Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and San Rafael

For one person, living is cheaper in San Rafael: $1,318 a month against $1,837 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $6,200 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
63

Cost of Living Index in San Rafael
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San Rafael Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

San Rafael

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,318

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,837 per month in Nosara vs $1,318 in San Rafael, rent included.

Nosara $1,837
San Rafael $1,318

A couple spends around $2,775 per month in Nosara vs $2,096 in San Rafael, rent included.

Nosara $2,775
San Rafael $2,096

A family of three spends $3,712 per month in Nosara vs $2,875 in San Rafael, rent included.

Nosara $3,712
San Rafael $2,875

Nosara costs about 39% more than San Rafael, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Nosara sits 37% above the global median, while San Rafael is 2% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.22 ₡5,509

$11.20 ARS 17.0K

9.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.2 ₡27.1K

$49.65 ARS 75.3K

21.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 ₡3,399

$14.69 ARS 22.3K

-48.67%

Cappuccino

$4.31 ₡1,941

$4.34 ARS 6,580

-0.69%

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

$1.72 ₡773

$2.42 ARS 3,663

-28.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.35 ₡608

$1.98 ARS 3,006

-31.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ₡1,459

$3.94 ARS 5,969

-17.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 ₡2,018

$4.42 ARS 6,701

1.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡707

$1.35 ARS 2,046

16.30%

White Bread (500g)

$3.17 ₡1,429

$2.27 ARS 3,435

39.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 ₡1,091

$2.67 ARS 4,052

-9.36%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,609

$3.18 ARS 4,820

12.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,349

$14.56 ARS 22.1K

-48.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.42 ₡4,697

$6.21 ARS 9,418

67.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.66 ₡6,156

$11.16 ARS 16.9K

22.40%

Apples (1kg)

$2.32 ₡1,044

$2.38 ARS 3,604

-2.52%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡728

$2.21 ARS 3,347

-27.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.74 ₡2,138

$1.35 ARS 2,048

251.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 ₡747

$3.30 ARS 5,012

-49.70%

Potato (1kg)

$3.72 ₡1,679

$2.01 ARS 3,055

85.07%

Onion (1kg)

$3.57 ₡1,611

$1.45 ARS 2,203

146.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 ₡497

$1.94 ARS 2,935

-43.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.55 ₡1,149

$2.46 ARS 3,725

3.66%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.95 ₡2,232

$2.82 ARS 4,279

75.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.01 ₡9,020

$5.05 ARS 7,656

296.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.79 ₡1,256

$1.73 ARS 2,625

61.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.53 ₡1,589

$3.05 ARS 4,619

15.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.19 ₡537

$1.00 ARS 1,513

19.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.1 ₡32.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.24 ₡1,011

$1.96 ARS 2,966

14.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 ₡701

$1.02 ARS 1,540

51.96%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₡3,993

$4.89 ARS 7,412

81.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡708

$1.27 ARS 1,929

23.62%

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

$21.8K ₡9.8M

$26.6K ARS 40.4M

-18.18%

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

$34.6K ₡15.6M

$32.6K ARS 49.4M

6.29%

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

$93.5 ₡42.1K

$135 ARS 205.3K

-30.96%

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

$35.11 ₡15.8K

$17.43 ARS 26.4K

101.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.5 ₡23.2K

$23.44 ARS 35.6K

119.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.4 ₡32.2K

$31.21 ARS 47.3K

128.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.44 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$7.84 ₡3,535

$6.91 ARS 10.5K

13.46%

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

$490 ₡220.7K

$177 ARS 268.1K

176.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.4M

$4,090 ARS 6.2M

190.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ₡24.1K

$116 ARS 175.9K

-53.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.8 ₡25.1K

$125 ARS 188.9K

-55.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 ₡35.7K

$136 ARS 206.8K

-41.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.9 ₡35.6K

$125 ARS 189.8K

-37.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$786 ₡354.3K

$489 ARS 740.9K

60.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$780 ₡351.6K

$318 ARS 482.7K

144.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,860 ₡1.7M

$937 ARS 1.4M

311.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 ₡634.4K

$725 ARS 1.1M

94.07%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,972 ₡3.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,201 ₡541.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$876 ₡395.0K

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 5, 2026

Last update for San Rafael: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$780 43%

San Rafael

$318 24.6% 59.2% $462

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$350 19.3%

San Rafael

$286 22.1% 18.2% $64

Eating Out

Nosara

$209 11.6%

San Rafael

$232 17.9% 10.7% $22

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$180 9.9%

San Rafael

$176 13.6% 2.1% $3.8

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.6%

San Rafael

$226 17.5% 87.7% $106

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

San Rafael

$45 3.5% 48.3% $42

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.8%

San Rafael

$11 * 0.9% 87.3% $76

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $786 in Nosara versus $489 in San Rafael. 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 $60.0 in Nosara versus $50.0 in San Rafael. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $350 vs $286 – making San Rafael the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇦🇷 San Rafael

🕒 Local time

05:30 5:30 AM

08:30 8:30 AM

3 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

118,850

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Argentine Peso ARS $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.88 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 505 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1,517 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD). 1 EUR = 1,699 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.88 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara San Rafael 5,280 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
San Rafael

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 Rafael: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,837 in Nosara, $1,318 in San Rafael – roughly 39% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,756 per month in Nosara and $1,978 in San Rafael. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in San Rafael, 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 $60.0 in Nosara and $50.0 in San Rafael. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 22% 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 Rafael, where all-in costs run around $1,318, than in Nosara at $1,837. In San Rafael 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 $1,318 in San Rafael to $1,837 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 Rafael. 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.