Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Siargao

For one person, living is cheaper in Siargao: $787 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $12,600 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
38

Cost of Living Index in Siargao
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Siargao Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Siargao

🇵🇭 Philippines

$787

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Siargao

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

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $787 in Siargao, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
Siargao $787

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $1,226 in Siargao, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
Siargao $1,226

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $1,664 in Siargao, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
Siargao $1,664

Nosara costs about 134% more than Siargao, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Nosara sits 36% above the global median, while Siargao is 42% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,547

$3.60 ₱227

243.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.5K

$19.21 ₱1,210

218.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,377

$3.36 ₱212

123.81%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,981

$2.62 ₱165

68.32%

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

$1.74 ₡781

$0.78 ₱49.46

123.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡588

$0.40 ₱24.97

227.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,473

$1.25 ₱79.0

162.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,007

$2.18 ₱138

105.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡702

$1.88 ₱119

-17.02%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,357

$1.23 ₱77.4

145.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,127

$0.96 ₱60.3

161.46%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,605

$2.00 ₱126

78.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,338

$8.23 ₱519

-9.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,724

$4.32 ₱273

143.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,274

$7.50 ₱473

86.27%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,054

$2.97 ₱187

-20.88%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡721

$1.58 ₱99.9

1.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,155

$2.58 ₱162

86.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡725

$1.62 ₱102

-0.62%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,706

$2.25 ₱142

68.89%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,659

$2.53 ₱160

45.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$1.10 ₱69.4

2.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,193

$0.71 ₱44.50

274.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,324

$2.83 ₱178

83.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,929

$6.79 ₱428

192.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,302

$1.19 ₱75.3

143.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,628

$2.03 ₱128

78.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡505

$0.26 ₱16.34

330.77%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

$11.65 ₱734

523.52%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡959

$0.78 ₱48.93

174.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡704

$0.22 ₱13.82

613.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,828

$2.08 ₱131

309.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡683

$1.15 ₱72.5

32.17%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$26.3K ₱1.7M

-17.71%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$20.2K ₱1.3M

71.21%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$112 ₱7,067

-14.13%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$33.18 ₱2,091

8.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.1K

$27.75 ₱1,749

93.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.2K

$34.05 ₱2,146

110.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

$4.45 ₱280

684.49%

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,544

$5.85 ₱368

34.87%

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

$494 ₡221.9K

$154 ₱9,706

220.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$4,271 ₱269.1K

177.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$46.34 ₱2,920

16.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.9K

$26.69 ₱1,682

107.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡35.0K

$76.7 ₱4,831

1.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.8K

$54.2 ₱3,413

47.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.9K

$266 ₱16.8K

195.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.7K

$174 ₱10.9K

357.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$582 ₱36.7K

576.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡637.4K

$387 ₱24.4K

267.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$2,349 ₱148.0K

194.21%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.8K

$978 ₱61.6K

25.19%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

6.67

29.24%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Siargao: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Siargao

$174 22.1% 78.1% $621

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Siargao

$203 25.8% 42.4% $150

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Siargao

$86 10.9% 59.5% $126

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Siargao

$173 22% 6.8% $13

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Siargao

$92 11.7% 23.6% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Siargao

$46 5.8% 47.6% $42

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Siargao

$15 1.9% 83.3% $73

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $788 in Nosara versus $266 in Siargao. 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 $19.00 in Siargao. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $352 vs $203 – making Siargao the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇵🇭 Siargao

🕒 Local time

01:26 1:26 AM

15:26 3:26 PM

14 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

150,000

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.42 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 16, 2026: 1 USD = 449 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 503 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 16, 2026: 1 USD = 63.02 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.65 PHP (100 PHP = 1.42 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Nosara Siargao 15,870 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Siargao

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 Siargao: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,839 in Nosara, $787 in Siargao – roughly 134% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,758 per month in Nosara and $1,181 in Siargao. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 524% less in Siargao. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $494 per month in Nosara and $154 in Siargao. 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 Siargao, where all-in costs run around $787, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Siargao 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 $787 in Siargao 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 Siargao. 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.