Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Santa Cruz

For one person, living costs are similar in Nosara and in Santa Cruz: $1,839 and $1,891 a month, rent and utilities included.

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Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Santa Cruz

🇦🇼 Aruba

$1,891

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $1,891 in Santa Cruz, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
Santa Cruz $1,891

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $2,891 in Santa Cruz, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
Santa Cruz $2,891

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $3,890 in Santa Cruz, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
Santa Cruz $3,890

Nosara is about 3% cheaper than Santa Cruz, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Nosara and Santa Cruz sit above the global median – Nosara by 36%, Santa Cruz by 40%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

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

$1.74 ₡780

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$2.09 AWG 3.74

-25.36%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$2.71 AWG 4.85

11.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$4.52 AWG 8.08

-44.47%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$4.64 AWG 8.31

-23.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$7.92 AWG 14.17

-6.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$7.65 AWG 13.69

37.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$6.48 AWG 11.60

115.59%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$4.54 AWG 8.13

-48.24%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$4.36 AWG 7.81

-63.07%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$8.08 AWG 14.45

-40.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$6.60 AWG 11.80

-75.61%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$6.88 AWG 12.31

-44.77%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$1.91 AWG 3.42

93.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$3.03 AWG 5.43

-62.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$4.37 AWG 7.82

-39.13%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$10.45 AWG 18.70

-50.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$19.07 AWG 34.12

4.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$2.56 AWG 4.57

13.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$3.10 AWG 5.55

17.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$1.92 AWG 3.43

-41.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

$157 AWG 281

-53.81%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$19.50 AWG 34.89

-89.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$19.79 AWG 35.41

-56.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$140 AWG 251

-31.32%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$71.4 AWG 128

-49.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$207 AWG 371

-74.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$70.2 AWG 126

2.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

$46.90 AWG 83.9

-25.57%

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$8.44 AWG 15.10

-6.52%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$139 AWG 248

256.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$77.2 AWG 138

-30.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$111 AWG 198

-49.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$140 AWG 250

-44.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$139 AWG 248

-42.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$1,271 AWG 2,274

-37.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$565 AWG 1,010

40.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$1,532 AWG 2,742

157.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$1,389 AWG 2,485

2.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

$3,638 AWG 6,511

-76.26%

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 11, 2026

Last update for Santa Cruz: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Santa Cruz

–

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Santa Cruz

–

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Santa Cruz

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Santa Cruz

–

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Santa Cruz

–

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Santa Cruz

–

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Santa Cruz

–

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $788 in Nosara versus $1,271 in Santa Cruz. 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 321% higher in Santa Cruz, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇦🇼 Santa Cruz

🕒 Local time

00:31 12:31 AM

02:31 2:31 AM

2 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

15,236

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Aruban Florin AWG ƒ

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1 AWG = 0.559 USD

1 AWG = 0.497 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Aruban Florin exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1.79 AWG (1 AWG = 0.559 USD). 1 EUR = 2.01 AWG (1 AWG = 0.497 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Nosara Santa Cruz 1,730 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Santa Cruz

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 Cruz: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,839 in Nosara, $1,891 in Santa Cruz – roughly 3% 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 $2,837 in Santa Cruz. 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 117% less in Nosara. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Groceries cost about 21% more in Santa Cruz, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Nosara, where all-in costs run around $1,839, than in Santa Cruz at $1,891. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Santa Cruz 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 $1,839 in Nosara to $1,891 in Santa Cruz. 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 Nosara. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Santa Cruz makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.