Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and San Fernando

For one person, living is cheaper in San Fernando: $703 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $13,600 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
34

Cost of Living Index in San Fernando
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San Fernando Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

San Fernando

🇵🇭 Philippines

$703

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $703 in San Fernando, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
San Fernando $703

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $1,059 in San Fernando, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
San Fernando $1,059

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $1,415 in San Fernando, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
San Fernando $1,415

Nosara costs about 162% more than San Fernando, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Nosara sits 36% above the global median, while San Fernando is 48% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$4.01 ₱252

207.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$16.71 ₱1,052

266.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$2.88 ₱181

161.11%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$1.77 ₱112

149.15%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$0.38 ₱23.97

357.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$0.31 ₱19.32

322.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$0.97 ₱61.2

238.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$1.25 ₱78.5

257.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.70 ₱107

-8.24%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$1.11 ₱70.1

172.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$0.99 ₱62.2

153.54%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$2.00 ₱126

78.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$4.95 ₱311

50.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$3.37 ₱212

212.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$7.79 ₱490

79.33%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$2.19 ₱138

7.31%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$1.26 ₱79.2

27.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$2.32 ₱146

106.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$1.07 ₱67.1

50.47%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$1.69 ₱106

124.85%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$1.57 ₱99.0

135.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$0.62 ₱39.14

82.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$0.53 ₱33.09

401.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$2.97 ₱187

74.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$8.92 ₱561

122.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$0.97 ₱60.8

198.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$1.30 ₱81.7

179.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$0.26 ₱16.12

330.77%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

$11.02 ₱694

559.17%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$0.67 ₱41.89

219.40%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$0.23 ₱14.36

582.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$0.94 ₱59.3

806.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$1.01 ₱63.8

50.50%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$21.3K ₱1.3M

1.50%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$19.0K ₱1.2M

82.09%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$141 ₱8,907

-31.94%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$17.77 ₱1,119

101.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$23.40 ₱1,473

129.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$32.05 ₱2,018

123.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

$4.68 ₱295

645.94%

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$4.82 ₱303

63.69%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$80.0 ₱5,033

518.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$1,118 ₱70.4K

960.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$19.46 ₱1,225

177.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$16.21 ₱1,021

241.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$32.14 ₱2,023

142.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$48.08 ₱3,027

65.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$262 ₱16.5K

200.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$170 ₱10.7K

366.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$523 ₱32.9K

653.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$356 ₱22.4K

298.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$2,438 ₱153.5K

183.47%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

$994 ₱62.6K

23.19%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

$339 ₱21.3K

154.88%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

43.67%

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: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

San Fernando

$170 24.2% 78.6% $624

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

San Fernando

$170 24.3% 51.6% $182

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

San Fernando

$72 10.3% 66% $140

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

San Fernando

$183 26% 1.7% $3.1

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

San Fernando

$52 7.4% 56.6% $68

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

San Fernando

$42 5.9% 52.3% $46

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

San Fernando

$14 2% 84.1% $73

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $788 in Nosara versus $262 in San Fernando. 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 155% 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 $61.0 in Nosara versus $17.00 in San Fernando. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $352 vs $170 – making San Fernando the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇵🇭 San Fernando

🕒 Local time

03:33 3:33 AM

17:33 5:33 PM

14 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

354,666

💱 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 18, 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 18, 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 16,000 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
San Fernando

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: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,839 in Nosara, $703 in San Fernando – roughly 162% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,758 per month in Nosara and $1,055 in San Fernando. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 559% less in San Fernando. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $494 per month in Nosara and $80.0 in San Fernando. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in San Fernando, where all-in costs run around $703, than in Nosara at $1,839. In San Fernando 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 $703 in San Fernando 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. 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.