Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Seria

For one person, living is cheaper in Seria: $567 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $15,300 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
28

Cost of Living Index in Seria
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Seria Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Seria

🇧🇳 Brunei

$567

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Seria

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

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $567 in Seria, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
Seria $567

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $904 in Seria, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
Seria $904

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $1,242 in Seria, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
Seria $1,242

Nosara costs about 224% more than Seria, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Nosara sits 36% above the global median, while Seria is 58% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$3.13 BND 4.00

294.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$27.07 BND 34.64

126.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$5.36 BND 6.86

40.30%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.59 BND 2.04

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.32 BND 2.96

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$3.88 BND 4.97

13.66%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$0.91 BND 1.16

91.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$0.54 BND 0.69

142.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.81 BND 2.32

-13.81%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$1.43 BND 1.83

111.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$1.21 BND 1.55

107.44%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$1.38 BND 1.76

158.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$6.17 BND 7.90

20.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$4.41 BND 5.64

138.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$10.89 BND 13.93

28.28%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$3.20 BND 4.09

-26.56%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$2.23 BND 2.85

-27.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$2.98 BND 3.82

61.07%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$2.55 BND 3.27

-36.86%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$1.68 BND 2.15

126.19%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$2.08 BND 2.66

77.40%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$3.74 BND 4.79

-69.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$0.76 BND 0.98

250.00%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$23.42 BND 29.96

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.22 BND 4.12

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.08 BND 1.38

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$15.42 BND 19.73

-66.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

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

$4.02 BND 5.14

-46.77%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$3.25 BND 4.15

-51.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$11.77 BND 15.06

-27.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$0.30 BND 0.38

406.67%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$43.5K BND 55.7K

-50.38%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$36.2K BND 46.3K

-4.68%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$61.8 BND 79.0

55.91%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$15.66 BND 20.03

129.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$64.1 BND 82.0

-16.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$27.52 BND 35.20

160.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$5.36 BND 6.86

47.20%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$216 BND 276

129.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$9,750 BND 12.5K

21.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$31.04 BND 39.71

73.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$27.71 BND 35.45

99.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$50.3 BND 64.4

54.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$46.16 BND 59.1

72.47%

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

$716 BND 917

20.54%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

3.88

122.16%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Seria: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Seria

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Seria

$203 35.9% 42.3% $149

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Seria

$94 16.5% 55.9% $118

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Seria

$142 25% 23.8% $44

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Seria

$70 12.3% 41.8% $50

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Seria

$38 6.8% 56.2% $49

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Seria

$20 * 3.6% 76.8% $67

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

Cost Breakdown

Salaries run about 21% 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 $27.00 in Seria. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $352 vs $203 – making Seria the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇧🇳 Seria

🕒 Local time

22:41 10:41 PM

12:41 12:41 PM

14 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

30,097

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Brunei Dollar BND $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1 BND = 0.782 USD

1 BND = 0.695 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BND, USD, EUR to CRC – Costa Rican Colón Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Brunei Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1.28 BND (1 BND = 0.782 USD). 1 EUR = 1.44 BND (1 BND = 0.695 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Nosara Seria 17,270 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Seria

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 Seria: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,839 in Nosara, $567 in Seria – roughly 224% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,758 per month in Nosara and $850 in Seria. 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 $27.00 in Seria. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 73% more in Nosara, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Seria, where all-in costs run around $567, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Seria 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 $567 in Seria 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 Seria. 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.