Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Quilmes

For one person, living is cheaper in Quilmes: $965 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $10,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index
47

Cost of Living Index in Quilmes
Learn more

Quilmes Living Index

Jump to prices

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Quilmes

🇦🇷 Argentina

$965

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Quilmes

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

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $965 in Quilmes, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
Quilmes $965

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $1,611 in Quilmes, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
Quilmes $1,611

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $2,257 in Quilmes, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
Quilmes $2,257

Nosara costs about 90% more than Quilmes, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Nosara sits 36% above the global median, while Quilmes is 28% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$5.63 ARS 8,548

119.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$34.37 ARS 52.2K

78.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$8.93 ARS 13.5K

-15.79%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$2.95 ARS 4,476

49.49%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$1.69 ARS 2,565

2.96%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$1.72 ARS 2,608

-23.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$4.10 ARS 6,222

-20.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$2.19 ARS 3,329

104.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$0.98 ARS 1,488

59.18%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$1.56 ARS 2,373

93.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$1.63 ARS 2,478

53.99%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$2.25 ARS 3,408

58.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$13.26 ARS 20.1K

-43.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$5.86 ARS 8,899

79.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$10.18 ARS 15.4K

37.23%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$1.93 ARS 2,928

21.76%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$1.58 ARS 2,398

1.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$1.01 ARS 1,531

375.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$3.08 ARS 4,673

-47.73%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$0.99 ARS 1,499

283.84%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$0.65 ARS 986

467.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$0.73 ARS 1,105

54.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$0.69 ARS 1,041

285.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$5.15 ARS 7,815

0.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$4.16 ARS 6,319

377.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$1.24 ARS 1,877

133.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$1.87 ARS 2,833

94.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$0.98 ARS 1,494

14.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$2.77 ARS 4,196

-22.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$0.97 ARS 1,473

61.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$1.09 ARS 1,654

39.45%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$50.1K ARS 76.1M

-56.89%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$39.2K ARS 59.4M

-11.85%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$59.9 ARS 90.9K

60.70%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$14.26 ARS 21.6K

151.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$22.15 ARS 33.6K

141.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$27.18 ARS 41.2K

163.39%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$9.98 ARS 15.1K

-20.94%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$315 ARS 477.4K

57.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$97.6 ARS 148.1K

-44.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$34.71 ARS 52.7K

59.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$63.0 ARS 95.7K

23.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$69.9 ARS 106.0K

13.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$519 ARS 787.3K

51.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$332 ARS 504.4K

138.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$999 ARS 1.5M

294.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$812 ARS 1.2M

74.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$2,324 ARS 3.5M

197.43%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

$1,818 ARS 2.8M

-32.65%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

$1,114 ARS 1.7M

-22.47%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

100

-91.38%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Quilmes: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Quilmes

$332 34.4% 58.2% $462

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Quilmes

$213 22.1% 39.6% $139

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Quilmes

$146 15.1% 31.2% $66

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Quilmes

$96 10% 48.1% $89

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Quilmes

$119 12.4% 0.6% $0.8

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Quilmes

$47 4.9% 46% $40

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Quilmes

$12 * 1.2% 86.7% $76

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 $519 in Quilmes. 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 29% higher in Quilmes, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Nosara versus $34.00 in Quilmes. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $352 vs $213 – making Quilmes the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇦🇷 Quilmes

🕒 Local time

13:37 1:37 PM

16:37 4:37 PM

3 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

230,810

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Argentine Peso ARS $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ARS, 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).

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1,517 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD). 1 EUR = 1,706 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Quilmes 5,750 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Quilmes

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 Quilmes: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,839 in Nosara, $965 in Quilmes – roughly 90% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,758 per month in Nosara and $1,448 in Quilmes. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Quilmes, 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 $34.00 in Quilmes. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 66% 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 Quilmes, where all-in costs run around $965, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Quilmes 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 $965 in Quilmes 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 Quilmes. 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.