Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and San Luis

For one person, living is cheaper in San Luis: $1,175 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $8,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index
56

Cost of Living Index in San Luis
Learn more

San Luis Living Index

Jump to prices

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

San Luis

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,175

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $1,175 in San Luis, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
San Luis $1,175

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $1,962 in San Luis, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
San Luis $1,962

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $2,749 in San Luis, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
San Luis $2,749

Nosara costs about 57% more than San Luis, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Nosara sits 36% above the global median, while San Luis is 13% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,556

$8.42 ARS 12.8K

46.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.5K

$50.1 ARS 76.0K

22.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,383

$8.72 ARS 13.2K

-13.76%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,984

$2.10 ARS 3,180

110.00%

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

$1.74 ₡782

$2.36 ARS 3,585

-26.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡589

$1.88 ARS 2,852

-30.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,475

$3.25 ARS 4,926

0.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,010

$4.54 ARS 6,881

-1.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡703

$1.23 ARS 1,863

26.83%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,359

$2.04 ARS 3,090

48.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,129

$1.06 ARS 1,602

136.79%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,608

$3.05 ARS 4,623

17.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,344

$14.72 ARS 22.3K

-49.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,732

$6.40 ARS 9,702

64.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,284

$11.02 ARS 16.7K

26.77%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,055

$2.34 ARS 3,552

0.43%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡722

$2.14 ARS 3,244

-24.77%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,159

$1.35 ARS 2,045

255.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡726

$3.18 ARS 4,825

-49.37%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,708

$0.98 ARS 1,484

287.76%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,662

$1.45 ARS 2,197

154.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡508

$1.93 ARS 2,933

-41.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,195

$2.44 ARS 3,697

9.02%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,328

$2.81 ARS 4,254

84.34%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,944

$5.11 ARS 7,749

289.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,304

$1.70 ARS 2,581

70.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,631

$2.98 ARS 4,514

21.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡506

$0.63 ARS 949

77.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.7K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡961

$0.66 ARS 1,003

224.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡706

$1.02 ARS 1,550

53.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,835

$4.75 ARS 7,210

79.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡684

$1.21 ARS 1,838

25.62%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$27.3K ARS 41.3M

-20.73%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$33.4K ARS 50.6M

3.39%

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

$96.3 ₡43.3K

$39.37 ARS 59.7K

144.58%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$16.91 ARS 25.6K

112.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.1K

$24.67 ARS 37.4K

117.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.2K

$33.15 ARS 50.3K

115.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,550

$5.46 ARS 8,274

44.51%

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

$494 ₡222.3K

$176 ARS 266.4K

181.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$4,167 ARS 6.3M

184.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.3K

$126 ARS 191.6K

-57.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.9K

$142 ARS 215.1K

-60.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡35.1K

$144 ARS 218.5K

-45.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.8K

$161 ARS 243.7K

-50.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡354.5K

$446 ARS 676.9K

76.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡357.3K

$351 ARS 532.6K

126.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$1,077 ARS 1.6M

265.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡638.4K

$781 ARS 1.2M

81.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡550.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡388.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

-85.39%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for San Luis: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

San Luis

$351 29.9% 55.8% $443

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

San Luis

$272 23.1% 22.9% $81

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

San Luis

$161 13.7% 24% $51

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

San Luis

$81 6.9% 56.4% $105

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

San Luis

$258 21.9% 115% $138

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

San Luis

$44 3.8% 49.6% $43

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

San Luis

$8.3 * 0.7% 90.5% $79

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 $446 in San Luis. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Nosara versus $50.0 in San Luis. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $352 vs $272 – making San Luis the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇦🇷 San Luis

🕒 Local time

09:35 9:35 AM

12:35 12:35 PM

3 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

204,019

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Argentine Peso ARS $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.91 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 13, 2026: 1 USD = 450 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 502 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 USD = 1,517 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD). 1 EUR = 1,693 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.91 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara San Luis 5,230 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
San Luis

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 Luis: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,839 in Nosara, $1,175 in San Luis – roughly 57% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,758 per month in Nosara and $1,762 in San Luis. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in San Luis, 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 $50.0 in San Luis. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 30% 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 $1,500 monthly budget goes further in San Luis, where all-in costs run around $1,175, than in Nosara at $1,839. In San Luis 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 $1,175 in San Luis 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 Luis. 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.