Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and San Juan

For one person, living is cheaper in San Juan: $749 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $13,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index
36

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

🇵🇭 Philippines

$749

/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 $749 in San Juan, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
San Juan $749

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $1,101 in San Juan, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
San Juan $1,101

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $1,452 in San Juan, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
San Juan $1,452

Nosara costs about 145% 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 45% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$4.05 ₱255

204.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$16.88 ₱1,063

262.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$2.82 ₱177

166.67%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$2.76 ₱174

59.78%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$0.66 ₱41.30

163.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$0.31 ₱19.48

322.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$1.07 ₱67.2

206.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$1.56 ₱98.5

186.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.69 ₱107

-7.69%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$1.12 ₱70.5

169.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$0.84 ₱52.7

198.81%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$1.82 ₱114

96.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$5.24 ₱330

41.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$3.46 ₱218

204.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$7.21 ₱454

93.76%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$2.32 ₱146

1.29%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$1.36 ₱85.9

18.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$2.33 ₱147

106.01%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$1.06 ₱66.8

51.89%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$1.69 ₱107

124.85%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$1.74 ₱109

112.07%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$0.67 ₱42.17

68.66%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$0.97 ₱61.3

174.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$2.71 ₱171

91.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$7.79 ₱490

155.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$0.92 ₱58.0

215.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$1.84 ₱116

97.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$0.26 ₱16.26

330.77%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

$12.14 ₱764

498.35%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$0.79 ₱49.71

170.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$0.23 ₱14.52

582.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$1.95 ₱123

336.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$1.24 ₱77.8

22.58%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$21.0K ₱1.3M

3.02%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$19.0K ₱1.2M

82.04%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$141 ₱8,877

-31.70%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$14.25 ₱897

151.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$24.38 ₱1,535

119.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$30.07 ₱1,893

138.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

$4.41 ₱278

691.61%

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$5.07 ₱319

55.62%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$74.3 ₱4,677

565.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$2,556 ₱160.9K

363.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$29.32 ₱1,846

83.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$19.71 ₱1,241

181.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$72.1 ₱4,539

8.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$56.8 ₱3,573

40.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$303 ₱19.1K

159.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$173 ₱10.9K

358.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$515 ₱32.4K

664.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$302 ₱19.0K

370.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$2,681 ₱168.8K

157.84%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

$1,115 ₱70.2K

9.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

$243 ₱15.3K

254.74%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

6.75

27.70%

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 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

San Juan

$173 23.1% 78.2% $621

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

San Juan

$175 23.3% 50.4% $178

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

San Juan

$86 11.5% 59.3% $126

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

San Juan

$180 24% 3.3% $6.1

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

San Juan

$80 10.7% 33.3% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

San Juan

$40 5.4% 54% $47

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

San Juan

$15 2% 82.6% $72

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $788 in Nosara versus $303 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 255% 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 $17.00 in San Juan. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $352 vs $175 – making San Juan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇵🇭 San Juan

🕒 Local time

16:56 4:56 PM

06:56 6:56 AM

14 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

126,347

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, 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).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.78 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara San Juan 16,000 km ≈ 20 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, $749 in San Juan – roughly 145% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,758 per month in Nosara and $1,124 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.

Public transport costs about 498% less in San Juan. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $494 per month in Nosara and $74.3 in San Juan. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in San Juan, where all-in costs run around $749, 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 $749 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.