Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and San Lorenzo

For one person, living is cheaper in San Lorenzo: $582 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $15,100 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
28

Cost of Living Index in San Lorenzo
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San Lorenzo Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

San Lorenzo

🇵🇾 Paraguay

$582

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $582 in San Lorenzo, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
San Lorenzo $582

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $992 in San Lorenzo, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
San Lorenzo $992

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $1,402 in San Lorenzo, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
San Lorenzo $1,402

Nosara costs about 216% more than San Lorenzo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Nosara sits 36% above the global median, while San Lorenzo is 57% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$6.86 ₲39.0K

80.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$43.70 ₲248.5K

40.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$6.90 ₲39.2K

8.99%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$3.45 ₲19.6K

27.83%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$1.07 ₲6,076

62.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$0.58 ₲3,290

125.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$1.98 ₲11.2K

65.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$1.74 ₲9,912

156.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.18 ₲6,709

32.20%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$1.03 ₲5,841

193.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$1.38 ₲7,863

81.88%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$2.41 ₲13.7K

48.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$5.16 ₲29.3K

43.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$2.27 ₲12.9K

363.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$6.99 ₲39.7K

99.86%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$2.32 ₲13.2K

1.29%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$1.25 ₲7,092

28.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$1.02 ₲5,809

370.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$1.22 ₲6,939

31.97%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$1.07 ₲6,110

255.14%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$0.92 ₲5,210

301.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$0.46 ₲2,635

145.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$0.54 ₲3,096

392.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$2.31 ₲13.1K

124.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$3.97 ₲22.6K

400.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$0.65 ₲3,698

346.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$0.91 ₲5,185

298.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

$35.47 ₲201.7K

104.79%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$1.47 ₲8,361

45.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$1.55 ₲8,836

1.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$4.07 ₲23.1K

109.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$1.28 ₲7,304

18.75%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$17.4K ₲99.2M

23.92%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$35.1K ₲199.7M

-1.73%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$52.1 ₲296.1K

84.89%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$17.41 ₲99.0K

106.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$22.99 ₲130.8K

133.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$21.48 ₲122.2K

233.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

$12.11 ₲68.9K

188.27%

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$4.37 ₲24.9K

80.55%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$185 ₲1.0M

167.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$5,735 ₲32.6M

106.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$63.9 ₲363.4K

-15.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$58.7 ₲333.6K

-5.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$110 ₲624.8K

-29.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$72.2 ₲410.4K

10.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

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

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

10.15

-15.07%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for San Lorenzo: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

San Lorenzo

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

San Lorenzo

$141 24.2% 60.1% $212

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

San Lorenzo

$137 23.5% 35.4% $75

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

San Lorenzo

$92 15.9% 50.2% $93

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

San Lorenzo

$137 23.6% 14.1% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

San Lorenzo

$30 5.2% 65.4% $57

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

San Lorenzo

$45 * 7.7% 48.7% $42

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 Lorenzo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $352 vs $141 – making San Lorenzo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇵🇾 San Lorenzo

🕒 Local time

20:38 8:38 PM

23:38 11:38 PM

3 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

489,000

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Paraguayan Guarani PYG ₲

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

10,000 PYG = 1.76 USD

10,000 PYG = 1.56 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Paraguayan Guarani exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 5,686 PYG (10,000 PYG = 1.76 USD). 1 EUR = 6,393 PYG (10,000 PYG = 1.56 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Nosara San Lorenzo 4,970 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
San Lorenzo

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 Lorenzo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,839 in Nosara, $582 in San Lorenzo – roughly 216% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,758 per month in Nosara and $873 in San Lorenzo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Public transport costs about 105% less in San Lorenzo. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $494 per month in Nosara and $185 in San Lorenzo. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in San Lorenzo, where all-in costs run around $582, than in Nosara at $1,839. In San Lorenzo 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 $582 in San Lorenzo 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 Lorenzo. 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.