Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and San Fernando, La Union

For one person, living is cheaper in San Fernando, La Union: $719 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $13,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index
36

Cost of Living Index in San Fernando, La Union
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San Fernando, La Union Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

San Fernando, La Union

🇵🇭 Philippines

$719

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in San Fernando, La Union

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 Fernando, La Union actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $719 in San Fernando, La Union, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
San Fernando, La Union $719

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $1,102 in San Fernando, La Union, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
San Fernando, La Union $1,102

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $1,485 in San Fernando, La Union, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
San Fernando, La Union $1,485

Nosara costs about 156% more than San Fernando, La Union, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Nosara sits 36% above the global median, while San Fernando, La Union is 47% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$3.93 ₱248

214.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$14.86 ₱936

311.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$2.45 ₱154

206.94%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$1.92 ₱121

129.69%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$0.63 ₱39.53

176.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$0.30 ₱18.67

336.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$1.15 ₱72.3

185.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$1.78 ₱112

151.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.68 ₱106

-7.14%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$1.08 ₱67.7

179.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$1.03 ₱65.0

143.69%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$1.93 ₱122

84.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$6.38 ₱402

16.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$3.77 ₱238

179.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$7.48 ₱471

86.76%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$2.38 ₱150

-1.26%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$1.60 ₱101

0.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$2.71 ₱170

77.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$1.21 ₱76.1

33.06%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$2.26 ₱142

68.14%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$2.07 ₱131

78.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$1.00 ₱62.8

13.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$0.58 ₱36.41

358.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$2.97 ₱187

74.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$7.16 ₱451

177.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$1.11 ₱70.0

161.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$1.63 ₱103

122.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$0.25 ₱15.89

348.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

$10.92 ₱687

565.20%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$0.81 ₱51.2

164.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$0.21 ₱13.52

647.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$1.77 ₱111

381.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$1.02 ₱64.5

49.02%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$21.0K ₱1.3M

2.90%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$18.3K ₱1.1M

88.98%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$109 ₱6,863

-11.66%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$16.96 ₱1,068

111.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$27.32 ₱1,720

96.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$32.83 ₱2,067

118.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

$4.60 ₱290

658.91%

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$5.76 ₱363

36.98%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$114 ₱7,179

333.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$9,119 ₱574.1K

30.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$33.24 ₱2,093

62.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$17.66 ₱1,112

213.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$71.9 ₱4,524

8.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$55.6 ₱3,503

43.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$262 ₱16.5K

200.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$169 ₱10.7K

368.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$521 ₱32.8K

656.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$361 ₱22.7K

293.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$2,558 ₱161.1K

170.19%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

$1,037 ₱65.3K

18.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

6.79

26.95%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for San Fernando, La Union: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

San Fernando, La Union

$169 23.6% 78.7% $625

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

San Fernando, La Union

$183 25.5% 48% $169

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

San Fernando, La Union

$75 10.4% 64.7% $137

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

San Fernando, La Union

$153 21.3% 17.5% $32

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

San Fernando, La Union

$80 11.2% 33.2% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

San Fernando, La Union

$44 6.2% 49.2% $43

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

San Fernando, La Union

$14 1.9% 84.1% $73

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $788 in Nosara versus $262 in San Fernando, La Union. 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 $15.00 in San Fernando, La Union. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $352 vs $183 – making San Fernando, La Union the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇵🇭 San Fernando, La Union

🕒 Local time

01:17 1:17 AM

15:17 3:17 PM

14 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

83,003

💱 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 19, 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 19, 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 San Fernando, La Union 15,900 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
San Fernando, La Union

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 Fernando, La Union: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,839 in Nosara, $719 in San Fernando, La Union – roughly 156% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,758 per month in Nosara and $1,079 in San Fernando, La Union. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 565% less in San Fernando, La Union. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $494 per month in Nosara and $114 in San Fernando, La Union. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in San Fernando, La Union, where all-in costs run around $719, than in Nosara at $1,839. In San Fernando, La Union 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 $719 in San Fernando, La Union 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 Fernando, La Union. 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.