Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Vigan

For one person, living is cheaper in Vigan: $718 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $13,500 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
36

Cost of Living Index in Vigan
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Vigan Living Index

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Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Vigan

🇵🇭 Philippines

$718

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Vigan

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

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $718 in Vigan, rent included.

Nosara $1,839
Vigan $718

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $1,125 in Vigan, rent included.

Nosara $2,828
Vigan $1,125

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $1,533 in Vigan, rent included.

Nosara $3,818
Vigan $1,533

Nosara costs about 156% more than Vigan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Nosara sits 36% above the global median, while Vigan is 47% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 ₡5,539

$3.89 ₱245

217.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 ₡27.4K

$16.49 ₱1,038

271.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 ₡3,373

$1.77 ₱112

324.86%

Cappuccino

$4.41 ₡1,978

$1.84 ₱116

139.67%

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

$1.74 ₡780

$0.55 ₱34.93

216.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₡587

$0.33 ₱20.81

296.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

$0.98 ₱62.0

234.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

$1.55 ₱97.8

188.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.67 ₱105

-6.59%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,355

$1.13 ₱71.0

167.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,125

$0.95 ₱60.0

164.21%

Eggs

$3.57 ₡1,603

$2.01 ₱126

77.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,333

$5.13 ₱323

44.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,717

$3.44 ₱216

205.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ₡6,265

$7.91 ₱498

76.61%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,052

$2.30 ₱145

2.17%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡720

$1.54 ₱96.9

4.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,152

$2.35 ₱148

104.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₡724

$1.03 ₱64.8

56.31%

Potato (1kg)

$3.80 ₡1,703

$1.74 ₱109

118.39%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,657

$1.72 ₱108

114.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

$0.61 ₱38.63

85.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.66 ₡1,191

$0.53 ₱33.07

401.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 ₡2,321

$2.93 ₱184

76.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.88 ₡8,916

$8.74 ₱550

127.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,300

$0.98 ₱61.5

195.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

$2.06 ₱129

76.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

$0.24 ₱15.21

366.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

$10.80 ₱680

572.59%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

$0.82 ₱51.5

160.98%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$0.23 ₱14.46

582.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

$1.92 ₱121

343.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

$1.27 ₱79.7

19.69%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

$21.5K ₱1.4M

0.48%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

$19.6K ₱1.2M

75.90%

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

$96.3 ₡43.2K

$139 ₱8,723

-30.51%

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

$35.89 ₡16.1K

$17.81 ₱1,121

101.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

$23.55 ₱1,483

127.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

$33.22 ₱2,091

115.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

$5.06 ₱319

589.92%

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

$5.10 ₱321

54.71%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

$131 ₱8,268

276.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

$10.6K ₱668.5K

11.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

$28.39 ₱1,787

90.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

$19.84 ₱1,249

179.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

$72.3 ₱4,555

7.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

$56.0 ₱3,526

42.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

$228 ₱14.4K

244.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

$156 ₱9,812

409.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

$525 ₱33.0K

650.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

$405 ₱25.5K

250.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

$2,466 ₱155.2K

180.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

$1,003 ₱63.1K

22.06%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

6.75

27.70%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Vigan: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Vigan

$156 21.7% 80.4% $638

Groceries & Markets

Nosara

$352 19.2%

Vigan

$175 24.4% 50.2% $177

Eating Out

Nosara

$212 11.5%

Vigan

$70 9.8% 66.9% $142

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nosara

$186 10.1%

Vigan

$180 25.1% 3.1% $5.8

Clothing & Footwear

Nosara

$120 6.5%

Vigan

$79 11.1% 33.8% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Vigan

$43 6.1% 50.3% $44

Getting Around

Nosara

$87 4.7%

Vigan

$14 1.9% 84.2% $73

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $788 in Nosara versus $228 in Vigan. 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 $16.00 in Vigan. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $352 vs $175 – making Vigan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Nosara

🇵🇭 Vigan

🕒 Local time

21:58 9:58 PM

11:58 11:58 AM

14 h ahead of Nosara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

53,879

💱 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 19, 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 19, 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

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Highest

Between locations

Nosara Vigan 15,820 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Nosara
Vigan

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 Vigan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,839 in Nosara, $718 in Vigan – roughly 156% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,758 per month in Nosara and $1,077 in Vigan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 573% less in Vigan. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $494 per month in Nosara and $131 in Vigan. 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 Vigan, where all-in costs run around $718, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Vigan 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 $718 in Vigan 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 Vigan. 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.