Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Valdivia

For one person, living is cheaper in Valdivia: $1,015 a month against $1,837 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $9,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Valdivia
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Valdivia Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Valdivia

🇨🇱 Chile

$1,015

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Valdivia

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

A single person spends $1,837 per month in Nosara vs $1,015 in Valdivia, rent included.

Nosara $1,837
Valdivia $1,015

A couple spends around $2,775 per month in Nosara vs $1,560 in Valdivia, rent included.

Nosara $2,775
Valdivia $1,560

A family of three spends $3,712 per month in Nosara vs $2,104 in Valdivia, rent included.

Nosara $3,712
Valdivia $2,104

Nosara costs about 81% more than Valdivia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Nosara sits 37% above the global median, while Valdivia is 24% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.22 ₡5,509

$6.25 CLP 6,107

95.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.2 ₡27.1K

$46.87 CLP 45.8K

28.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 ₡3,399

$6.88 CLP 6,727

9.59%

Cappuccino

$4.31 ₡1,941

$2.14 CLP 2,087

101.40%

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

$1.72 ₡773

$2.05 CLP 2,008

-16.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.35 ₡608

$1.26 CLP 1,229

7.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ₡1,459

$3.53 CLP 3,454

-8.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 ₡2,018

$3.54 CLP 3,456

26.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡707

$1.19 CLP 1,164

31.93%

White Bread (500g)

$3.17 ₡1,429

$1.30 CLP 1,270

143.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 ₡1,091

$1.62 CLP 1,579

49.38%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,609

$3.09 CLP 3,024

15.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,349

$8.80 CLP 8,598

-15.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.42 ₡4,697

$6.40 CLP 6,259

62.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.66 ₡6,156

$12.61 CLP 12.3K

8.33%

Apples (1kg)

$2.32 ₡1,044

$2.19 CLP 2,140

5.94%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡728

$1.88 CLP 1,836

-14.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.74 ₡2,138

$1.73 CLP 1,696

173.99%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 ₡747

$1.86 CLP 1,821

-10.75%

Potato (1kg)

$3.72 ₡1,679

$2.43 CLP 2,371

53.09%

Onion (1kg)

$3.57 ₡1,611

$1.50 CLP 1,463

138.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 ₡497

$1.48 CLP 1,449

-25.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.55 ₡1,149

$1.11 CLP 1,087

129.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.95 ₡2,232

$5.05 CLP 4,934

-1.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.01 ₡9,020

$4.49 CLP 4,392

345.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.79 ₡1,256

$1.47 CLP 1,440

89.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.53 ₡1,589

$2.15 CLP 2,100

64.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.19 ₡537

$0.56 CLP 549

112.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.1 ₡32.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.24 ₡1,011

$1.00 CLP 978

124.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 ₡701

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₡3,993

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.57 ₡708

$1.50 CLP 1,463

4.67%

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

$21.8K ₡9.8M

$14.9K CLP 14.6M

46.05%

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

$34.6K ₡15.6M

$17.8K CLP 17.4M

94.80%

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

$93.5 ₡42.1K

$89.0 CLP 87.0K

5.01%

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

$35.11 ₡15.8K

$13.86 CLP 13.5K

153.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.5 ₡23.2K

$30.85 CLP 30.1K

66.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.4 ₡32.2K

$40.34 CLP 39.4K

77.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.44 ₡16.0K

$24.05 CLP 23.5K

47.36%

Cinema Ticket

$7.84 ₡3,535

$4.60 CLP 4,501

70.43%

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

$490 ₡220.7K

$245 CLP 239.8K

99.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.4M

$3,064 CLP 3.0M

287.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ₡24.1K

$51.8 CLP 50.6K

3.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.8 ₡25.1K

$17.82 CLP 17.4K

212.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 ₡35.7K

$49.57 CLP 48.5K

59.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.9 ₡35.6K

$78.2 CLP 76.4K

0.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$786 ₡354.3K

$570 CLP 556.9K

37.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$780 ₡351.6K

$371 CLP 362.1K

110.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,860 ₡1.7M

$975 CLP 952.7K

295.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 ₡634.4K

$560 CLP 547.4K

151.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,972 ₡3.1M

$4,505 CLP 4.4M

54.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,201 ₡541.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$876 ₡395.0K

$619 CLP 604.7K

41.63%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

4.5

91.56%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Last update for Valdivia: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$780 43%

Valdivia

$370 36.7% 52.5% $409

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$350 19.3%

Valdivia

$229 22.7% 34.6% $121

Eating Out

Nosara

$209 11.6%

Valdivia

$134 13.3% 35.9% $75

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$180 9.9%

Valdivia

$134 13.3% 25.7% $46

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.6%

Valdivia

$89 8.8% 26.2% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Valdivia

$50 4.9% 43.1% $38

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Valdivia

$3.3 * 0.3% 96.3% $84

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $786 in Nosara versus $570 in Valdivia. 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 42% 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 $60.0 in Nosara versus $47.00 in Valdivia. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $350 vs $229 – making Valdivia the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇨🇱 Valdivia

🕒 Local time

04:06 4:06 AM

07:06 7:06 AM

3 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

150,048

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Chilean Peso CLP $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

10,000 CLP = 10.23 USD

10,000 CLP = 9.13 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 505 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Chilean Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 977 CLP (1,000 CLP = 1.02 USD). 1 EUR = 1,095 CLP (10,000 CLP = 9.13 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Valdivia 5,680 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Valdivia

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 Valdivia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,837 in Nosara, $1,015 in Valdivia – roughly 81% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,756 per month in Nosara and $1,522 in Valdivia. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Valdivia, 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 $60.0 in Nosara and $47.00 in Valdivia. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 53% 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 Valdivia, where all-in costs run around $1,015, than in Nosara at $1,837. In Valdivia 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 $1,015 in Valdivia to $1,837 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 Valdivia. 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.