Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Rionegro

For one person, living is cheaper in Rionegro: $1,348 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $5,900 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
67

Cost of Living Index in Rionegro
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Rionegro Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Rionegro

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,348

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Rionegro

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

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $1,348 in Rionegro, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
Rionegro $1,348

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $2,161 in Rionegro, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
Rionegro $2,161

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $2,974 in Rionegro, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
Rionegro $2,974

Nosara costs about 36% more than Rionegro, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Nosara and Rionegro sit above the global median – Nosara by 36%, Rionegro by 0%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$8.32 COP 26.4K

48.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$46.30 COP 146.8K

32.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$9.13 COP 29.0K

-17.63%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$3.11 COP 9,848

41.80%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$1.84 COP 5,837

-5.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$1.36 COP 4,312

-3.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$3.04 COP 9,636

7.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$5.52 COP 17.5K

-19.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.49 COP 4,735

4.70%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$2.40 COP 7,620

25.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$1.74 COP 5,528

44.25%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$2.90 COP 9,200

23.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$9.93 COP 31.5K

-25.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$9.52 COP 30.2K

10.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$14.07 COP 44.6K

-0.71%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$3.88 COP 12.3K

-39.43%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$1.50 COP 4,757

7.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$2.20 COP 6,965

118.18%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$2.22 COP 7,045

-27.48%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$1.90 COP 6,027

100.00%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$1.65 COP 5,221

123.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$1.18 COP 3,753

-4.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$1.23 COP 3,901

116.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$3.83 COP 12.1K

35.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$13.77 COP 43.7K

44.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$1.63 COP 5,181

77.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$2.31 COP 7,339

57.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$1.00 COP 3,185

12.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$1.32 COP 4,198

62.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$2.12 COP 6,713

-25.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$8.48 COP 26.9K

0.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$1.28 COP 4,069

18.75%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$27.8K COP 88.2M

-22.30%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$36.0K COP 114.2M

-4.13%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$170 COP 539.4K

-43.40%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$13.44 COP 42.6K

167.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$28.48 COP 90.3K

88.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$41.84 COP 132.7K

71.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$6.29 COP 20.0K

25.44%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$800 COP 2.5M

-38.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$9,001 COP 28.5M

31.75%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$84.9 COP 269.1K

-36.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$57.3 COP 181.7K

-3.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$135 COP 426.8K

-42.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$97.9 COP 310.4K

-18.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$593 COP 1.9M

32.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$433 COP 1.4M

83.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$965 COP 3.1M

308.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$987 COP 3.1M

43.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$2,161 COP 6.9M

219.80%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

$1,537 COP 4.9M

-20.36%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

10.94

-21.21%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Rionegro: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Rionegro

$433 32.1% 45.5% $361

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Rionegro

$294 21.8% 16.5% $58

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Rionegro

$170 12.6% 19.6% $42

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Rionegro

$212 15.7% 14.2% $26

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Rionegro

$169 12.5% 40.4% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Rionegro

$54 4% 37.7% $33

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Rionegro

$16 * 1.2% 81.7% $71

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 $593 in Rionegro. 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 $46.00 in Rionegro. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $352 vs $294 – making Rionegro the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇨🇴 Rionegro

🕒 Local time

20:36 8:36 PM

21:36 9:36 PM

1 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

130,000

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Nosara Rionegro 1,210 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Rionegro

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 Rionegro: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,839 in Nosara, $1,348 in Rionegro – roughly 36% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,758 per month in Nosara and $2,023 in Rionegro. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Rionegro, 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 $46.00 in Rionegro. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 20% 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 $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Rionegro, where all-in costs run around $1,348, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Rionegro 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 $1,348 in Rionegro 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 Rionegro. 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.