Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Quellón

For one person, living is cheaper in Quellón: $568 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $15,300 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
51

Cost of Living Index in Quellón
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Quellón Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Quellón

🇨🇱 Chile

$568

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Quellón

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

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $568 in Quellón, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
Quellón $568

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $953 in Quellón, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
Quellón $953

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $1,338 in Quellón, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
Quellón $1,338

Nosara costs about 223% more than Quellón, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Nosara sits 36% above the global median, while Quellón is 58% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$51.5 CLP 50.7K

18.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$2.59 CLP 2,550

70.27%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$1.25 CLP 1,235

39.20%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$0.80 CLP 786

63.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$3.12 CLP 3,071

5.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$2.99 CLP 2,947

49.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.27 CLP 1,246

22.83%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$1.05 CLP 1,033

187.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$2.03 CLP 1,994

23.65%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$2.87 CLP 2,826

24.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$6.01 CLP 5,915

23.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$1.86 CLP 1,834

26.34%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$2.24 CLP 2,203

-28.13%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$3.63 CLP 3,572

32.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$1.85 CLP 1,822

-12.97%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$1.01 CLP 993

276.24%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$2.07 CLP 2,036

78.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$1.00 CLP 980

13.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$2.00 CLP 1,967

33.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$9.39 CLP 9,239

111.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$2.86 CLP 2,813

1.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$1.81 CLP 1,780

100.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$0.45 CLP 440

148.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$3.09 CLP 3,044

-30.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$1.36 CLP 1,334

11.76%

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

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$30.88 CLP 30.4K

73.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$51.8 CLP 51.0K

38.20%

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

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$25.33 CLP 24.9K

112.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$51.2 CLP 50.4K

52.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$253 CLP 249.0K

211.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$206 CLP 203.3K

284.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$411 CLP 405.0K

857.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$359 CLP 353.2K

295.51%

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

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 Quellón: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Quellón

$206 36.3% 74% $588

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Quellón

$179 * 31.5% 49.2% $173

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Quellón

$61 * 10.7% 71.3% $151

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Quellón

$31 * 5.4% 83.4% $155

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Quellón

$34 * 6.1% 71.3% $86

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Quellón

$52 * 9.1% 40.7% $36

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Quellón

$4.9 * 0.9% 94.4% $82

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 $253 in Quellón. 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 $51.0 in Quellón. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $352 vs $179 – making Quellón the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇨🇱 Quellón

🕒 Local time

15:36 3:36 PM

18:36 6:36 PM

3 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

17,552

💱 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 17, 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 17, 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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Highest

Between locations

Nosara Quellón 6,030 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Quellón

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 Quellón: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,839 in Nosara, $568 in Quellón – roughly 223% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,758 per month in Nosara and $853 in Quellón. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Quellón, 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 $51.0 in Quellón. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,839 in Nosara and $568 in Quellón. That's a gap of about 223%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Quellón, where all-in costs run around $568, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Quellón 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 $568 in Quellón 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 Quellón. 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.