Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Santa Ana, Costa Rica

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,846 a month against $2,000 in Santa Ana, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

88

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index
96

Cost of Living Index in Santa Ana
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Santa Ana Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,846

/mo nomad

Santa Ana

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,000

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Santa Ana

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

A single person spends $1,846 per month in Nosara vs $2,000 in Santa Ana, rent included.

Nosara $1,846
Santa Ana $2,000

A couple spends around $2,833 per month in Nosara vs $3,255 in Santa Ana, rent included.

Nosara $2,833
Santa Ana $3,255

A family of three spends $3,820 per month in Nosara vs $4,510 in Santa Ana, rent included.

Nosara $3,820
Santa Ana $4,510

Nosara is about 8% cheaper than Santa Ana, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Nosara and Santa Ana sit above the global median – Nosara by 36%, Santa Ana by 47%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.36 ₡5,578

$12.14 ₡5,481

1.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.8 ₡27.4K

$62.0 ₡28.0K

-1.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.88 ₡3,558

$11.85 ₡5,349

-33.50%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₡1,987

$4.52 ₡2,039

-2.65%

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

$1.72 ₡776

$2.23 ₡1,007

-22.87%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.34 ₡603

$1.33 ₡602

0.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.34 ₡1,506

$3.38 ₡1,527

-1.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.54 ₡2,049

$4.37 ₡1,971

3.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.64 ₡739

$2.26 ₡1,020

-27.43%

White Bread (500g)

$3.16 ₡1,427

$3.13 ₡1,414

0.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.39 ₡1,080

$2.50 ₡1,126

-4.40%

Eggs

$3.47 ₡1,564

$3.58 ₡1,618

-3.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.13 ₡3,219

$10.75 ₡4,854

-33.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.32 ₡4,657

$10.63 ₡4,798

-2.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,305

$13.92 ₡6,283

0.36%

Apples (1kg)

$2.29 ₡1,032

$5.03 ₡2,271

-54.47%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 ₡732

$1.65 ₡745

-1.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.81 ₡2,171

$4.71 ₡2,127

2.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.68 ₡758

$3.92 ₡1,770

-57.14%

Potato (1kg)

$3.91 ₡1,766

$3.77 ₡1,703

3.71%

Onion (1kg)

$3.63 ₡1,641

$3.62 ₡1,635

0.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡510

$1.12 ₡504

0.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.63 ₡1,188

$1.85 ₡837

42.16%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.02 ₡2,268

$5.77 ₡2,606

-13.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.71 ₡8,897

$17.73 ₡8,005

11.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.91 ₡1,315

$2.81 ₡1,270

3.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.54 ₡1,598

$2.65 ₡1,194

33.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.21 ₡545

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.8 ₡33.3K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.15 ₡970

$2.41 ₡1,086

-10.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 ₡738

$1.56 ₡702

4.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.77 ₡3,960

$8.68 ₡3,917

1.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡701

$1.57 ₡711

-1.27%

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

$33.9K ₡15.3M

$28.1K ₡12.7M

20.66%

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

$38.5K ₡17.4M

$37.6K ₡17.0M

2.39%

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

$95.2 ₡43.0K

$94.4 ₡42.6K

0.83%

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

$36.29 ₡16.4K

$33.36 ₡15.1K

8.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.0 ₡23.5K

$50.1 ₡22.6K

3.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.6 ₡30.5K

$158 ₡71.3K

-57.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.55 ₡16.0K

$22.03 ₡9,945

61.37%

Cinema Ticket

$7.54 ₡3,405

$7.91 ₡3,570

-4.68%

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

$496 ₡224.1K

$993 ₡448.3K

-50.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.8K ₡5.3M

$17.1K ₡7.7M

-31.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.1 ₡24.9K

$65.7 ₡29.7K

-16.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.1 ₡25.3K

$57.0 ₡25.7K

-1.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.8 ₡35.1K

$129 ₡58.2K

-39.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.1 ₡35.7K

$132 ₡59.6K

-40.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$817 ₡369.0K

$1,088 ₡491.4K

-24.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$806 ₡363.8K

$859 ₡388.0K

-6.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,988 ₡1.8M

$2,913 ₡1.3M

36.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,429 ₡645.2K

$1,897 ₡856.3K

-24.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,068 ₡3.2M

$2,721 ₡1.2M

159.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,197 ₡540.3K

$1,693 ₡764.4K

-29.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$888 ₡400.9K

$1,418 ₡640.0K

-37.36%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

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

Last update for Nosara: October 24, 2026

Last update for Santa Ana: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$806 43.7%

Santa Ana

$859 43% 6.7% $54

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$351 19%

Santa Ana

$379 19% 7.9% $28

Eating Out

Nosara

$213 11.6%

Santa Ana

$227 11.3% 6.3% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$184 9.9%

Santa Ana

$178 8.9% 3.1% $5.6

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$121 6.5%

Santa Ana

$173 8.6% 43.1% $52

Getting Around

Nosara

$89 4.8%

Santa Ana

$10 * 0.5% 88.6% $79

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$83 4.5%

Santa Ana

$174 8.7% 110% $91

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $817 in Nosara versus $1,088 in Santa Ana. 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 60% higher in Santa Ana. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61 in Nosara versus $62 in Santa Ana. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $351 vs $379 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇨🇷 Santa Ana

🕒 Local time

23:27 11:27 PM

Same time as Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

13,000

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Nosara Santa Ana 160 km

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Nosara
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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 Santa Ana: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,846 in Nosara, $2,000 in Santa Ana – Nosara comes out roughly 8% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,769 per month in Nosara and $3,000 in Santa Ana. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Nosara, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $817 there versus $1,088 in Santa Ana.

Kindergarten costs $496 per month in Nosara and $993 in Santa Ana. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,846 in Nosara and $2,000 in Santa Ana. That makes Nosara about 8% cheaper.

$3,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,846 in Nosara and $2,000 in Santa Ana, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Nosara has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,846 in Nosara to $2,000 in Santa Ana. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

If budget matters most, go with Nosara. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Santa Ana makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.