Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Valparaiso

For one person, living is cheaper in Valparaiso: $1,097 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $8,900 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
53

Cost of Living Index in Valparaiso
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Valparaiso Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Valparaiso

🇨🇱 Chile

$1,097

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Valparaiso

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

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $1,097 in Valparaiso, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
Valparaiso $1,097

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $1,615 in Valparaiso, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
Valparaiso $1,615

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $2,133 in Valparaiso, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
Valparaiso $2,133

Nosara costs about 68% more than Valparaiso, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Nosara sits 36% above the global median, while Valparaiso is 19% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,550

$9.15 CLP 9,012

34.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.5K

$35.79 CLP 35.3K

70.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,379

$8.24 CLP 8,118

-8.74%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,982

$2.80 CLP 2,754

57.50%

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

$1.74 ₡781

$1.13 CLP 1,109

53.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡588

$0.83 CLP 818

57.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,474

$3.97 CLP 3,907

-17.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,008

$4.46 CLP 4,396

0.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡702

$1.24 CLP 1,225

25.81%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,358

$1.76 CLP 1,735

71.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,127

$1.57 CLP 1,548

59.87%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,606

$3.94 CLP 3,881

-9.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,340

$11.32 CLP 11.1K

-34.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,727

$6.94 CLP 6,835

51.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,277

$9.10 CLP 8,964

53.52%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,054

$1.61 CLP 1,588

45.96%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡721

$1.56 CLP 1,537

3.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,156

$1.54 CLP 1,516

211.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡725

$1.57 CLP 1,546

2.55%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,706

$0.95 CLP 936

300.00%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,660

$1.29 CLP 1,271

186.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡508

$1.19 CLP 1,169

-5.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,193

$1.13 CLP 1,110

135.40%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,326

$4.30 CLP 4,233

20.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,934

$5.13 CLP 5,052

287.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,303

$1.34 CLP 1,318

116.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,629

$1.80 CLP 1,770

101.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡505

$0.58 CLP 570

93.10%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

$52.1 CLP 51.3K

39.48%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡960

$0.39 CLP 389

448.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡705

$0.84 CLP 825

86.90%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,830

$3.69 CLP 3,631

130.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡683

$1.44 CLP 1,417

5.56%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$14.3K CLP 14.1M

51.47%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$18.7K CLP 18.4M

84.46%

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

$96.3 ₡43.3K

$115 CLP 112.9K

-16.01%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$12.38 CLP 12.2K

189.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.1K

$18.89 CLP 18.6K

183.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.2K

$24.08 CLP 23.7K

197.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

$22.81 CLP 22.5K

53.05%

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,546

$7.68 CLP 7,561

2.73%

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

$494 ₡222.0K

$433 CLP 426.4K

14.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$10.8K CLP 10.7M

9.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$32.15 CLP 31.7K

67.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.9K

$28.47 CLP 28.0K

94.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡35.0K

$54.1 CLP 53.2K

44.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.8K

$49.03 CLP 48.3K

62.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡354.1K

$463 CLP 455.8K

70.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.9K

$387 CLP 381.4K

105.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$669 CLP 658.5K

489.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡637.7K

$554 CLP 545.5K

156.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$1,543 CLP 1.5M

347.82%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡550.0K

$1,037 CLP 1.0M

18.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡388.0K

$758 CLP 746.9K

13.88%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

5.39

59.93%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Valparaiso: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Valparaiso

$387 35.3% 51.2% $407

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Valparaiso

$224 20.4% 36.5% $129

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Valparaiso

$168 15.3% 20.7% $44

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Valparaiso

$146 13.3% 21.4% $40

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Valparaiso

$74 6.7% 38.7% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Valparaiso

$39 3.6% 54.9% $48

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Valparaiso

$59 5.4% 32.3% $28

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $788 in Nosara versus $463 in Valparaiso. 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 14% 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 $36.00 in Valparaiso. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $352 vs $224 – making Valparaiso the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇨🇱 Valparaiso

🕒 Local time

02:50 2:50 AM

05:50 5:50 AM

3 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

251,177

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Chilean Peso CLP $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR

10,000 CLP = 10.15 USD

10,000 CLP = 9.07 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 15, 2026: 1 USD = 449 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 503 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

Chilean Peso exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 985 CLP (1,000 CLP = 1.02 USD). 1 EUR = 1,103 CLP (10,000 CLP = 9.07 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nosara Valparaiso 5,010 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Valparaiso

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 Valparaiso: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,839 in Nosara, $1,097 in Valparaiso – roughly 68% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,758 per month in Nosara and $1,646 in Valparaiso. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 39% less in Valparaiso. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $494 per month in Nosara and $433 in Valparaiso. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Valparaiso, where all-in costs run around $1,097, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Valparaiso 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 $1,097 in Valparaiso 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 Valparaiso. 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.