Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Santa Isabel

For one person, living is cheaper in Santa Isabel: $1,300 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $6,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Nosara outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index
63

Cost of Living Index in Santa Isabel
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Santa Isabel Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Santa Isabel

🇵🇷 Puerto Rico

$1,300

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $1,300 in Santa Isabel, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
Santa Isabel $1,300

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $2,047 in Santa Isabel, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
Santa Isabel $2,047

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $2,793 in Santa Isabel, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
Santa Isabel $2,793

Nosara costs about 41% more than Santa Isabel, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Nosara sits 36% above the global median, while Santa Isabel is 4% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$18.81 $18.81

-34.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$83.3 $83.3

-26.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$8.95 $8.95

-15.98%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$3.55 $3.55

24.23%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$1.91 $1.91

-8.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$1.50 $1.50

-12.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$2.96 $2.96

10.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$5.09 $5.09

-12.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.31 $1.31

19.08%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$3.40 $3.40

-11.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$2.31 $2.31

8.66%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$6.33 $6.33

-43.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$12.63 $12.63

-41.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$9.52 $9.52

10.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$13.13 $13.13

6.40%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$4.95 $4.95

-52.53%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$2.62 $2.62

-38.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$4.83 $4.83

-0.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$4.95 $4.95

-67.47%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$3.73 $3.73

1.88%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$4.05 $4.05

-8.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$3.54 $3.54

-68.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$1.66 $1.66

60.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$11.99 $11.99

-56.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$15.63 $15.63

27.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$2.98 $2.98

-2.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$3.98 $3.98

-8.79%

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

$2.44 $2.44

-12.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$0.66 $0.66

137.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$40.77 $40.77

-79.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$1.05 $1.05

44.76%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$39.5K $39.5K

-45.25%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$28.2K $28.2K

22.39%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$326 $326

-70.48%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$68.8 $68.8

-47.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$69.0 $69.0

-22.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$10.32 $10.32

-23.55%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$830 $830

-40.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$12.6K $12.6K

-5.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$56.0 $56.0

-3.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$61.4 $61.4

-9.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$109 $109

-28.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$113 $113

-29.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

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

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

6.55

31.60%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Santa Isabel: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Santa Isabel

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Santa Isabel

$399 30.7% 13.1% $46

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Santa Isabel

$259 19.9% 22.1% $47

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Santa Isabel

$464 35.7% 150% $278

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Santa Isabel

$153 11.8% 27.3% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Santa Isabel

$21 * 1.6% 76.4% $67

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Santa Isabel

$5.8 * 0.4% 93.4% $81

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Nosara versus $83.0 in Santa Isabel. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $352 vs $399 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇵🇷 Santa Isabel

🕒 Local time

14:00 2:00 PM

16:00 4:00 PM

2 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

23,000

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1 USD = 0.889 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.889 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Santa Isabel 2,260 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Santa Isabel

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 Isabel: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,839 in Nosara, $1,300 in Santa Isabel – roughly 41% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,758 per month in Nosara and $1,951 in Santa Isabel. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Nosara and $83.0 in Santa Isabel. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 13% cheaper in Nosara – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Santa Isabel, where all-in costs run around $1,300, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Santa Isabel 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 $1,300 in Santa Isabel 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 Isabel. 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.