Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Santa Cruz de La Palma

Name: Santa Cruz de La Palma
Address: Santa Cruz de La Palma, ES

For one person, living is cheaper in Santa Cruz de La Palma: $1,622 a month against $1,835 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Santa Cruz de La Palma
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Santa Cruz de La Palma Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Santa Cruz de La Palma

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,622

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Santa Cruz de La Palma

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 de La Palma actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,835 per month in Nosara vs $1,622 in Santa Cruz de La Palma, rent included.

Nosara $1,835
Santa Cruz de La Palma $1,622

A couple spends around $2,825 per month in Nosara vs $2,411 in Santa Cruz de La Palma, rent included.

Nosara $2,825
Santa Cruz de La Palma $2,411

A family of three spends $3,814 per month in Nosara vs $3,200 in Santa Cruz de La Palma, rent included.

Nosara $3,814
Santa Cruz de La Palma $3,200

Nosara costs about 13% more than Santa Cruz de La Palma, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Nosara and Santa Cruz de La Palma sit above the global median – Nosara by 35%, Santa Cruz de La Palma by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.34 ₡5,535

$16.58 €14.75

-25.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.3 ₡27.5K

$56.2 €49.96

9.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.76 ₡3,481

$10.99 €9.78

-29.39%

Cappuccino

$4.44 ₡1,992

$2.32 €2.07

91.38%

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

$1.79 ₡803

$2.59 €2.31

-30.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.29 ₡580

$1.78 €1.58

-27.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ₡1,451

$3.33 €2.96

-2.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.43 ₡1,985

$3.85 €3.42

15.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡696

$1.16 €1.03

33.62%

White Bread (500g)

$3.08 ₡1,380

$1.49 €1.33

106.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.53 ₡1,133

$1.55 €1.37

63.23%

Eggs

$3.45 ₡1,546

$3.50 €3.12

-1.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.32 ₡3,284

$11.61 €10.33

-36.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.24 ₡4,594

$7.91 €7.04

29.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.10 ₡6,326

$17.25 €15.34

-18.26%

Apples (1kg)

$2.29 ₡1,027

$2.75 €2.44

-16.73%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 ₡737

$2.11 €1.88

-22.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.79 ₡2,149

$2.25 €2.00

112.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.64 ₡735

$2.41 €2.14

-31.95%

Potato (1kg)

$3.85 ₡1,727

$1.89 €1.68

103.70%

Onion (1kg)

$3.75 ₡1,681

$2.15 €1.91

74.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.09 ₡488

$1.42 €1.26

-23.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.59 ₡1,160

$0.70 €0.63

270.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.12 ₡2,295

$5.75 €5.12

-10.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.92 ₡8,931

$6.05 €5.38

229.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.80 ₡1,255

$1.11 €0.99

152.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.52 ₡1,580

$2.34 €2.08

50.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.22 ₡549

$1.66 €1.47

-26.51%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.9 ₡33.1K

$33.48 €29.78

120.73%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.17 ₡973

$3.99 €3.55

-45.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 ₡698

$1.25 €1.12

24.80%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.67 ₡3,886

$23.77 €21.15

-63.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡697

$1.75 €1.56

-11.43%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$36.8K €32.8K

-6.24%

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

$38.7K ₡17.4M

$27.1K €24.1K

42.83%

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

$94.8 ₡42.5K

$139 €124

-31.84%

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

$36.15 ₡16.2K

$18.28 €16.26

97.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.1 ₡23.8K

$27.14 €24.14

95.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$73.8 ₡33.1K

$47.66 €42.39

54.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.63 ₡16.0K

$15.19 €13.51

134.56%

Cinema Ticket

$7.91 ₡3,548

$8.93 €7.94

-11.42%

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

$490 ₡219.9K

$408 €363

20.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$8,540 €7,596

39.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.8 ₡24.6K

$88.1 €78.4

-37.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.9 ₡25.1K

$41.25 €36.69

35.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.4 ₡36.0K

$84.9 €75.5

-5.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$110 €97.7

-29.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$801 ₡359.1K

$904 €804

-11.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$790 ₡354.1K

$674 €600

17.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,005 ₡1.8M

$1,343 €1,195

198.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,409 ₡632.0K

$1,027 €914

37.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,064 ₡3.2M

$3,343 €2,974

111.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,236 ₡554.3K

$2,209 €1,965

-44.06%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$887 ₡397.6K

$1,360 €1,210

-34.82%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

3.3

161.21%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 20, 2026

Last update for Santa Cruz de La Palma: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$790 43%

Santa Cruz de La Palma

$674 41.6% 14.6% $116

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$350 19.1%

Santa Cruz de La Palma

$267 16.4% 23.7% $83

Eating Out

Nosara

$213 11.6%

Santa Cruz de La Palma

$235 14.5% 10.7% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$184 10%

Santa Cruz de La Palma

$185 11.4% 0.3% $0.5

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$121 6.6%

Santa Cruz de La Palma

$146 9% 20.5% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$90 4.9%

Santa Cruz de La Palma

$66 4% 26.9% $24

Getting Around

Nosara

$89 4.8%

Santa Cruz de La Palma

$50 3.1% 43.2% $38

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $801 in Nosara versus $904 in Santa Cruz de La Palma. 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 53% higher in Santa Cruz de La Palma, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Nosara versus $56.0 in Santa Cruz de La Palma. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $350 vs $267 – making Santa Cruz de La Palma the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇪🇸 Santa Cruz de La Palma

🕒 Local time

18:34 6:34 PM

01:34 1:34 AM

7 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

15,441

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to CRC – Costa Rican Colón Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Nosara Santa Cruz de La Palma 7,330 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Santa Cruz de La Palma

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 de La Palma: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,835 in Nosara, $1,622 in Santa Cruz de La Palma – roughly 13% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,753 per month in Nosara and $2,434 in Santa Cruz de La Palma. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Santa Cruz de La Palma, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 121% less in Santa Cruz de La Palma. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $490 per month in Nosara and $408 in Santa Cruz de La Palma. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Santa Cruz de La Palma, where all-in costs run around $1,622, than in Nosara at $1,835. In Santa Cruz de La Palma 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 $1,622 in Santa Cruz de La Palma to $1,835 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 Cruz de La Palma. 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.