Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Santa Clara

For one person, living is cheaper in Santa Clara: $952 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $10,600 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
46

Cost of Living Index in Santa Clara
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Santa Clara Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Santa Clara

🇨🇺 Cuba

$952

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $952 in Santa Clara, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
Santa Clara $952

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $1,432 in Santa Clara, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
Santa Clara $1,432

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $1,912 in Santa Clara, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
Santa Clara $1,912

Nosara costs about 93% more than Santa Clara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Nosara sits 36% above the global median, while Santa Clara is 29% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$3.67 CUP 88.0

236.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$27.41 CUP 658

123.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$4.90 CUP 118

53.47%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$1.05 CUP 25.15

320.00%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$1.53 CUP 36.75

13.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$0.92 CUP 21.99

42.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$1.23 CUP 29.56

166.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$2.05 CUP 49.31

118.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$2.82 CUP 67.7

-44.68%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$1.16 CUP 27.94

160.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$1.72 CUP 41.16

45.93%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$3.48 CUP 83.5

2.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$4.55 CUP 109

63.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$4.74 CUP 114

121.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$8.66 CUP 208

61.32%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$6.11 CUP 147

-61.54%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$1.06 CUP 25.38

51.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$4.00 CUP 96.0

20.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$2.28 CUP 54.7

-29.39%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$2.90 CUP 69.7

31.03%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$2.76 CUP 66.2

33.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$0.67 CUP 16.06

68.66%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$0.53 CUP 12.80

401.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$1.69 CUP 40.57

206.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$5.24 CUP 126

279.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$1.70 CUP 40.90

70.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$2.05 CUP 49.14

77.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$2.54 CUP 60.9

-15.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$0.34 CUP 8.08

361.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$20.04 CUP 481

-57.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$1.28 CUP 30.61

18.75%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$59.0K CUP 1.4M

-63.39%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$61.2K CUP 1.5M

-43.59%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$47.01 CUP 1,128

104.83%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$38.40 CUP 922

-6.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$90.5 CUP 2,172

-40.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$0.84 CUP 20.05

839.29%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$157 CUP 3,757

215.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$12.3K CUP 296.1K

-3.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$51.3 CUP 1,231

5.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$41.95 CUP 1,007

32.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$81.0 CUP 1,945

-3.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$66.4 CUP 1,595

19.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$344 CUP 8,260

128.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$351 CUP 8,413

126.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$739 CUP 17.7K

432.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$598 CUP 14.4K

137.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$277 CUP 6,646

2395.82%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

$293 CUP 7,037

317.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

9.1

-5.27%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Santa Clara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Santa Clara

$351 36.8% 55.9% $444

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Santa Clara

$235 24.7% 33.4% $118

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Santa Clara

$77 8.1% 63.8% $135

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Santa Clara

$176 18.5% 5.3% $9.8

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Santa Clara

$108 11.4% 9.8% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Santa Clara

$1.7 * 0.2% 98.1% $86

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Santa Clara

$4.2 * 0.4% 95.2% $83

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 $344 in Santa Clara. 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 $27.00 in Santa Clara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $352 vs $235 – making Santa Clara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇨🇺 Santa Clara

🕒 Local time

14:07 2:07 PM

16:07 4:07 PM

2 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

216,056

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Cuban Peso CUP $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

100 CUP = 4.17 USD

100 CUP = 3.71 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CUP, USD, EUR to CRC – Costa Rican Colón Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Cuban Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 24 CUP (100 CUP = 4.17 USD). 1 EUR = 26.98 CUP (100 CUP = 3.71 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Santa Clara 1,510 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Santa Clara

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 Clara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,839 in Nosara, $952 in Santa Clara – roughly 93% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,758 per month in Nosara and $1,428 in Santa Clara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Santa Clara, 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 $27.00 in Santa Clara. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 50% 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 Santa Clara, where all-in costs run around $952, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Santa Clara 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 $952 in Santa Clara 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 Santa Clara. 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.