Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Santa Barbara

For one person, living is cheaper in Santa Barbara: $1,702 a month against $1,846 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $1,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Nosara outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

88

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index
83

Cost of Living Index in Santa Barbara
Learn more

Santa Barbara Living Index

Jump to prices

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,846

/mo nomad

Santa Barbara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,702

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,846 per month in Nosara vs $1,702 in Santa Barbara, rent included.

Nosara $1,846
Santa Barbara $1,702

A couple spends around $2,833 per month in Nosara vs $2,806 in Santa Barbara, rent included.

Nosara $2,833
Santa Barbara $2,806

A family of three spends $3,820 per month in Nosara vs $3,910 in Santa Barbara, rent included.

Nosara $3,820
Santa Barbara $3,910

Nosara costs about 8% more than Santa Barbara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Nosara and Santa Barbara sit above the global median – Nosara by 36%, Santa Barbara by 25%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.36 ₡5,556

$12.13 ₡5,454

1.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.8 ₡27.3K

$62.4 ₡28.1K

-2.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.88 ₡3,544

$11.73 ₡5,276

-32.82%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₡1,979

$4.50 ₡2,026

-2.22%

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

$1.72 ₡773

$2.71 ₡1,219

-36.53%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.34 ₡601

$1.86 ₡836

-27.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.34 ₡1,500

$3.39 ₡1,523

-1.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.54 ₡2,041

$4.34 ₡1,951

4.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.64 ₡736

$2.32 ₡1,044

-29.31%

White Bread (500g)

$3.16 ₡1,421

$3.08 ₡1,383

2.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.39 ₡1,076

$2.51 ₡1,129

-4.78%

Eggs

$3.47 ₡1,558

$3.56 ₡1,602

-2.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.13 ₡3,206

$10.72 ₡4,819

-33.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.32 ₡4,639

$10.41 ₡4,681

-0.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,280

$13.74 ₡6,180

1.67%

Apples (1kg)

$2.29 ₡1,028

$5.15 ₡2,315

-55.53%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 ₡729

$1.59 ₡715

1.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.81 ₡2,162

$4.65 ₡2,091

3.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.68 ₡755

$3.83 ₡1,724

-56.14%

Potato (1kg)

$3.91 ₡1,759

$3.80 ₡1,709

2.89%

Onion (1kg)

$3.63 ₡1,634

$3.76 ₡1,689

-3.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡508

$1.08 ₡486

4.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.63 ₡1,184

$3.23 ₡1,454

-18.58%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.02 ₡2,259

$5.98 ₡2,687

-16.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.71 ₡8,863

$20.02 ₡9,003

-1.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.91 ₡1,310

$2.80 ₡1,259

3.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.54 ₡1,592

$3.54 ₡1,594

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.21 ₡543

$1.26 ₡565

-3.97%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.8 ₡33.2K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.15 ₡966

$2.47 ₡1,110

-12.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 ₡735

$1.63 ₡731

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.77 ₡3,945

$8.65 ₡3,891

1.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡698

$1.57 ₡707

-1.27%

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

$33.9K ₡15.2M

$34.1K ₡15.3M

-0.61%

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

$38.5K ₡17.3M

$42.4K ₡19.1M

-9.18%

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

$95.2 ₡42.8K

$96.2 ₡43.3K

-1.04%

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

$36.29 ₡16.3K

$35.21 ₡15.8K

3.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.0 ₡23.4K

$59.0 ₡26.5K

-11.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.6 ₡30.4K

$63.0 ₡28.3K

7.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.55 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$7.54 ₡3,392

$7.81 ₡3,511

-3.46%

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

$496 ₡223.3K

$973 ₡437.5K

-48.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.8K ₡5.3M

$17.5K ₡7.9M

-32.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.1 ₡24.8K

$71.3 ₡32.1K

-22.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.1 ₡25.2K

$55.2 ₡24.8K

1.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.8 ₡35.0K

$129 ₡57.8K

-39.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.1 ₡35.6K

$132 ₡59.3K

-40.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$817 ₡367.6K

$718 ₡323.1K

13.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$806 ₡362.3K

$613 ₡275.8K

31.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,988 ₡1.8M

$1,650 ₡742.2K

141.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,429 ₡642.7K

$1,434 ₡645.0K

-0.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,068 ₡3.2M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,197 ₡538.2K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$888 ₡399.4K

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 Barbara: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$806 43.7%

Santa Barbara

$613 36% 23.9% $192

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$351 19%

Santa Barbara

$400 23.5% 13.9% $49

Eating Out

Nosara

$213 11.6%

Santa Barbara

$230 13.5% 7.9% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$184 9.9%

Santa Barbara

$190 11.2% 3.7% $6.9

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$121 6.5%

Santa Barbara

$174 10.2% 44.4% $54

Getting Around

Nosara

$89 4.8%

Santa Barbara

$16 * 0.9% 82.4% $73

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$83 4.5%

Santa Barbara

$79 4.6% 4.9% $4

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 $718 in Santa Barbara. 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 in Nosara versus $62 in Santa Barbara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $351 vs $400 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇨🇷 Santa Barbara

🕒 Local time

23:47 11:47 PM

Same time as Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

8,000

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Santa Barbara 160 km

From you

Nosara
Santa Barbara

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 Barbara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,846 in Nosara, $1,702 in Santa Barbara – Santa Barbara comes out roughly 8% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,769 per month in Nosara and $2,553 in Santa Barbara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Santa Barbara, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $718 there versus $817 in Nosara.

Kindergarten costs $496 per month in Nosara and $973 in Santa Barbara. 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 $1,702 in Santa Barbara. That makes Santa Barbara about 8% cheaper.

$2,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,846 in Nosara and $1,702 in Santa Barbara, 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 $1,702 in Santa Barbara to $1,846 in Nosara. 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.