Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Punto Fijo

For one person, living is cheaper in Punto Fijo: $984 a month against $1,837 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $10,200 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
33

Cost of Living Index in Punto Fijo
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Punto Fijo Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Punto Fijo

🇻🇪 Venezuela

$984

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Punto Fijo

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

A single person spends $1,837 per month in Nosara vs $984 in Punto Fijo, rent included.

Nosara $1,837
Punto Fijo $984

A couple spends around $2,775 per month in Nosara vs $1,707 in Punto Fijo, rent included.

Nosara $2,775
Punto Fijo $1,707

A family of three spends $3,712 per month in Nosara vs $2,430 in Punto Fijo, rent included.

Nosara $3,712
Punto Fijo $2,430

Nosara costs about 87% more than Punto Fijo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Nosara sits 37% above the global median, while Punto Fijo is 27% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.22 ₡5,498

$14.76 VES 12.9K

-17.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.2 ₡27.1K

$79.4 VES 69.5K

-24.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 ₡3,391

Cappuccino

$4.31 ₡1,937

$2.21 VES 1,934

95.02%

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

$1.72 ₡772

$1.54 VES 1,347

11.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.35 ₡606

$0.67 VES 584

101.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ₡1,456

$1.98 VES 1,734

63.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 ₡2,014

$5.35 VES 4,683

-16.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡705

$2.48 VES 2,169

-36.69%

White Bread (500g)

$3.17 ₡1,426

$2.44 VES 2,136

29.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 ₡1,089

$3.59 VES 3,136

-32.59%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,605

$6.26 VES 5,475

-42.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,342

$6.17 VES 5,398

20.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.42 ₡4,687

$5.12 VES 4,474

103.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.66 ₡6,143

$4.90 VES 4,285

178.78%

Apples (1kg)

$2.32 ₡1,042

$7.87 VES 6,883

-70.52%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡726

$4.95 VES 4,329

-67.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.74 ₡2,133

$5.06 VES 4,429

-6.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 ₡746

Potato (1kg)

$3.72 ₡1,675

$5.87 VES 5,138

-36.63%

Onion (1kg)

$3.57 ₡1,608

$5.07 VES 4,432

-29.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 ₡496

$2.93 VES 2,565

-62.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.55 ₡1,147

$1.47 VES 1,283

73.47%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.95 ₡2,227

$4.07 VES 3,560

21.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.01 ₡9,001

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.79 ₡1,253

$2.03 VES 1,779

37.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.53 ₡1,586

$5.04 VES 4,404

-29.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.19 ₡536

$1.28 VES 1,115

-7.03%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.1 ₡32.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.24 ₡1,009

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 ₡699

$6.84 VES 5,982

-77.34%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₡3,985

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡706

$0.48 VES 416

227.08%

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

$21.8K ₡9.8M

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

$34.6K ₡15.6M

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

$93.5 ₡42.0K

$49.49 VES 43.3K

88.83%

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

$35.11 ₡15.8K

$9.82 VES 8,586

257.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.5 ₡23.2K

$37.57 VES 32.9K

37.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.4 ₡32.1K

$39.24 VES 34.3K

81.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.44 ₡15.9K

Cinema Ticket

$7.84 ₡3,528

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

$490 ₡220.2K

$198 VES 173.2K

147.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$3,530 VES 3.1M

236.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ₡24.1K

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.8 ₡25.1K

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 ₡35.7K

$35.31 VES 30.9K

124.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.9 ₡35.5K

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$786 ₡353.6K

$395 VES 345.9K

98.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$780 ₡350.8K

$299 VES 261.2K

161.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,860 ₡1.7M

$793 VES 693.3K

386.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 ₡633.0K

$601 VES 525.6K

134.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,972 ₡3.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,201 ₡540.2K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$876 ₡394.2K

$198 VES 172.9K

343.16%

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 5, 2026

Last update for Punto Fijo: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$780 43%

Punto Fijo

$299 30.5% 61.7% $481

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$350 19.3%

Punto Fijo

$314 * 32.1% 10.2% $36

Eating Out

Nosara

$209 11.6%

Punto Fijo

$174 * 17.8% 16.9% $35

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$180 9.9%

Punto Fijo

$97 9.9% 46.2% $83

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.6%

Punto Fijo

$16 * 1.6% 86.8% $104

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Punto Fijo

$39 * 4% 54.9% $48

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Punto Fijo

$39 * 4% 54.7% $48

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $786 in Nosara versus $395 in Punto Fijo. 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 343% 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 $60.0 in Nosara versus $79.0 in Punto Fijo. Groceries tell a different story – $350 in Nosara vs $314 in Punto Fijo – so Punto Fijo wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇻🇪 Punto Fijo

🕒 Local time

19:42 7:42 PM

21:42 9:42 PM

2 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

277,017

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Venezuelan Bolívar VES Bs.S

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1,000 VES = 1.14 USD

1,000 VES = 1.02 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 USD = 450 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Venezuelan Bolívar exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 USD = 875 VES (1,000 VES = 1.14 USD). 1 EUR = 980 VES (1,000 VES = 1.02 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Nosara Punto Fijo 1,700 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Punto Fijo

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 Punto Fijo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,837 in Nosara, $984 in Punto Fijo – roughly 87% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,756 per month in Nosara and $1,476 in Punto Fijo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Punto Fijo, 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 $60.0 in Nosara and $79.0 in Punto Fijo. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 11% 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 Punto Fijo, where all-in costs run around $984, than in Nosara at $1,837. In Punto Fijo 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 $984 in Punto Fijo to $1,837 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 Punto Fijo. 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.