Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and San Isidro, Costa Rica

For one person, living is cheaper in San Isidro: $1,684 a month against $1,846 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $1,900 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Nosara outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

88

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index
81

Cost of Living Index in San Isidro
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San Isidro Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,846

/mo nomad

San Isidro

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,684

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,846 per month in Nosara vs $1,684 in San Isidro, rent included.

Nosara $1,846
San Isidro $1,684

A couple spends around $2,833 per month in Nosara vs $2,655 in San Isidro, rent included.

Nosara $2,833
San Isidro $2,655

A family of three spends $3,820 per month in Nosara vs $3,625 in San Isidro, rent included.

Nosara $3,820
San Isidro $3,625

Nosara costs about 10% more than San Isidro, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Nosara and San Isidro sit above the global median – Nosara by 36%, San Isidro by 24%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.36 ₡5,575

$12.00 ₡5,415

3.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.8 ₡27.4K

$57.9 ₡26.1K

5.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.88 ₡3,557

$11.71 ₡5,285

-32.71%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₡1,986

$4.21 ₡1,899

4.51%

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

$1.72 ₡776

$2.65 ₡1,195

-35.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.34 ₡603

$1.85 ₡834

-27.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.34 ₡1,505

$3.32 ₡1,497

0.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.54 ₡2,048

$4.41 ₡1,991

2.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.64 ₡739

$2.43 ₡1,098

-32.51%

White Bread (500g)

$3.16 ₡1,426

$2.78 ₡1,253

13.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.39 ₡1,080

$2.53 ₡1,140

-5.53%

Eggs

$3.47 ₡1,564

$3.58 ₡1,616

-3.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.13 ₡3,217

$10.63 ₡4,798

-32.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.32 ₡4,655

$10.13 ₡4,572

1.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,302

$13.89 ₡6,269

0.58%

Apples (1kg)

$2.29 ₡1,031

$5.02 ₡2,264

-54.38%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 ₡731

$1.64 ₡739

-1.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.81 ₡2,169

$3.40 ₡1,533

41.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.68 ₡758

$3.31 ₡1,496

-49.24%

Potato (1kg)

$3.91 ₡1,765

$2.98 ₡1,347

31.21%

Onion (1kg)

$3.63 ₡1,640

$3.20 ₡1,442

13.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡509

$1.03 ₡466

9.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.63 ₡1,188

$2.69 ₡1,215

-2.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.02 ₡2,267

$5.83 ₡2,632

-13.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.71 ₡8,893

$16.81 ₡7,583

17.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.91 ₡1,314

$2.53 ₡1,141

15.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.54 ₡1,597

$2.70 ₡1,217

31.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.21 ₡545

$1.30 ₡588

-6.92%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.8 ₡33.3K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.15 ₡969

$2.47 ₡1,113

-12.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 ₡738

$1.56 ₡704

4.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.77 ₡3,958

$7.84 ₡3,536

11.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡700

$1.56 ₡704

-0.64%

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

$33.9K ₡15.3M

$33.8K ₡15.3M

0.11%

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

$38.5K ₡17.4M

$41.2K ₡18.6M

-6.67%

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

$95.2 ₡43.0K

$95.7 ₡43.2K

-0.48%

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

$36.29 ₡16.4K

$30.42 ₡13.7K

19.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.0 ₡23.5K

$58.2 ₡26.3K

-10.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.6 ₡30.5K

$63.2 ₡28.5K

6.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.55 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$7.54 ₡3,404

$7.93 ₡3,580

-4.92%

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

$496 ₡224.0K

$835 ₡376.8K

-40.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.8K ₡5.3M

$17.5K ₡7.9M

-32.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.1 ₡24.9K

$76.8 ₡34.7K

-28.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.1 ₡25.3K

$52.8 ₡23.8K

6.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.8 ₡35.1K

$123 ₡55.4K

-36.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.1 ₡35.7K

$140 ₡63.0K

-43.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$817 ₡368.9K

$810 ₡365.4K

0.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$806 ₡363.6K

$635 ₡286.4K

26.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,988 ₡1.8M

$1,917 ₡865.0K

108.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,429 ₡644.9K

$1,250 ₡564.0K

14.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,068 ₡3.2M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,197 ₡540.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$888 ₡400.7K

$1,085 ₡489.7K

-18.17%

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 San Isidro: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$806 43.7%

San Isidro

$635 37.7% 21.2% $171

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$351 19%

San Isidro

$369 21.9% 5.1% $18

Eating Out

Nosara

$213 11.6%

San Isidro

$225 13.4% 5.5% $12

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$184 9.9%

San Isidro

$184 10.9% 0.4% $0.8

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$121 6.5%

San Isidro

$176 10.5% 46.2% $56

Getting Around

Nosara

$89 4.8%

San Isidro

$15 * 0.9% 82.6% $73

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$83 4.5%

San Isidro

$79 4.7% 4.4% $3.6

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 $810 in San Isidro. 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 22% higher in San Isidro, 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 in Nosara versus $58 in San Isidro. Groceries tell a different story – $351 in Nosara vs $369 in San Isidro – so Nosara wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇨🇷 San Isidro

🕒 Local time

13:03 1:03 PM

Same time as Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

17,000

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Nosara San Isidro 180 km

From you

Nosara
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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 Isidro: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,846 in Nosara, $1,684 in San Isidro – roughly 10% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,769 per month in Nosara and $2,526 in San Isidro. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $817 in Nosara and $810 in San Isidro. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61 in Nosara and $58 in San Isidro. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 5% cheaper in Nosara – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

It depends on your priorities. Nosara has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,684 in San Isidro to $1,846 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.