Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Sal

For one person, living is cheaper in Sal: $857 a month against $1,837 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $11,800 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
42

Cost of Living Index in Sal
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Sal Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Sal

🇨🇻 Cape Verde

$857

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Sal

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

A single person spends $1,837 per month in Nosara vs $857 in Sal, rent included.

Nosara $1,837
Sal $857

A couple spends around $2,775 per month in Nosara vs $1,347 in Sal, rent included.

Nosara $2,775
Sal $1,347

A family of three spends $3,712 per month in Nosara vs $1,836 in Sal, rent included.

Nosara $3,712
Sal $1,836

Nosara costs about 114% more than Sal, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Nosara sits 37% above the global median, while Sal is 36% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.22 ₡5,509

$5.71 CVE 562

114.01%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.2 ₡27.1K

$46.45 CVE 4,571

29.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 ₡3,399

$11.40 CVE 1,122

-33.86%

Cappuccino

$4.31 ₡1,941

$2.27 CVE 223

89.87%

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

$1.72 ₡773

$2.69 CVE 265

-36.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.35 ₡608

$1.15 CVE 113

17.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ₡1,459

$4.50 CVE 443

-28.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 ₡2,018

$3.14 CVE 309

42.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡707

$1.61 CVE 159

-2.48%

White Bread (500g)

$3.17 ₡1,429

$2.21 CVE 218

43.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 ₡1,091

$1.21 CVE 119

100.00%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,609

$2.98 CVE 293

19.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,349

$9.52 CVE 936

-21.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.42 ₡4,697

$7.63 CVE 751

36.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.66 ₡6,156

$16.54 CVE 1,628

-17.41%

Apples (1kg)

$2.32 ₡1,044

$3.27 CVE 322

-29.05%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡728

$2.42 CVE 238

-33.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.74 ₡2,138

$3.26 CVE 321

45.40%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 ₡747

$4.03 CVE 396

-58.81%

Potato (1kg)

$3.72 ₡1,679

$1.74 CVE 172

113.79%

Onion (1kg)

$3.57 ₡1,611

$1.89 CVE 186

88.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 ₡497

$1.57 CVE 155

-29.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.55 ₡1,149

$1.16 CVE 114

119.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.95 ₡2,232

$4.54 CVE 447

9.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.01 ₡9,020

$6.82 CVE 671

193.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.79 ₡1,256

$4.01 CVE 395

-30.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.53 ₡1,589

$1.86 CVE 183

89.78%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.19 ₡537

$1.05 CVE 103

13.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.1 ₡32.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.24 ₡1,011

$2.09 CVE 206

7.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 ₡701

$3.17 CVE 312

-51.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₡3,993

$12.72 CVE 1,252

-30.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡708

$1.34 CVE 132

17.16%

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

$21.8K ₡9.8M

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

$34.6K ₡15.6M

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

$93.5 ₡42.1K

$62.3 CVE 6,132

49.98%

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

$35.11 ₡15.8K

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.5 ₡23.2K

$50.3 CVE 4,945

2.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.4 ₡32.2K

$28.27 CVE 2,782

152.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.44 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$7.84 ₡3,535

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

$490 ₡220.7K

$115 CVE 11.3K

325.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.4M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ₡24.1K

$30.89 CVE 3,040

73.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.8 ₡25.1K

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 ₡35.7K

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.9 ₡35.6K

$144 CVE 14.2K

-45.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$786 ₡354.3K

$260 CVE 25.6K

202.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$780 ₡351.6K

$172 CVE 17.0K

352.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,860 ₡1.7M

$304 CVE 29.9K

1171.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 ₡634.4K

$208 CVE 20.5K

576.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,972 ₡3.1M

$672 CVE 66.1K

937.68%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,201 ₡541.3K

$341 CVE 33.5K

252.19%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$876 ₡395.0K

$254 CVE 25.0K

244.99%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

5.25

64.19%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Last update for Sal: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$780 43%

Sal

$172 19.9% 77.9% $608

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$350 19.3%

Sal

$302 34.8% 13.6% $48

Eating Out

Nosara

$209 11.6%

Sal

$151 17.4% 27.8% $58

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$180 9.9%

Sal

$113 * 13% 37.5% $67

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.6%

Sal

$79 * 9.1% 34.6% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Sal

$28 * 3.3% 67.5% $59

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Sal

$22 * 2.6% 74.5% $65

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $786 in Nosara versus $260 in Sal. 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 245% 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 $60.0 in Nosara versus $46.00 in Sal. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $350 vs $302 – making Sal the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇨🇻 Sal

🕒 Local time

00:15 12:15 AM

05:15 5:15 AM

5 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

1,288

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Cabo Verdean Escudo CVE $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1,000 CVE = 10.16 USD

1,000 CVE = 9.06 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 506 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Cabo Verdean Escudo exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 98.4 CVE (100 CVE = 1.02 USD). 1 EUR = 110 CVE (1,000 CVE = 9.06 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Nosara Sal 6,800 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Sal

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 Sal: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,837 in Nosara, $857 in Sal – roughly 114% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,756 per month in Nosara and $1,286 in Sal. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Sal, 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 $60.0 in Nosara and $46.00 in Sal. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 16% 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 Sal, where all-in costs run around $857, than in Nosara at $1,837. In Sal 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 $857 in Sal to $1,837 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 Sal. 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.