Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Samara, Costa Rica

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,846 a month against $2,032 in Samara, rent and utilities included – about $2,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

88

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index
97

Cost of Living Index in Samara
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Samara Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,846

/mo nomad

Samara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,032

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Samara

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

A single person spends $1,846 per month in Nosara vs $2,032 in Samara, rent included.

Nosara $1,846
Samara $2,032

A couple spends around $2,833 per month in Nosara vs $3,533 in Samara, rent included.

Nosara $2,833
Samara $3,533

A family of three spends $3,820 per month in Nosara vs $5,034 in Samara, rent included.

Nosara $3,820
Samara $5,034

Nosara is about 9% cheaper than Samara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Nosara and Samara sit above the global median – Nosara by 36%, Samara by 49%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.36 ₡5,578

$11.07 ₡4,997

11.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.8 ₡27.4K

$62.2 ₡28.1K

-2.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.88 ₡3,558

$11.70 ₡5,282

-32.65%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₡1,987

$4.34 ₡1,960

1.38%

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

$1.72 ₡776

$2.72 ₡1,229

-36.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.34 ₡603

$1.92 ₡866

-30.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.34 ₡1,506

$3.32 ₡1,501

0.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.54 ₡2,049

$4.51 ₡2,036

0.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.64 ₡739

$2.42 ₡1,095

-32.23%

White Bread (500g)

$3.16 ₡1,427

$3.05 ₡1,376

3.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.39 ₡1,080

$2.50 ₡1,129

-4.40%

Eggs

$3.47 ₡1,564

$3.46 ₡1,561

0.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.13 ₡3,219

$10.78 ₡4,868

-33.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.32 ₡4,657

$10.49 ₡4,736

-1.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,305

$10.82 ₡4,885

29.11%

Apples (1kg)

$2.29 ₡1,032

$5.01 ₡2,263

-54.29%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 ₡732

$1.65 ₡745

-1.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.81 ₡2,171

$4.72 ₡2,129

1.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.68 ₡758

$3.82 ₡1,723

-56.02%

Potato (1kg)

$3.91 ₡1,766

$3.72 ₡1,679

5.11%

Onion (1kg)

$3.63 ₡1,641

$3.69 ₡1,665

-1.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡510

$1.08 ₡487

4.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.63 ₡1,188

$3.09 ₡1,397

-14.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.02 ₡2,268

$5.57 ₡2,516

-9.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.71 ₡8,897

$18.86 ₡8,513

4.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.91 ₡1,315

$2.78 ₡1,255

4.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.54 ₡1,598

$2.48 ₡1,119

42.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.21 ₡545

$1.40 ₡630

-13.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.8 ₡33.3K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.15 ₡970

$2.48 ₡1,118

-13.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 ₡738

$1.57 ₡709

3.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.77 ₡3,960

$8.51 ₡3,843

3.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡701

$1.52 ₡686

1.97%

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

$33.9K ₡15.3M

$34.3K ₡15.5M

-1.25%

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

$38.5K ₡17.4M

$41.2K ₡18.6M

-6.70%

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

$95.2 ₡43.0K

$94.0 ₡42.4K

1.31%

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

$36.29 ₡16.4K

$35.45 ₡16.0K

2.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.0 ₡23.5K

$59.0 ₡26.6K

-11.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.6 ₡30.5K

$66.9 ₡30.2K

1.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.55 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$7.54 ₡3,405

$7.88 ₡3,556

-4.31%

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

$496 ₡224.1K

$502 ₡226.4K

-1.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.8K ₡5.3M

$6,013 ₡2.7M

95.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.1 ₡24.9K

$67.1 ₡30.3K

-17.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.1 ₡25.3K

$55.5 ₡25.1K

1.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.8 ₡35.1K

$129 ₡58.4K

-39.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.1 ₡35.7K

$133 ₡60.0K

-40.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$817 ₡369.0K

$1,373 ₡619.7K

-40.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$806 ₡363.8K

$967 ₡436.4K

-16.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,988 ₡1.8M

$3,769 ₡1.7M

5.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,429 ₡645.2K

$2,611 ₡1.2M

-45.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,068 ₡3.2M

$4,955 ₡2.2M

42.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,197 ₡540.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$888 ₡400.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

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

Last update for Nosara: October 24, 2026

Last update for Samara: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$806 43.7%

Samara

$967 47.6% 20% $161

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$351 19%

Samara

$385 19% 9.7% $34

Eating Out

Nosara

$213 11.6%

Samara

$220 10.8% 3.1% $6.7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$184 9.9%

Samara

$188 9.3% 2.7% $4.9

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$121 6.5%

Samara

$173 8.5% 43.5% $53

Getting Around

Nosara

$89 4.8%

Samara

$16 * 0.8% 82.1% $73

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$83 4.5%

Samara

$83 4.1% 0.1% $0.1

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $817 in Nosara versus $1,373 in Samara. 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 in Nosara versus $62 in Samara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $351 vs $385 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇨🇷 Samara

🕒 Local time

02:35 2:35 AM

Same time as Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

1,071

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Samara 17 km

From you

Nosara
Samara

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 Samara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,846 in Nosara, $2,032 in Samara – Nosara comes out roughly 9% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,769 per month in Nosara and $3,048 in Samara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Nosara, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $817 there versus $1,373 in Samara.

Kindergarten costs $496 per month in Nosara and $502 in Samara. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,846 in Nosara and $2,032 in Samara. That makes Nosara about 9% cheaper.

$3,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,846 in Nosara and $2,032 in Samara, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Nosara has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,846 in Nosara to $2,032 in Samara. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.