Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Santa Cruz: $1,686 a month against $1,846 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $1,900 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Nosara outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

88

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index
83

Cost of Living Index in Santa Cruz
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Santa Cruz Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,846

/mo nomad

Santa Cruz

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,686

/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 $1,846 per month in Nosara vs $1,686 in Santa Cruz, rent included.

Nosara $1,846
Santa Cruz $1,686

A couple spends around $2,833 per month in Nosara vs $2,662 in Santa Cruz, rent included.

Nosara $2,833
Santa Cruz $2,662

A family of three spends $3,820 per month in Nosara vs $3,637 in Santa Cruz, rent included.

Nosara $3,820
Santa Cruz $3,637

Nosara costs about 9% more than Santa Cruz, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Nosara and Santa Cruz sit above the global median – Nosara by 36%, Santa Cruz by 24%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.36 ₡5,578

$12.17 ₡5,495

1.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.8 ₡27.4K

$62.3 ₡28.1K

-2.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.88 ₡3,558

$10.82 ₡4,884

-27.17%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₡1,987

$4.43 ₡2,000

-0.68%

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

$1.72 ₡776

$2.32 ₡1,049

-25.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.34 ₡603

$1.93 ₡871

-30.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.34 ₡1,506

$3.36 ₡1,515

-0.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.54 ₡2,049

$4.49 ₡2,027

1.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.64 ₡739

$2.43 ₡1,098

-32.51%

White Bread (500g)

$3.16 ₡1,427

$3.08 ₡1,391

2.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.39 ₡1,080

$2.40 ₡1,083

-0.42%

Eggs

$3.47 ₡1,564

$3.49 ₡1,574

-0.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.13 ₡3,219

$10.74 ₡4,849

-33.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.32 ₡4,657

$10.59 ₡4,779

-2.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,305

$13.96 ₡6,300

0.07%

Apples (1kg)

$2.29 ₡1,032

$5.10 ₡2,302

-55.10%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 ₡732

$1.13 ₡510

43.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.81 ₡2,171

$4.68 ₡2,115

2.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.68 ₡758

$3.85 ₡1,738

-56.36%

Potato (1kg)

$3.91 ₡1,766

$3.75 ₡1,694

4.27%

Onion (1kg)

$3.63 ₡1,641

$3.60 ₡1,627

0.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡510

$1.09 ₡491

3.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.63 ₡1,188

$3.21 ₡1,449

-18.07%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.02 ₡2,268

$5.86 ₡2,647

-14.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.71 ₡8,897

$19.73 ₡8,908

-0.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.91 ₡1,315

$2.90 ₡1,311

0.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.54 ₡1,598

$3.62 ₡1,636

-2.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.21 ₡545

$1.29 ₡581

-6.20%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.8 ₡33.3K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.15 ₡970

$2.49 ₡1,125

-13.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 ₡738

$1.62 ₡729

0.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.77 ₡3,960

$8.93 ₡4,033

-1.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡701

$1.52 ₡685

1.97%

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

$33.9K ₡15.3M

$34.4K ₡15.5M

-1.38%

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

$38.5K ₡17.4M

$42.2K ₡19.1M

-8.83%

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

$95.2 ₡43.0K

$96.5 ₡43.6K

-1.34%

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

$36.29 ₡16.4K

$35.12 ₡15.9K

3.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.0 ₡23.5K

$60.0 ₡27.1K

-13.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.6 ₡30.5K

$66.7 ₡30.1K

1.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.55 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$7.54 ₡3,405

$6.54 ₡2,950

15.29%

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

$496 ₡224.1K

$966 ₡436.1K

-48.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.8K ₡5.3M

$17.3K ₡7.8M

-31.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.1 ₡24.9K

$71.8 ₡32.4K

-23.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.1 ₡25.3K

$55.0 ₡24.8K

2.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.8 ₡35.1K

$131 ₡59.1K

-40.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.1 ₡35.7K

$133 ₡60.2K

-40.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$817 ₡369.0K

$785 ₡354.6K

4.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$806 ₡363.8K

$599 ₡270.4K

34.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,988 ₡1.8M

$2,081 ₡939.5K

91.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,429 ₡645.2K

$1,165 ₡526.1K

22.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,068 ₡3.2M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,197 ₡540.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$888 ₡400.9K

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 Cruz: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$806 43.7%

Santa Cruz

$599 35.5% 25.7% $207

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$351 19%

Santa Cruz

$399 23.6% 13.5% $47

Eating Out

Nosara

$213 11.6%

Santa Cruz

$226 13.4% 5.9% $13

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$184 9.9%

Santa Cruz

$192 11.4% 4.4% $8.1

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$121 6.5%

Santa Cruz

$176 10.4% 45.8% $55

Getting Around

Nosara

$89 4.8%

Santa Cruz

$16 * 0.9% 82.3% $73

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$83 4.5%

Santa Cruz

$80 4.7% 3.5% $2.9

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 $785 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61 in Nosara versus $62 in Santa Cruz. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $351 vs $399 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇨🇷 Santa Cruz

🕒 Local time

19:04 7:04 PM

Same time as Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

1,665

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Santa Cruz 32 km

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: $1,846 in Nosara, $1,686 in Santa Cruz – Santa Cruz comes out roughly 9% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,769 per month in Nosara and $2,529 in Santa Cruz. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $817 in Nosara and $785 in Santa Cruz. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

Kindergarten costs $496 per month in Nosara and $966 in Santa Cruz. 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 $1,686 in Santa Cruz. That makes Santa Cruz about 9% cheaper.

$3,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,846 in Nosara and $1,686 in Santa Cruz, 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 $1,686 in Santa Cruz 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.