Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Tagbilaran City

For one person, living is cheaper in Tagbilaran City: $624 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $14,600 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
30

Cost of Living Index in Tagbilaran City
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Tagbilaran City Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Tagbilaran City

🇵🇭 Philippines

$624

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Tagbilaran 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 Tagbilaran City actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $624 in Tagbilaran City, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
Tagbilaran City $624

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $1,001 in Tagbilaran City, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
Tagbilaran City $1,001

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $1,378 in Tagbilaran City, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
Tagbilaran City $1,378

Nosara costs about 194% more than Tagbilaran City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Nosara sits 36% above the global median, while Tagbilaran City is 54% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$2.98 ₱187

314.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$17.24 ₱1,085

254.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$2.89 ₱182

160.21%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$2.47 ₱156

78.54%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$0.94 ₱58.9

85.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$0.46 ₱29.04

184.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$0.83 ₱52.1

295.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$2.18 ₱137

105.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.55 ₱97.4

0.65%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$1.06 ₱66.9

184.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$0.90 ₱56.7

178.89%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$1.75 ₱110

104.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$9.33 ₱587

-20.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$4.37 ₱275

140.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$7.55 ₱475

85.03%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$2.86 ₱180

-17.83%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$1.35 ₱85.2

19.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$2.41 ₱152

99.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$1.52 ₱95.7

5.92%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$2.42 ₱152

57.02%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$1.97 ₱124

87.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$0.65 ₱40.89

73.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$0.46 ₱29.15

478.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$2.38 ₱150

117.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$6.11 ₱385

225.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$0.90 ₱56.8

222.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$1.07 ₱67.3

239.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$0.47 ₱29.39

138.30%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$0.77 ₱48.52

177.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$0.23 ₱14.50

582.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$4.38 ₱276

94.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$1.04 ₱65.5

46.15%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$21.0K ₱1.3M

2.88%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$19.6K ₱1.2M

76.16%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$80.8 ₱5,085

19.22%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$14.28 ₱899

151.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$25.27 ₱1,591

112.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$11.21 ₱706

538.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

$3.35 ₱211

942.09%

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$3.62 ₱228

117.96%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$281 ₱17.7K

75.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$8,018 ₱504.8K

47.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$37.11 ₱2,336

45.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$17.96 ₱1,131

208.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$64.0 ₱4,031

21.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$57.0 ₱3,591

39.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$194 ₱12.2K

306.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$139 ₱8,774

469.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$477 ₱30.0K

725.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$339 ₱21.3K

318.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$785 ₱49.4K

780.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

$470 ₱29.6K

160.58%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

$178 ₱11.2K

384.87%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

7.2

19.72%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Tagbilaran City: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Tagbilaran City

$139 22.3% 82.5% $655

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Tagbilaran City

$187 30% 46.9% $165

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Tagbilaran City

$76 12.2% 64% $136

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Tagbilaran City

$120 19.3% 35.2% $65

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Tagbilaran City

$79 12.7% 34% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Tagbilaran City

$18 3% 78.9% $69

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Tagbilaran City

$3.8 * 0.6% 95.6% $83

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $788 in Nosara versus $194 in Tagbilaran City. 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 385% 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 $17.00 in Tagbilaran City. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $352 vs $187 – making Tagbilaran City the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇵🇭 Tagbilaran City

🕒 Local time

20:05 8:05 PM

10:05 10:05 AM

14 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

86,411

💱 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 18, 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 18, 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 Tagbilaran City 16,090 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Tagbilaran 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 Tagbilaran City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,839 in Nosara, $624 in Tagbilaran City – roughly 194% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,758 per month in Nosara and $937 in Tagbilaran City. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Nosara and $17.00 in Tagbilaran City. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 88% 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 $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Tagbilaran City, where all-in costs run around $624, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Tagbilaran 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 $624 in Tagbilaran City 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 Tagbilaran 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.