Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Royan

For one person, living costs are similar in Nosara and in Royan: $1,835 and $1,818 a month, rent and utilities included.

89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index
88

Cost of Living Index in Royan
Learn more

Royan Living Index

Jump to prices

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Royan

🇫🇷 France

$1,818

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Royan

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

A single person spends $1,835 per month in Nosara vs $1,818 in Royan, rent included.

Nosara $1,835
Royan $1,818

A couple spends around $2,825 per month in Nosara vs $2,844 in Royan, rent included.

Nosara $2,825
Royan $2,844

A family of three spends $3,814 per month in Nosara vs $3,870 in Royan, rent included.

Nosara $3,814
Royan $3,870

Nosara costs about 1% more than Royan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Nosara and Royan sit above the global median – Nosara by 35%, Royan by 34%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.34 ₡5,535

$22.23 €19.77

-44.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.3 ₡27.5K

$66.8 €59.4

-8.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.76 ₡3,481

$14.06 €12.51

-44.81%

Cappuccino

$4.44 ₡1,992

$3.82 €3.40

16.23%

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

$1.79 ₡803

$2.86 €2.55

-37.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.29 ₡580

$1.35 €1.20

-4.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ₡1,451

$7.39 €6.58

-56.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.43 ₡1,985

$4.54 €4.04

-2.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡696

$1.37 €1.22

13.14%

White Bread (500g)

$3.08 ₡1,380

$1.80 €1.60

71.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.53 ₡1,133

$1.88 €1.67

34.57%

Eggs

$3.45 ₡1,546

$4.87 €4.34

-29.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.32 ₡3,284

$24.36 €21.67

-69.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.24 ₡4,594

$11.85 €10.54

-13.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.10 ₡6,326

$17.43 €15.50

-19.10%

Apples (1kg)

$2.29 ₡1,027

$4.06 €3.61

-43.60%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 ₡737

$3.70 €3.29

-55.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.79 ₡2,149

$2.72 €2.42

76.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.64 ₡735

$5.10 €4.53

-67.84%

Potato (1kg)

$3.85 ₡1,727

$1.86 €1.66

106.99%

Onion (1kg)

$3.75 ₡1,681

$2.00 €1.77

87.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.09 ₡488

$1.72 €1.53

-36.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.59 ₡1,160

$0.34 €0.31

661.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.12 ₡2,295

$14.05 €12.50

-63.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.92 ₡8,931

$12.72 €11.31

56.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.80 ₡1,255

$2.38 €2.12

17.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.52 ₡1,580

$2.41 €2.14

46.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.22 ₡549

$1.90 €1.69

-35.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.9 ₡33.1K

$46.33 €41.21

59.51%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.17 ₡973

$5.16 €4.59

-57.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 ₡698

$2.00 €1.78

-22.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.67 ₡3,886

$34.04 €30.27

-74.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡697

$2.13 €1.90

-27.23%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$36.3K €32.3K

-4.86%

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

$38.7K ₡17.4M

$35.0K €31.2K

10.57%

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

$94.8 ₡42.5K

$135 €120

-29.78%

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

$36.15 ₡16.2K

$13.51 €12.02

167.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.1 ₡23.8K

$35.08 €31.20

51.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$73.8 ₡33.1K

$32.19 €28.63

129.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.63 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$7.91 ₡3,548

$8.93 €7.94

-11.42%

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

$490 ₡219.9K

$889 €790

-44.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$11.4K €10.2K

3.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.8 ₡24.6K

$108 €95.7

-49.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.9 ₡25.1K

$39.00 €34.69

43.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.4 ₡36.0K

$112 €99.3

-28.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$151 €135

-48.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$801 ₡359.1K

$762 €678

5.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$790 ₡354.1K

$617 €549

27.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,005 ₡1.8M

$1,417 €1,260

182.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,409 ₡632.0K

$1,116 €993

26.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,064 ₡3.2M

$4,649 €4,135

51.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,236 ₡554.3K

$3,476 €3,092

-64.45%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$887 ₡397.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

3.79

127.44%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 20, 2026

Last update for Royan: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$790 43%

Royan

$617 34% 21.8% $172

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$350 19.1%

Royan

$385 21.2% 10.1% $35

Eating Out

Nosara

$213 11.6%

Royan

$329 18.1% 54.6% $116

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$184 10%

Royan

$184 10.1% 0.2% $0.4

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$121 6.6%

Royan

$184 10.1% 52.3% $63

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$90 4.9%

Royan

$50 2.8% 44.2% $40

Getting Around

Nosara

$89 4.8%

Royan

$69 3.8% 22.1% $20

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $801 in Nosara versus $762 in Royan. 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 $67.0 in Royan. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $350 vs $385 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇫🇷 Royan

🕒 Local time

10:02 10:02 AM

18:02 6:02 PM

8 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

19,029

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to CRC – Costa Rican Colón Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Royan 8,800 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Royan

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 Royan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,835 in Nosara, $1,818 in Royan – roughly 1% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,753 per month in Nosara and $2,727 in Royan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Royan, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 60% less in Royan. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $490 per month in Nosara and $889 in Royan. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Royan, where all-in costs run around $1,818, than in Nosara at $1,835. In Royan 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 $1,818 in Royan to $1,835 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 Royan. 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.