Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Santiago City

For one person, living is cheaper in Santiago City: $854 a month against $1,835 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $11,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index
41

Cost of Living Index in Santiago City
Learn more

Santiago City Living Index

Jump to prices

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Santiago City

🇵🇭 Philippines

$854

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Santiago City

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

A single person spends $1,835 per month in Nosara vs $854 in Santiago City, rent included.

Nosara $1,835
Santiago City $854

A couple spends around $2,825 per month in Nosara vs $1,345 in Santiago City, rent included.

Nosara $2,825
Santiago City $1,345

A family of three spends $3,814 per month in Nosara vs $1,836 in Santiago City, rent included.

Nosara $3,814
Santiago City $1,836

Nosara costs about 115% more than Santiago City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Nosara sits 35% above the global median, while Santiago City is 37% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.34 ₡5,535

$6.51 ₱410

89.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.3 ₡27.5K

$39.27 ₱2,472

56.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.76 ₡3,481

$4.89 ₱308

58.69%

Cappuccino

$4.44 ₡1,992

$2.66 ₱168

66.92%

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

$1.79 ₡803

$1.10 ₱69.4

62.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.29 ₡580

$0.54 ₱33.94

138.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ₡1,451

$2.34 ₱147

38.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.43 ₡1,985

$3.17 ₱200

39.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡696

$1.92 ₱121

-19.27%

White Bread (500g)

$3.08 ₡1,380

$1.28 ₱80.6

140.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.53 ₡1,133

$1.01 ₱63.7

150.50%

Eggs

$3.45 ₡1,546

$1.42 ₱89.2

142.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.32 ₡3,284

$7.36 ₱463

-0.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.24 ₡4,594

$4.95 ₱311

106.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.10 ₡6,326

$6.77 ₱426

108.27%

Apples (1kg)

$2.29 ₡1,027

$2.43 ₱153

-5.76%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 ₡737

$1.96 ₱123

-16.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.79 ₡2,149

$3.20 ₱202

49.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.64 ₡735

$2.31 ₱145

-29.00%

Potato (1kg)

$3.85 ₡1,727

$3.65 ₱230

5.48%

Onion (1kg)

$3.75 ₡1,681

$3.52 ₱221

6.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.09 ₡488

$1.12 ₱70.4

-2.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.59 ₡1,160

$0.58 ₱36.26

346.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.12 ₡2,295

$2.60 ₱163

96.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.92 ₡8,931

$7.99 ₱503

149.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.80 ₡1,255

$1.32 ₱83.0

112.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.52 ₡1,580

$2.05 ₱129

71.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.22 ₡549

$0.24 ₱15.03

408.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.9 ₡33.1K

$11.36 ₱715

550.53%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.17 ₡973

$0.62 ₱39.29

250.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 ₡698

$0.23 ₱14.53

578.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.67 ₡3,886

$1.93 ₱121

349.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡697

$1.26 ₱79.4

23.02%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$21.6K ₱1.4M

60.23%

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

$38.7K ₡17.4M

$19.9K ₱1.3M

94.38%

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

$94.8 ₡42.5K

$155 ₱9,755

-38.80%

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

$36.15 ₡16.2K

$16.27 ₱1,025

122.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.1 ₡23.8K

$31.63 ₱1,991

67.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$73.8 ₡33.1K

$32.06 ₱2,019

130.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.63 ₡16.0K

$4.73 ₱298

653.28%

Cinema Ticket

$7.91 ₡3,548

$7.27 ₱458

8.80%

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

$490 ₡219.9K

$135 ₱8,518

262.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$7,571 ₱476.7K

56.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.8 ₡24.6K

$33.62 ₱2,116

62.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.9 ₡25.1K

$19.43 ₱1,223

187.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.4 ₡36.0K

$79.8 ₱5,025

0.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$55.2 ₱3,478

40.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$801 ₡359.1K

$266 ₱16.7K

201.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$790 ₡354.1K

$170 ₱10.7K

365.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,005 ₡1.8M

$521 ₱32.8K

668.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,409 ₡632.0K

$360 ₱22.7K

291.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,064 ₡3.2M

$2,370 ₱149.2K

198.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,236 ₡554.3K

$994 ₱62.6K

24.30%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$887 ₡397.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

7.5

14.93%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 20, 2026

Last update for Santiago City: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$790 43%

Santiago City

$170 19.9% 78.5% $620

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$350 19.1%

Santiago City

$213 25% 39% $137

Eating Out

Nosara

$213 11.6%

Santiago City

$123 14.4% 42% $89

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$184 10%

Santiago City

$203 23.7% 10.2% $19

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$121 6.6%

Santiago City

$85 9.9% 30.1% $36

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$90 4.9%

Santiago City

$47 5.5% 48% $43

Getting Around

Nosara

$89 4.8%

Santiago City

$14 1.7% 84.1% $75

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $801 in Nosara versus $266 in Santiago City. 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 $39.00 in Santiago City. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $350 vs $213 – making Santiago City the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇵🇭 Santiago City

🕒 Local time

18:51 6:51 PM

08:51 8:51 AM

14 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

108,414

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, USD, EUR 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).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.78 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Santiago City 15,800 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Santiago City

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 Santiago City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,835 in Nosara, $854 in Santiago City – roughly 115% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,753 per month in Nosara and $1,281 in Santiago City. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 551% less in Santiago City. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $490 per month in Nosara and $135 in Santiago City. 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 Santiago City, where all-in costs run around $854, than in Nosara at $1,835. In Santiago City 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 $854 in Santiago City 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 Santiago City. 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.