra $2,835

Nosara costs about 40% more than Puerto de Tierra, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.36 ₡5,578

$19.43 $19.43

-36.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.8 ₡27.4K

$82.9 $82.9

-26.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.88 ₡3,558

$9.01 $9.01

-12.54%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₡1,987

$3.52 $3.52

25.00%

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

$1.72 ₡776

$1.82 $1.82

-5.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.34 ₡603

$1.52 $1.52

-11.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.34 ₡1,506

$2.98 $2.98

12.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.54 ₡2,049

$4.92 $4.92

-7.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.64 ₡739

$1.86 $1.86

-11.83%

White Bread (500g)

$3.16 ₡1,427

$3.55 $3.55

-10.99%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.39 ₡1,080

$2.44 $2.44

-2.05%

Eggs

$3.47 ₡1,564

$7.32 $7.32

-52.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.13 ₡3,219

$12.72 $12.72

-43.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.32 ₡4,657

$9.54 $9.54

8.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,305

$13.27 $13.27

5.28%

Apples (1kg)

$2.29 ₡1,032

$5.00 $5.00

-54.20%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 ₡732

$2.63 $2.63

-38.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.81 ₡2,171

$4.99 $4.99

-3.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.68 ₡758

$4.74 $4.74

-64.56%

Potato (1kg)

$3.91 ₡1,766

$3.69 $3.69

5.96%

Onion (1kg)

$3.63 ₡1,641

$3.94 $3.94

-7.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡510

$3.38 $3.38

-66.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.63 ₡1,188

$1.60 $1.60

64.37%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.02 ₡2,268

$11.81 $11.81

-57.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.71 ₡8,897

$15.69 $15.69

25.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.91 ₡1,315

$3.11 $3.11

-6.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.54 ₡1,598

$3.90 $3.90

-9.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.21 ₡545

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.8 ₡33.3K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.15 ₡970

$2.46 $2.46

-12.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 ₡738

$1.48 $1.48

10.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.77 ₡3,960

$41.87 $41.87

-79.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡701

$1.25 $1.25

24.00%

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

$33.9K ₡15.3M

$35.1K $35.1K

-3.49%

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

$38.5K ₡17.4M

$28.4K $28.4K

35.55%

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

$95.2 ₡43.0K

$323 $323

-70.53%

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

$36.29 ₡16.4K

$67.9 $67.9

-46.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.0 ₡23.5K

$69.6 $69.6

-25.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.6 ₡30.5K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.55 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$7.54 ₡3,405

$10.56 $10.56

-28.60%

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

$496 ₡224.1K

$809 $809

-38.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.8K ₡5.3M

$12.4K $12.4K

-4.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.1 ₡24.9K

$55.9 $55.9

-1.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.1 ₡25.3K

$61.3 $61.3

-8.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.8 ₡35.1K

$111 $111

-29.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.1 ₡35.7K

$113 $113

-29.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$817 ₡369.0K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$806 ₡363.8K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,988 ₡1.8M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,429 ₡645.2K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,068 ₡3.2M

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

6.55

31.60%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 24, 2026

Last update for Puerto de Tierra: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$806 43.7%

Puerto de Tierra

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$351 19%

Puerto de Tierra

$410 31.1% 16.6% $58

Eating Out

Nosara

$213 11.6%

Puerto de Tierra

$263 19.9% 23.2% $49

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$184 9.9%

Puerto de Tierra

$461 35% 151% $277

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$121 6.5%

Puerto de Tierra

$153 11.7% 27.2% $33

Getting Around

Nosara

$89 4.8%

Puerto de Tierra

$9.9 * 0.8% 88.9% $79

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$83 4.5%

Puerto de Tierra

$21 * 1.6% 74.4% $62

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 in Nosara versus $83 in Puerto de Tierra. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $351 vs $410 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇵🇷 Puerto de Tierra

🕒 Local time

01:56 1:56 AM

03:56 3:56 AM

2 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to CRC – Costa Rican Colón Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.896 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Nosara Puerto de Tierra 2,310 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Puerto de Tierra

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 Puerto de Tierra: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,846 in Nosara, $1,317 in Puerto de Tierra – Puerto de Tierra comes out roughly 29% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,769 per month in Nosara and $1,976 in Puerto de Tierra. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61 in Nosara and $83 in Puerto de Tierra. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 14% cheaper in Nosara – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Puerto de Tierra, where all-in costs run around $1,317, than in Nosara at $1,846. In Puerto de Tierra 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 $1,317 in Puerto de Tierra to $1,846 in Nosara. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.