Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Puerto Varas

For one person, living is cheaper in Puerto Varas: $1,130 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $8,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index
52

Cost of Living Index in Puerto Varas
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Puerto Varas Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Puerto Varas

🇨🇱 Chile

$1,130

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $1,130 in Puerto Varas, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
Puerto Varas $1,130

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $1,624 in Puerto Varas, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
Puerto Varas $1,624

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $2,118 in Puerto Varas, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
Puerto Varas $2,118

Nosara costs about 63% more than Puerto Varas, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Nosara sits 36% above the global median, while Puerto Varas is 16% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$12.47 CLP 12.3K

-0.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$41.05 CLP 40.4K

49.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$7.58 CLP 7,462

-0.79%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$3.28 CLP 3,231

34.45%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$0.99 CLP 977

75.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$0.80 CLP 785

63.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.09 CLP 1,077

43.12%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$1.86 CLP 1,830

62.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$1.61 CLP 1,582

55.90%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$3.11 CLP 3,062

14.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$8.61 CLP 8,476

-13.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$4.68 CLP 4,609

124.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$8.50 CLP 8,372

64.35%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$1.78 CLP 1,751

32.02%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$1.95 CLP 1,922

-17.44%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$2.61 CLP 2,565

83.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$1.89 CLP 1,862

-14.81%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$1.50 CLP 1,480

153.33%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$1.25 CLP 1,230

195.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$1.32 CLP 1,296

-14.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$1.13 CLP 1,117

135.40%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$4.96 CLP 4,884

4.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$4.63 CLP 4,557

329.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$1.40 CLP 1,379

107.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$1.25 CLP 1,226

190.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$1.10 CLP 1,078

1.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$255 CLP 251.2K

-62.26%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$16.06 CLP 15.8K

123.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$30.89 CLP 30.4K

131.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$488 CLP 480.6K

1.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$6,137 CLP 6.0M

93.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$20.37 CLP 20.1K

164.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$15.32 CLP 15.1K

261.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$61.1 CLP 60.1K

27.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$623 CLP 612.8K

26.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$402 CLP 396.0K

97.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$819 CLP 805.9K

381.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$619 CLP 609.7K

129.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

$532 CLP 523.5K

62.37%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Puerto Varas: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Puerto Varas

$402 35.6% 49.4% $392

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Puerto Varas

$208 18.4% 40.9% $144

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Puerto Varas

$169 * 15% 20.2% $43

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Puerto Varas

$271 * 24% 46% $85

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Puerto Varas

$44 * 3.9% 63.7% $77

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Puerto Varas

$31 * 2.7% 64.6% $56

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Puerto Varas

$4.4 * 0.4% 95% $83

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $788 in Nosara versus $623 in Puerto Varas. 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 62% 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 $41.00 in Puerto Varas. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $352 vs $208 – making Puerto Varas the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇨🇱 Puerto Varas

🕒 Local time

04:39 4:39 AM

07:39 7:39 AM

3 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

41,255

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Chilean Peso CLP $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

10,000 CLP = 10.16 USD

10,000 CLP = 9.04 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CLP, USD, EUR 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).

Chilean Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 984 CLP (1,000 CLP = 1.02 USD). 1 EUR = 1,107 CLP (10,000 CLP = 9.04 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Nosara Puerto Varas 5,850 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Puerto Varas

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 Varas: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,839 in Nosara, $1,130 in Puerto Varas – roughly 63% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,758 per month in Nosara and $1,694 in Puerto Varas. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Nosara and $41.00 in Puerto Varas. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 69% 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 Puerto Varas, where all-in costs run around $1,130, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Puerto Varas 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 $1,130 in Puerto Varas 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 Varas. 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.