Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and San Jose

For one person, living costs are similar in Nosara and in San Jose: $1,835 and $1,924 a month, rent and utilities included.

89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index
93

Cost of Living Index in San Jose
Learn more

San Jose Living Index

Jump to prices

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

San Jose

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,924

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,835 per month in Nosara vs $1,924 in San Jose, rent included.

Nosara $1,835
San Jose $1,924

A couple spends around $2,825 per month in Nosara vs $2,926 in San Jose, rent included.

Nosara $2,825
San Jose $2,926

A family of three spends $3,814 per month in Nosara vs $3,929 in San Jose, rent included.

Nosara $3,814
San Jose $3,929

Nosara is about 5% cheaper than San Jose, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Nosara and San Jose sit above the global median – Nosara by 35%, San Jose by 42%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.34 ₡5,535

$12.29 ₡5,513

0.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.3 ₡27.5K

$62.3 ₡27.9K

-1.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.76 ₡3,481

$11.53 ₡5,171

-32.70%

Cappuccino

$4.44 ₡1,992

$4.35 ₡1,953

2.07%

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

$1.79 ₡803

$2.64 ₡1,183

-32.20%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.29 ₡580

$1.86 ₡836

-30.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ₡1,451

$3.32 ₡1,490

-2.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.43 ₡1,985

$4.52 ₡2,026

-1.99%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡696

$2.39 ₡1,073

-35.15%

White Bread (500g)

$3.08 ₡1,380

$3.08 ₡1,381

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.53 ₡1,133

$2.50 ₡1,119

1.20%

Eggs

$3.45 ₡1,546

$3.48 ₡1,562

-0.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.32 ₡3,284

$10.74 ₡4,815

-31.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.24 ₡4,594

$10.32 ₡4,629

-0.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.10 ₡6,326

$14.10 ₡6,325

Apples (1kg)

$2.29 ₡1,027

$5.03 ₡2,256

-54.47%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 ₡737

$1.59 ₡714

3.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.79 ₡2,149

$4.84 ₡2,171

-1.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.64 ₡735

$3.96 ₡1,776

-58.59%

Potato (1kg)

$3.85 ₡1,727

$3.76 ₡1,684

2.39%

Onion (1kg)

$3.75 ₡1,681

$3.73 ₡1,674

0.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.09 ₡488

$1.08 ₡485

0.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.59 ₡1,160

$3.25 ₡1,456

-20.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.12 ₡2,295

$5.86 ₡2,627

-12.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.92 ₡8,931

$20.28 ₡9,095

-1.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.80 ₡1,255

$2.90 ₡1,300

-3.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.52 ₡1,580

$3.73 ₡1,673

-5.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.22 ₡549

$1.08 ₡486

12.96%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.9 ₡33.1K

$65.5 ₡29.4K

12.88%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.17 ₡973

$2.50 ₡1,123

-13.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 ₡698

$1.63 ₡732

-4.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.67 ₡3,886

$8.71 ₡3,904

-0.46%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡697

$1.58 ₡709

-1.90%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$33.6K ₡15.1M

2.82%

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

$38.7K ₡17.4M

$41.7K ₡18.7M

-7.01%

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

$94.8 ₡42.5K

$93.7 ₡42.0K

1.25%

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

$36.15 ₡16.2K

$35.42 ₡15.9K

2.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.1 ₡23.8K

$60.0 ₡26.9K

-11.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$73.8 ₡33.1K

$72.6 ₡32.6K

1.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.63 ₡16.0K

$25.83 ₡11.6K

37.94%

Cinema Ticket

$7.91 ₡3,548

$7.74 ₡3,471

2.20%

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

$490 ₡219.9K

$1,005 ₡450.9K

-51.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$16.9K ₡7.6M

-29.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.8 ₡24.6K

$73.1 ₡32.8K

-25.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.9 ₡25.1K

$55.4 ₡24.9K

0.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.4 ₡36.0K

$128 ₡57.5K

-37.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$130 ₡58.5K

-40.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$801 ₡359.1K

$932 ₡418.0K

-14.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$790 ₡354.1K

$760 ₡340.8K

3.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,005 ₡1.8M

$1,922 ₡862.0K

108.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,409 ₡632.0K

$1,276 ₡572.1K

10.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,064 ₡3.2M

$2,301 ₡1.0M

206.99%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,236 ₡554.3K

$1,833 ₡821.9K

-32.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$887 ₡397.6K

$1,029 ₡461.3K

-13.81%

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 20, 2026

Last update for San Jose: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$790 43%

San Jose

$760 39.5% 3.8% $30

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$350 19.1%

San Jose

$403 21% 15.3% $53

Eating Out

Nosara

$213 11.6%

San Jose

$229 11.9% 7.6% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$184 10%

San Jose

$189 9.8% 2.7% $5

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$121 6.6%

San Jose

$174 9.1% 44% $53

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$90 4.9%

San Jose

$88 4.6% 1.7% $1.5

Getting Around

Nosara

$89 4.8%

San Jose

$80 4.2% 9.3% $8.3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $801 in Nosara versus $932 in San Jose. 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 16% higher in San Jose, 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 $62.0 in San Jose. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $350 vs $403 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇨🇷 San Jose

🕒 Local time

03:30 3:30 AM

Same time as Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

342,188 Capital

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara San Jose 170 km

From you

Nosara
San Jose

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 Jose: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,835 in Nosara, $1,924 in San Jose – roughly 5% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,753 per month in Nosara and $2,886 in San Jose. 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 13% less in Nosara. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $490 per month in Nosara and $1,005 in San Jose. 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 $1,835, than in San Jose at $1,924. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in San Jose 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 $1,835 in Nosara to $1,924 in San Jose. 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 Jose makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.