Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and San Bernardo

For one person, living is cheaper in San Bernardo: $897 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $11,300 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
44

Cost of Living Index in San Bernardo
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San Bernardo Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

San Bernardo

🇨🇱 Chile

$897

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in San Bernardo

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

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $897 in San Bernardo, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
San Bernardo $897

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $1,414 in San Bernardo, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
San Bernardo $1,414

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $1,932 in San Bernardo, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
San Bernardo $1,932

Nosara costs about 105% more than San Bernardo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Nosara sits 36% above the global median, while San Bernardo is 34% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$7.85 CLP 7,727

57.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$25.41 CLP 25.0K

140.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$6.51 CLP 6,407

15.51%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$2.52 CLP 2,481

75.00%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$0.94 CLP 922

85.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$1.01 CLP 991

29.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$4.05 CLP 3,985

-19.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$4.49 CLP 4,421

-0.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.15 CLP 1,132

35.65%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$1.29 CLP 1,272

134.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$1.66 CLP 1,632

51.20%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$3.91 CLP 3,848

-8.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$11.24 CLP 11.1K

-33.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$4.36 CLP 4,289

141.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$10.73 CLP 10.6K

30.20%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$1.88 CLP 1,855

25.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$1.51 CLP 1,489

6.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$1.42 CLP 1,396

238.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$1.75 CLP 1,721

-8.00%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$0.85 CLP 839

347.06%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$0.84 CLP 822

339.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$1.21 CLP 1,194

-6.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$1.08 CLP 1,065

146.30%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$3.31 CLP 3,259

56.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$6.05 CLP 5,959

228.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$1.57 CLP 1,541

84.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$2.30 CLP 2,261

57.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$0.79 CLP 781

41.77%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$0.40 CLP 391

435.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$0.84 CLP 830

86.90%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$11.45 CLP 11.3K

-25.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$1.31 CLP 1,293

16.03%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$17.5K CLP 17.3M

23.29%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$21.7K CLP 21.4M

58.87%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$123 CLP 120.7K

-21.50%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$12.05 CLP 11.9K

197.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$16.63 CLP 16.4K

222.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$19.89 CLP 19.6K

259.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$7.43 CLP 7,312

6.19%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$434 CLP 427.0K

13.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$10.8K CLP 10.6M

10.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$36.88 CLP 36.3K

46.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$26.73 CLP 26.3K

107.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$65.3 CLP 64.3K

19.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$80.5 CLP 79.3K

-1.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$279 CLP 274.4K

182.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$245 CLP 241.6K

223.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$703 CLP 691.9K

460.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$552 CLP 543.3K

157.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$1,856 CLP 1.8M

272.33%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

$1,357 CLP 1.3M

-9.81%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

$1,335 CLP 1.3M

-35.32%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

5.39

59.93%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for San Bernardo: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

San Bernardo

$245 27.4% 69.1% $549

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

San Bernardo

$214 23.9% 39.3% $138

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

San Bernardo

$150 16.7% 29.4% $62

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

San Bernardo

$151 16.9% 18.5% $34

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

San Bernardo

$94 10.5% 21.5% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

San Bernardo

$35 3.9% 60.2% $53

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

San Bernardo

$7.8 * 0.9% 91.1% $79

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 $279 in San Bernardo. 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 55% higher in San Bernardo, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Nosara versus $25.00 in San Bernardo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $352 vs $214 – making San Bernardo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇨🇱 San Bernardo

🕒 Local time

12:59 12:59 PM

15:59 3:59 PM

3 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

290,912

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Chilean Peso CLP $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

10,000 CLP = 10.16 USD

10,000 CLP = 9.04 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CLP, 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).

Chilean Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 984 CLP (1,000 CLP = 1.02 USD). 1 EUR = 1,107 CLP (10,000 CLP = 9.04 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara San Bernardo 5,100 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
San Bernardo

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 San Bernardo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,839 in Nosara, $897 in San Bernardo – roughly 105% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,758 per month in Nosara and $1,345 in San Bernardo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in San Bernardo, 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 $25.00 in San Bernardo. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 65% 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 $1,000 monthly budget goes further in San Bernardo, where all-in costs run around $897, than in Nosara at $1,839. In San Bernardo 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 $897 in San Bernardo 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 San Bernardo. 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.