Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and San Pablo

For one person, living is cheaper in San Pablo: $634 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $14,500 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
31

Cost of Living Index in San Pablo
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San Pablo Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

San Pablo

🇵🇭 Philippines

$634

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $634 in San Pablo, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
San Pablo $634

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $917 in San Pablo, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
San Pablo $917

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $1,200 in San Pablo, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
San Pablo $1,200

Nosara costs about 190% more than San Pablo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Nosara sits 36% above the global median, while San Pablo is 53% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$3.90 ₱245

216.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$16.47 ₱1,037

271.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$2.81 ₱177

167.62%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$1.83 ₱115

140.98%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$0.38 ₱24.14

357.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$0.18 ₱11.26

627.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$1.03 ₱64.7

218.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$1.63 ₱103

174.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.67 ₱105

-6.59%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$1.10 ₱69.2

174.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$0.94 ₱59.1

167.02%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$2.08 ₱131

71.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$5.14 ₱324

44.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$3.41 ₱215

208.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$7.73 ₱487

80.72%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$2.32 ₱146

1.29%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$1.41 ₱88.8

14.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$1.61 ₱101

198.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$1.04 ₱65.3

54.81%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$1.61 ₱101

136.02%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$1.78 ₱112

107.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$0.61 ₱38.28

85.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$0.52 ₱32.95

411.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$2.84 ₱179

82.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$6.49 ₱409

206.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$0.95 ₱60.0

205.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$2.02 ₱127

79.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$0.23 ₱14.37

386.96%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$0.81 ₱51.0

164.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$0.25 ₱15.79

528.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$1.87 ₱118

355.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$1.15 ₱72.5

32.17%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$21.6K ₱1.4M

-0.05%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$19.3K ₱1.2M

78.99%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$143 ₱9,016

-32.76%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$11.84 ₱746

203.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$23.37 ₱1,471

129.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$5.13 ₱323

53.80%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$132 ₱8,290

275.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$10.9K ₱683.6K

9.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$29.42 ₱1,852

83.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$19.58 ₱1,232

182.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$71.5 ₱4,502

8.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$55.6 ₱3,500

43.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$142 ₱8,963

453.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$125 ₱7,875

535.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$206 ₱13.0K

1814.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$188 ₱11.8K

655.18%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$956 ₱60.2K

623.22%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

$811 ₱51.1K

50.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

$292 ₱18.4K

196.22%

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 Pablo: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

San Pablo

$125 19.7% 84.3% $669

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

San Pablo

$166 26.2% 52.9% $186

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

San Pablo

$72 11.4% 65.9% $140

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

San Pablo

$178 28.1% 4% $7.3

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

San Pablo

$79 12.5% 34% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

San Pablo

$10 * 1.6% 88.3% $77

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

San Pablo

$3 * 0.5% 96.6% $84

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 $142 in San Pablo. 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 196% 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 $16.00 in San Pablo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $352 vs $166 – making San Pablo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇵🇭 San Pablo

🕒 Local time

22:28 10:28 PM

12:28 12:28 PM

14 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

266,068

💱 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 18, 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 18, 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 Pablo 16,010 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
San Pablo

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 Pablo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,839 in Nosara, $634 in San Pablo – roughly 190% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,758 per month in Nosara and $951 in San Pablo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in San Pablo, 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 $16.00 in San Pablo. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 112% 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 $2,000 monthly budget goes further in San Pablo, where all-in costs run around $634, than in Nosara at $1,839. In San Pablo 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 $634 in San Pablo 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 Pablo. 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.