Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Santa Pola

Name: Santa Pola
Address: Santa Pola, ES

For one person, living is cheaper in Santa Pola: $1,647 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $2,300 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
80

Cost of Living Index in Santa Pola
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Santa Pola Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Santa Pola

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,647

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $1,647 in Santa Pola, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
Santa Pola $1,647

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $2,408 in Santa Pola, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
Santa Pola $2,408

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $3,170 in Santa Pola, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
Santa Pola $3,170

Nosara costs about 12% more than Santa Pola, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Nosara and Santa Pola sit above the global median – Nosara by 36%, Santa Pola by 22%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$16.93 €15.06

-27.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$55.7 €49.52

9.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$11.25 €10.00

-33.16%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$2.34 €2.08

88.46%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$2.57 €2.29

-32.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$1.78 €1.59

-26.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$3.46 €3.08

-5.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$3.63 €3.23

23.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.21 €1.08

28.93%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$1.50 €1.33

101.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$1.55 €1.38

61.94%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$3.20 €2.84

11.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$13.64 €12.14

-45.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$8.31 €7.39

26.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$15.66 €13.93

-10.79%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$2.51 €2.23

-6.37%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$1.61 €1.44

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$1.92 €1.71

150.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$2.51 €2.23

-35.86%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$1.80 €1.60

111.11%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$1.99 €1.77

85.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$1.32 €1.18

-14.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$0.72 €0.64

269.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$6.24 €5.55

-16.99%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$5.70 €5.07

248.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$1.22 €1.08

137.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$2.13 €1.90

70.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$1.61 €1.44

-30.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

$32.11 €28.56

126.22%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$4.01 €3.56

-46.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$1.41 €1.25

11.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$23.33 €20.75

-63.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$1.82 €1.62

-16.48%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$34.9K €31.0K

-38.01%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$29.3K €26.0K

17.92%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$144 €128

-33.05%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$18.14 €16.13

97.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$30.11 €26.78

77.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$45.43 €40.41

57.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

$15.40 €13.70

126.69%

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$9.07 €8.07

-13.01%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$478 €425

3.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$8,406 €7,477

41.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$86.6 €77.0

-37.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$36.80 €32.73

50.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$88.8 €79.0

-12.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$111 €98.8

-28.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$905 €805

-12.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$694 €617

14.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$1,370 €1,218

187.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$1,002 €892

41.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$3,268 €2,907

111.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

$2,175 €1,935

-43.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

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 11, 2026

Last update for Santa Pola: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Santa Pola

$694 42.1% 12.7% $101

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Santa Pola

$263 16% 25.4% $89

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Santa Pola

$239 14.5% 13% $27

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Santa Pola

$192 11.7% 3.4% $6.3

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Santa Pola

$145 8.8% 21.1% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Santa Pola

$64 3.9% 27.2% $24

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Santa Pola

$50 3% 43% $37

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $788 in Nosara versus $905 in Santa Pola. 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 $61.0 in Nosara versus $56.0 in Santa Pola. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $352 vs $263 – making Santa Pola the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇪🇸 Santa Pola

🕒 Local time

19:45 7:45 PM

03:45 3:45 AM

8 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

37,816

💱 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 18, 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 18, 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 Pola 8,900 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Santa Pola

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 Pola: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,839 in Nosara, $1,647 in Santa Pola – roughly 12% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,758 per month in Nosara and $2,470 in Santa Pola. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 126% less in Santa Pola. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $494 per month in Nosara and $478 in Santa Pola. 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 Pola, where all-in costs run around $1,647, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Santa Pola 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 $1,647 in Santa Pola 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 Pola. 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.