Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Puerto Galera

For one person, living is cheaper in Puerto Galera: $831 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $12,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index
40

Cost of Living Index in Puerto Galera
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Puerto Galera Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Puerto Galera

🇵🇭 Philippines

$831

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Puerto Galera

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

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $831 in Puerto Galera, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
Puerto Galera $831

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $1,253 in Puerto Galera, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
Puerto Galera $1,253

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $1,675 in Puerto Galera, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
Puerto Galera $1,675

Nosara costs about 121% more than Puerto Galera, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Nosara sits 36% above the global median, while Puerto Galera is 38% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$4.30 ₱271

187.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$18.98 ₱1,195

222.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$2.76 ₱174

172.46%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$2.67 ₱168

65.17%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$0.73 ₱46.07

138.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$0.27 ₱16.92

385.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$1.46 ₱91.9

124.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$2.81 ₱177

59.07%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.74 ₱110

-10.34%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$1.14 ₱71.8

164.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$0.84 ₱53.0

198.81%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$1.76 ₱111

102.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$6.64 ₱418

11.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$4.12 ₱259

155.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$6.92 ₱435

101.88%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$3.97 ₱250

-40.81%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$1.43 ₱89.7

12.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$3.43 ₱216

39.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$1.13 ₱71.0

42.48%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$2.36 ₱148

61.02%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$3.38 ₱213

9.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$1.37 ₱86.1

-17.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$0.91 ₱57.0

192.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$2.74 ₱173

89.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$7.51 ₱473

164.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$1.28 ₱80.7

126.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$1.77 ₱112

105.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$0.28 ₱17.65

300.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

$9.50 ₱598

664.63%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$0.76 ₱48.10

181.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$0.23 ₱14.50

582.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$2.49 ₱157

242.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$1.18 ₱74.4

28.81%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$21.3K ₱1.3M

1.35%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$18.9K ₱1.2M

82.19%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$166 ₱10.4K

-41.85%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$14.43 ₱908

148.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$23.90 ₱1,505

124.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$36.56 ₱2,302

95.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

$4.30 ₱271

711.86%

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$7.22 ₱454

9.28%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$71.8 ₱4,521

588.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$2,507 ₱157.8K

373.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$36.23 ₱2,281

48.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$22.91 ₱1,443

141.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$77.8 ₱4,896

0.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$76.6 ₱4,819

4.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$271 ₱17.1K

190.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$172 ₱10.8K

361.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$526 ₱33.1K

648.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$356 ₱22.4K

298.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$2,278 ₱143.4K

203.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

$901 ₱56.7K

35.93%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

23.14%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Puerto Galera: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Puerto Galera

$172 20.7% 78.3% $622

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Puerto Galera

$203 24.5% 42.3% $149

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Puerto Galera

$92 11% 56.7% $120

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Puerto Galera

$204 24.6% 9.8% $18

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Puerto Galera

$96 11.6% 20% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Puerto Galera

$51 6.1% 41.6% $36

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Puerto Galera

$13 1.5% 85.6% $75

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $788 in Nosara versus $271 in Puerto Galera. 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 $61.0 in Nosara versus $19.00 in Puerto Galera. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $352 vs $203 – making Puerto Galera the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇵🇭 Puerto Galera

🕒 Local time

17:51 5:51 PM

07:51 7:51 AM

14 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

36,606

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, USD, EUR to CRC – Costa Rican Colón Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.78 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Nosara Puerto Galera 16,090 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Puerto Galera

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 Galera: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,839 in Nosara, $831 in Puerto Galera – roughly 121% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,758 per month in Nosara and $1,246 in Puerto Galera. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 665% less in Puerto Galera. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $494 per month in Nosara and $71.8 in Puerto Galera. 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 Puerto Galera, where all-in costs run around $831, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Puerto Galera 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 $831 in Puerto Galera 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 Puerto Galera. 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.