Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Roxas

For one person, living is cheaper in Roxas: $379 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $17,500 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
19

Cost of Living Index in Roxas
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Roxas Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Roxas

🇵🇭 Philippines

$379

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Roxas

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

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $379 in Roxas, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
Roxas $379

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $602 in Roxas, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
Roxas $602

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $826 in Roxas, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
Roxas $826

Nosara costs about 386% more than Roxas, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Nosara sits 36% above the global median, while Roxas is 72% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$2.86 ₱180

331.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$19.03 ₱1,198

221.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$2.41 ₱152

212.03%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$1.86 ₱117

137.10%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$0.46 ₱28.68

278.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$0.14 ₱8.66

835.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$1.10 ₱69.4

198.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$1.79 ₱113

149.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.60 ₱101

-2.50%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$0.88 ₱55.2

243.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$0.89 ₱56.1

182.02%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$1.88 ₱118

89.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$5.99 ₱377

24.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$3.96 ₱249

165.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$6.34 ₱399

120.35%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$1.63 ₱103

44.17%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$0.94 ₱59.1

71.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$1.25 ₱78.9

284.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$0.77 ₱48.19

109.09%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$1.00 ₱63.1

280.00%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$0.99 ₱62.3

272.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$1.39 ₱87.3

-18.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$0.77 ₱48.29

245.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$2.19 ₱138

136.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$6.50 ₱409

205.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$1.14 ₱71.6

154.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$1.29 ₱81.4

181.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$0.83 ₱52.1

157.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$0.33 ₱20.97

375.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$2.36 ₱149

261.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$1.02 ₱63.9

49.02%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$21.7K ₱1.4M

-0.24%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$19.6K ₱1.2M

76.05%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$62.3 ₱3,919

54.68%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$7.83 ₱493

358.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$21.89 ₱1,378

144.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$4.88 ₱307

61.68%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$31.94 ₱2,011

1447.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$23.93 ₱1,507

125.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$17.18 ₱1,082

222.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$55.7 ₱3,504

40.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$24.03 ₱1,513

231.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$318 ₱20.0K

148.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

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

$575 ₱36.2K

50.22%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

7.33

17.60%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Roxas: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Roxas

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Roxas

$156 41.3% 55.6% $196

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Roxas

$64 16.9% 69.9% $148

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Roxas

$92 24.3% 50.5% $94

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Roxas

$54 14.4% 54.7% $66

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Roxas

$9.8 * 2.6% 88.8% $78

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Roxas

$2.5 * 0.7% 97.1% $85

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 $318 in Roxas. 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 50% 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 $19.00 in Roxas. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $352 vs $156 – making Roxas the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇵🇭 Roxas

🕒 Local time

17:37 5:37 PM

07:37 7:37 AM

14 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

167,003

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, 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).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.78 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Roxas 16,060 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Roxas

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 Roxas: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,839 in Nosara, $379 in Roxas – roughly 386% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,758 per month in Nosara and $568 in Roxas. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Roxas, 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 $19.00 in Roxas. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 125% 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 $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Roxas, where all-in costs run around $379, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Roxas 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 $379 in Roxas 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 Roxas. 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.