Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Upala

For one person, living is cheaper in Upala: $1,439 a month against $1,846 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $4,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

88

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index
68

Cost of Living Index in Upala
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Upala Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,846

/mo nomad

Upala

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,439

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Upala

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

A single person spends $1,846 per month in Nosara vs $1,439 in Upala, rent included.

Nosara $1,846
Upala $1,439

A couple spends around $2,833 per month in Nosara vs $2,252 in Upala, rent included.

Nosara $2,833
Upala $2,252

A family of three spends $3,820 per month in Nosara vs $3,065 in Upala, rent included.

Nosara $3,820
Upala $3,065

Nosara costs about 28% more than Upala, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Nosara and Upala sit above the global median – Nosara by 36%, Upala by 6%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.36 ₡5,556

$12.38 ₡5,565

-0.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.8 ₡27.3K

$53.9 ₡24.2K

12.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.88 ₡3,544

$11.47 ₡5,158

-31.30%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₡1,979

$3.67 ₡1,650

19.89%

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

$1.72 ₡773

$1.75 ₡786

-1.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.34 ₡601

$1.75 ₡786

-23.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.34 ₡1,500

$3.38 ₡1,519

-1.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.54 ₡2,041

$4.42 ₡1,989

2.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.64 ₡736

$2.18 ₡980

-24.77%

White Bread (500g)

$3.16 ₡1,421

$1.62 ₡730

95.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.39 ₡1,076

$2.40 ₡1,081

-0.42%

Eggs

$3.47 ₡1,558

$2.70 ₡1,212

28.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.13 ₡3,206

$3.32 ₡1,492

114.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.32 ₡4,639

$6.75 ₡3,035

52.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,280

$8.80 ₡3,959

58.75%

Apples (1kg)

$2.29 ₡1,028

$1.73 ₡780

32.37%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 ₡729

$0.67 ₡302

141.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.81 ₡2,162

$2.89 ₡1,301

66.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.68 ₡755

$2.71 ₡1,218

-38.01%

Potato (1kg)

$3.91 ₡1,759

$3.72 ₡1,673

5.11%

Onion (1kg)

$3.63 ₡1,634

$2.72 ₡1,221

33.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡508

$1.12 ₡506

0.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.63 ₡1,184

$2.59 ₡1,163

1.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.02 ₡2,259

$5.76 ₡2,591

-12.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.71 ₡8,863

$8.83 ₡3,973

123.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.91 ₡1,310

$2.69 ₡1,208

8.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.54 ₡1,592

$3.53 ₡1,589

0.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.21 ₡543

$1.45 ₡652

-16.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.8 ₡33.2K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.15 ₡966

$2.37 ₡1,065

-9.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 ₡735

$1.54 ₡694

5.84%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.77 ₡3,945

$6.44 ₡2,895

36.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡698

$1.42 ₡641

9.15%

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

$33.9K ₡15.2M

$33.6K ₡15.1M

0.79%

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

$38.5K ₡17.3M

$41.4K ₡18.6M

-7.09%

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

$95.2 ₡42.8K

$56.9 ₡25.6K

67.39%

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

$36.29 ₡16.3K

$35.83 ₡16.1K

1.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.0 ₡23.4K

$22.24 ₡10.0K

133.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.6 ₡30.4K

$66.5 ₡29.9K

1.62%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.55 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$7.54 ₡3,392

$7.78 ₡3,499

-3.08%

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

$496 ₡223.3K

$969 ₡435.8K

-48.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.8K ₡5.3M

$16.9K ₡7.6M

-30.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.1 ₡24.8K

$32.78 ₡14.7K

68.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.1 ₡25.2K

$22.09 ₡9,936

153.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.8 ₡35.0K

$131 ₡58.7K

-40.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.1 ₡35.6K

$33.23 ₡14.9K

137.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$817 ₡367.6K

$858 ₡386.0K

-4.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$806 ₡362.3K

$654 ₡294.3K

23.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,988 ₡1.8M

$1,766 ₡794.4K

125.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,429 ₡642.7K

$1,218 ₡547.9K

17.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,068 ₡3.2M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,197 ₡538.2K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$888 ₡399.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

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

Last update for Nosara: October 24, 2026

Last update for Upala: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$806 43.7%

Upala

$654 45.5% 18.8% $151

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$351 19%

Upala

$257 17.8% 26.9% $95

Eating Out

Nosara

$213 11.6%

Upala

$217 15.1% 1.8% $3.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$184 9.9%

Upala

$115 8% 37.4% $69

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$121 6.5%

Upala

$98 6.8% 18.4% $22

Getting Around

Nosara

$89 4.8%

Upala

$16 * 1.1% 82.1% $73

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$83 4.5%

Upala

$82 5.7% 0.7% $0.6

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $817 in Nosara versus $858 in Upala. 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 in Nosara versus $54 in Upala. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $351 vs $257 – making Upala the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇨🇷 Upala

🕒 Local time

21:54 9:54 PM

Same time as Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

15,000

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Nosara Upala 120 km

From you

Nosara
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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 Upala: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,846 in Nosara, $1,439 in Upala – Upala comes out roughly 22% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,769 per month in Nosara and $2,159 in Upala. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $817 in Nosara and $858 in Upala. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61 in Nosara and $54 in Upala. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 37% more in Nosara, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,846 in Nosara and $1,439 in Upala. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Nosara has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,439 in Upala to $1,846 in Nosara. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.