Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and San José

For one person, living is cheaper in San José: $913 a month against $1,835 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $11,100 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 José
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San José Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

San José

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$913

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,835 per month in Nosara vs $913 in San José, rent included.

Nosara $1,835
San José $913

A couple spends around $2,825 per month in Nosara vs $1,449 in San José, rent included.

Nosara $2,825
San José $1,449

A family of three spends $3,814 per month in Nosara vs $1,985 in San José, rent included.

Nosara $3,814
San José $1,985

Nosara costs about 101% more than San José, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Nosara sits 35% above the global median, while San José is 33% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.34 ₡5,535

$12.95 UYU 520

-4.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.3 ₡27.5K

$43.87 UYU 1,761

39.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.76 ₡3,481

$13.82 UYU 555

-43.85%

Cappuccino

$4.44 ₡1,992

$4.88 UYU 196

-9.02%

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

$1.79 ₡803

$2.38 UYU 95.6

-24.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.29 ₡580

$2.19 UYU 87.9

-41.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ₡1,451

$2.92 UYU 117

10.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.43 ₡1,985

$3.48 UYU 140

27.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡696

$0.99 UYU 39.77

56.57%

White Bread (500g)

$3.08 ₡1,380

$2.01 UYU 80.7

53.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.53 ₡1,133

$1.47 UYU 59.0

72.11%

Eggs

$3.45 ₡1,546

$2.62 UYU 105

31.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.32 ₡3,284

$12.01 UYU 482

-39.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.24 ₡4,594

$7.26 UYU 291

41.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.10 ₡6,326

$12.07 UYU 484

16.82%

Apples (1kg)

$2.29 ₡1,027

$1.22 UYU 48.77

87.70%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 ₡737

$1.54 UYU 61.8

6.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.79 ₡2,149

$1.21 UYU 48.71

295.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.64 ₡735

$1.54 UYU 61.7

6.49%

Potato (1kg)

$3.85 ₡1,727

$0.98 UYU 39.49

292.86%

Onion (1kg)

$3.75 ₡1,681

$1.28 UYU 51.5

192.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.09 ₡488

$1.49 UYU 59.7

-26.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.59 ₡1,160

$1.99 UYU 79.9

30.15%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.12 ₡2,295

$9.82 UYU 394

-47.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.92 ₡8,931

$8.17 UYU 328

143.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.80 ₡1,255

$3.05 UYU 123

-8.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.52 ₡1,580

$3.35 UYU 135

5.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.22 ₡549

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.9 ₡33.1K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.17 ₡973

$3.50 UYU 141

-38.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 ₡698

$3.45 UYU 139

-54.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.67 ₡3,886

$9.95 UYU 399

-12.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡697

$2.15 UYU 86.3

-27.91%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$36.4K UYU 1.5M

-5.11%

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

$38.7K ₡17.4M

$40.1K UYU 1.6M

-3.25%

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

$94.8 ₡42.5K

$113 UYU 4,547

-16.31%

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

$36.15 ₡16.2K

$23.78 UYU 955

52.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.1 ₡23.8K

$47.11 UYU 1,891

12.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$73.8 ₡33.1K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.63 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$7.91 ₡3,548

$12.35 UYU 496

-35.95%

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

$490 ₡219.9K

$494 UYU 19.8K

-0.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$6,691 UYU 268.6K

77.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.8 ₡24.6K

$88.3 UYU 3,542

-37.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.9 ₡25.1K

$37.57 UYU 1,508

48.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.4 ₡36.0K

$164 UYU 6,601

-51.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$117 UYU 4,699

-33.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$801 ₡359.1K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$790 ₡354.1K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,005 ₡1.8M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,409 ₡632.0K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,064 ₡3.2M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,236 ₡554.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$887 ₡397.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

72.40%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 20, 2026

Last update for San José: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$790 43%

San José

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$350 19.1%

San José

$256 28.1% 26.7% $93

Eating Out

Nosara

$213 11.6%

San José

$243 26.7% 14.5% $31

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$184 10%

San José

$184 20.2% 0.1% $0.2

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$121 6.6%

San José

$183 20.1% 51.5% $62

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$90 4.9%

San José

$25 * 2.7% 72.4% $65

Getting Around

Nosara

$89 4.8%

San José

$21 * 2.3% 76.6% $68

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Nosara versus $44.00 in San José. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $350 vs $256 – making San José the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇺🇾 San José

🕒 Local time

16:11 4:11 PM

19:11 7:11 PM

3 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

36,747

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

100 UYU = 2.49 USD

100 UYU = 2.22 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

UYU, USD, EUR to CRC – Costa Rican Colón Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Uruguayan Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 40.14 UYU (100 UYU = 2.49 USD). 1 EUR = 45.12 UYU (100 UYU = 2.22 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara San José 5,800 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
San José

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 José: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,835 in Nosara, $913 in San José – roughly 101% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,753 per month in Nosara and $1,369 in San José. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Nosara and $44.00 in San José. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 36% 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 José, where all-in costs run around $913, than in Nosara at $1,835. In San José 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 $913 in San José to $1,835 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 José. 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.