Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and San Juan

For one person, living is cheaper in San Juan: $890 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $11,400 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
43

Cost of Living Index in San Juan
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San Juan Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

San Juan

🇦🇷 Argentina

$890

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $890 in San Juan, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
San Juan $890

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $1,389 in San Juan, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
San Juan $1,389

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $1,888 in San Juan, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
San Juan $1,888

Nosara costs about 107% more than San Juan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Nosara sits 36% above the global median, while San Juan is 34% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$6.76 ARS 10.3K

82.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$39.31 ARS 59.7K

55.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$12.08 ARS 18.3K

-37.75%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$2.59 ARS 3,938

70.27%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$2.11 ARS 3,202

-17.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$1.82 ARS 2,761

-28.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$3.91 ARS 5,930

-16.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$4.48 ARS 6,799

-0.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.38 ARS 2,101

13.04%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$1.45 ARS 2,195

108.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$1.40 ARS 2,124

79.29%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$1.44 ARS 2,184

147.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$2.84 ARS 4,305

161.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$6.23 ARS 9,448

68.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$10.90 ARS 16.5K

28.17%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$1.40 ARS 2,129

67.86%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$1.39 ARS 2,108

15.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$1.34 ARS 2,037

258.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$1.45 ARS 2,193

11.03%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$1.40 ARS 2,128

171.43%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$1.38 ARS 2,098

167.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$1.40 ARS 2,129

-19.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$1.44 ARS 2,183

84.72%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$2.71 ARS 4,117

91.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$4.90 ARS 7,433

305.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$1.41 ARS 2,136

105.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$1.44 ARS 2,178

152.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$0.96 ARS 1,460

16.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$1.98 ARS 3,006

8.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$0.99 ARS 1,495

58.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$4.84 ARS 7,351

76.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$1.17 ARS 1,782

29.91%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$26.7K ARS 40.6M

-19.16%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$33.6K ARS 51.1M

2.58%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$144 ARS 218.7K

-33.19%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$10.04 ARS 15.2K

257.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$17.82 ARS 27.0K

200.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$30.42 ARS 46.2K

135.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$6.93 ARS 10.5K

13.85%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$172 ARS 260.5K

187.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$4,122 ARS 6.3M

187.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$107 ARS 162.3K

-49.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$42.58 ARS 64.6K

30.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$58.1 ARS 88.1K

34.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$35.86 ARS 54.4K

122.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$249 ARS 378.2K

216.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$198 ARS 301.1K

300.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$492 ARS 747.1K

700.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$400 ARS 607.2K

254.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

$700 ARS 1.1M

23.39%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

-84.04%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for San Juan: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

San Juan

$198 22.3% 75% $596

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

San Juan

$190 21.3% 46.2% $163

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

San Juan

$166 18.6% 21.8% $46

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

San Juan

$172 19.3% 7.4% $14

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

San Juan

$110 12.3% 8.8% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

San Juan

$44 5% 49.3% $43

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

San Juan

$11 * 1.2% 87.6% $76

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $788 in Nosara versus $249 in San Juan. 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 23% 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 $39.00 in San Juan. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $352 vs $190 – making San Juan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇦🇷 San Juan

🕒 Local time

12:22 12:22 PM

15:22 3:22 PM

3 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

522,029

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Argentine Peso ARS $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ARS, USD, EUR 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).

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1,517 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD). 1 EUR = 1,706 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Nosara San Juan 4,960 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
San Juan

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 Juan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,839 in Nosara, $890 in San Juan – roughly 107% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,758 per month in Nosara and $1,335 in San Juan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Nosara and $39.00 in San Juan. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 86% 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 Juan, where all-in costs run around $890, than in Nosara at $1,839. In San Juan 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 $890 in San Juan 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 Juan. 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.