Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Santa Lucia

For one person, living is cheaper in Santa Lucia: $1,285 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $6,600 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
62

Cost of Living Index in Santa Lucia
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Santa Lucia Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Santa Lucia

🇨🇺 Cuba

$1,285

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $1,285 in Santa Lucia, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
Santa Lucia $1,285

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $1,823 in Santa Lucia, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
Santa Lucia $1,823

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $2,361 in Santa Lucia, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
Santa Lucia $2,361

Nosara costs about 43% more than Santa Lucia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Nosara sits 36% above the global median, while Santa Lucia is 5% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$10.19 CUP 245

21.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$29.61 CUP 711

106.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$7.20 CUP 173

4.44%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$3.34 CUP 80.1

32.04%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$1.12 CUP 26.76

55.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$0.86 CUP 20.63

52.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$1.97 CUP 47.26

66.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$3.08 CUP 74.0

45.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.90 CUP 45.60

-17.89%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$1.80 CUP 43.24

67.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$1.54 CUP 36.91

62.99%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$3.69 CUP 88.5

-3.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$6.30 CUP 151

17.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$5.94 CUP 142

77.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$11.16 CUP 268

25.18%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$2.78 CUP 66.6

-15.47%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$1.53 CUP 36.69

5.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$2.00 CUP 47.93

140.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$2.23 CUP 53.6

-27.80%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$2.03 CUP 48.70

87.19%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$1.70 CUP 40.89

117.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$0.98 CUP 23.64

15.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$0.99 CUP 23.70

168.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$3.99 CUP 95.8

29.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$12.01 CUP 288

65.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$1.64 CUP 39.28

76.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$2.32 CUP 55.8

56.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$0.18 CUP 4.31

522.22%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

$25.46 CUP 611

185.31%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$3.30 CUP 79.1

-35.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$0.42 CUP 10.00

273.81%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$14.93 CUP 358

-42.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$1.02 CUP 24.58

49.02%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$71.2K CUP 1.7M

-69.63%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$79.3K CUP 1.9M

-56.49%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$35.11 CUP 843

174.25%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$15.11 CUP 363

137.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$255 CUP 6,116

-78.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$40.70 CUP 977

75.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

$14.83 CUP 356

135.40%

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$0.97 CUP 23.37

713.40%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$165 CUP 3,950

200.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$4,007 CUP 96.2K

195.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$69.4 CUP 1,666

-22.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$55.7 CUP 1,337

-0.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$98.7 CUP 2,369

-21.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$104 CUP 2,499

-23.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$556 CUP 13.4K

41.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$347 CUP 8,321

129.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$739 CUP 17.7K

432.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$498 CUP 11.9K

185.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$346 CUP 8,312

1895.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

$369 CUP 8,853

231.85%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

$55.1 CUP 1,321

1468.66%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

4.94

74.49%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Santa Lucia: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Santa Lucia

$347 27% 56.4% $448

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Santa Lucia

$244 19% 30.7% $108

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Santa Lucia

$167 13% 21.1% $45

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Santa Lucia

$305 23.7% 64.2% $119

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Santa Lucia

$148 11.5% 22.9% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Santa Lucia

$43 3.3% 51.2% $45

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Santa Lucia

$32 2.5% 63.8% $56

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $788 in Nosara versus $556 in Santa Lucia. 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 1469% higher in Nosara, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Nosara versus $30.00 in Santa Lucia. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $352 vs $244 – making Santa Lucia the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇨🇺 Santa Lucia

🕒 Local time

14:57 2:57 PM

16:57 4:57 PM

2 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

💱 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 Lucia 1,560 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Santa Lucia

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 Lucia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,839 in Nosara, $1,285 in Santa Lucia – roughly 43% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in utilities.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,758 per month in Nosara and $1,927 in Santa Lucia. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 185% less in Santa Lucia. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $494 per month in Nosara and $165 in Santa Lucia. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Santa Lucia, where all-in costs run around $1,285, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Santa Lucia 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 $1,285 in Santa Lucia 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 Lucia. 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.