Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and San Gwann

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $2,049 in San Gwann, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 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
99

Cost of Living Index in San Gwann
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San Gwann Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

San Gwann

🇲🇹 Malta

$2,049

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $2,049 in San Gwann, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
San Gwann $2,049

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $3,115 in San Gwann, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
San Gwann $3,115

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $4,180 in San Gwann, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
San Gwann $4,180

Nosara is about 10% cheaper than San Gwann, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Nosara and San Gwann sit above the global median – Nosara by 36%, San Gwann by 52%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$21.52 €19.14

-42.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$67.9 €60.4

-9.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$13.47 €11.98

-44.17%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$2.89 €2.57

52.60%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$2.14 €1.90

-18.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$1.07 €0.95

22.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$4.51 €4.01

-27.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$4.37 €3.88

2.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.35 €1.20

15.56%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$1.41 €1.25

114.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$3.47 €3.08

-27.67%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$4.30 €3.83

-16.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$10.35 €9.20

-28.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$11.78 €10.48

-10.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$17.77 €15.80

-21.38%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$3.84 €3.41

-38.80%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$2.76 €2.46

-41.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$3.86 €3.43

24.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$3.81 €3.39

-57.74%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$1.87 €1.67

103.21%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$2.29 €2.03

61.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$2.18 €1.94

-48.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$1.55 €1.37

71.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$6.12 €5.44

-15.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$5.51 €4.90

260.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$2.42 €2.15

19.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$2.33 €2.07

55.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$2.26 €2.01

-50.44%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

$14.55 €12.94

399.24%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$3.87 €3.44

-44.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$1.82 €1.62

-13.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$32.51 €28.91

-73.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$1.52 €1.35

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$27.9K €24.8K

-22.41%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$34.1K €30.3K

1.35%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$113 €100

-14.62%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$31.71 €28.20

13.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$34.81 €30.96

53.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$56.6 €50.3

26.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

$18.93 €16.84

84.42%

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$10.09 €8.98

-21.80%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$272 €242

81.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$11.2K €9,932

6.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$54.9 €48.85

-1.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$60.5 €53.8

-8.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$82.4 €73.3

-5.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$128 €114

-37.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$1,197 €1,065

-34.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$981 €873

-19.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$2,281 €2,029

72.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$1,663 €1,479

-14.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$5,627 €5,005

22.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

$2,776 €2,469

-55.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

$1,741 €1,548

-50.38%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

4.05

112.84%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for San Gwann: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

San Gwann

$981 47.9% 23.5% $187

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

San Gwann

$337 16.5% 4.2% $15

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

San Gwann

$291 14.2% 37.5% $79

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

San Gwann

$179 8.8% 3.5% $6.5

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

San Gwann

$147 7.2% 22.1% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

San Gwann

$77 3.8% 12.1% $11

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

San Gwann

$37 1.8% 58% $51

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $788 in Nosara versus $1,197 in San Gwann. 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 102% higher in San Gwann, 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 $68.0 in San Gwann. Groceries tell a different story – $352 in Nosara vs $337 in San Gwann – so San Gwann wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇲🇹 San Gwann

🕒 Local time

08:44 8:44 AM

16:44 4:44 PM

8 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

12,523

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD 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).

Euro exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara San Gwann 10,250 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
San Gwann

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 Gwann: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,839 in Nosara, $2,049 in San Gwann – roughly 11% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,758 per month in Nosara and $3,074 in San Gwann. 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 399% less in Nosara. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $494 per month in Nosara and $272 in San Gwann. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Nosara, where all-in costs run around $1,839, than in San Gwann at $2,049. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in San Gwann 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 $1,839 in Nosara to $2,049 in San Gwann. 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 Nosara. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, San Gwann makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.