Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nosara and Vilagarcia de Arousa

For one person, living is cheaper in Vilagarcia de Arousa: $1,123 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $8,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Nosara
🇨🇷 Costa Rica
$1,839
/mo nomad
Vilagarcia de Arousa
🇪🇸 Spain
$1,123
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nosara and in Vilagarcia de Arousa

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 Vilagarcia de Arousa actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,839 per month in Nosara vs $1,123 in Vilagarcia de Arousa, rent included.

  • Nosara $1,839
  • Vilagarcia de Arousa $1,123

A couple spends around $2,828 per month in Nosara vs $1,665 in Vilagarcia de Arousa, rent included.

  • Nosara $2,828
  • Vilagarcia de Arousa $1,665

A family of three spends $3,818 per month in Nosara vs $2,207 in Vilagarcia de Arousa, rent included.

  • Nosara $3,818
  • Vilagarcia de Arousa $2,207

Nosara costs about 64% more than Vilagarcia de Arousa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Nosara sits 36% above the global median, while Vilagarcia de Arousa is 17% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Nosara
Vilagarcia de Arousa
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$12.35 ₡5,539
$9.13 €8.12
35.27%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$61.2 ₡27.4K
$37.96 €33.77
61.17%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.52 ₡3,373
$8.77 €7.80
-14.25%
Cappuccino
$4.41 ₡1,978
$1.75 €1.55
152.00%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.74 ₡780
$2.43 €2.16
-28.40%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.31 ₡587
$1.60 €1.42
-18.13%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.28 ₡1,471
$2.51 €2.24
30.68%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.47 ₡2,004
$3.27 €2.91
36.70%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Nosara
Vilagarcia de Arousa
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.56 ₡701
$0.99 €0.88
57.58%
White Bread (500g)
$3.02 ₡1,355
$1.33 €1.18
127.07%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.51 ₡1,125
$1.80 €1.60
39.44%
Eggs
$3.57 ₡1,603
$3.06 €2.72
16.67%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.43 ₡3,333
$6.63 €5.89
12.07%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.52 ₡4,717
$7.24 €6.44
45.30%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.97 ₡6,265
$7.96 €7.08
75.50%
Apples (1kg)
$2.35 ₡1,052
$2.55 €2.27
-7.84%
Banana (1kg)
$1.61 ₡720
$2.75 €2.44
-41.45%
Oranges (1kg)
$4.80 ₡2,152
$2.36 €2.10
103.39%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.61 ₡724
$2.31 €2.06
-30.30%
Potato (1kg)
$3.80 ₡1,703
$2.07 €1.84
83.57%
Onion (1kg)
$3.69 ₡1,657
$2.43 €2.16
51.85%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.13 ₡507
$1.52 €1.35
-25.66%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.66 ₡1,191
$0.72 €0.64
269.44%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$5.18 ₡2,321
$5.11 €4.55
1.37%
Wine (Bottle)
$19.88 ₡8,916
$4.38 €3.90
353.88%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.90 ₡1,300
$1.11 €0.99
161.26%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.63 ₡1,626
$1.97 €1.76
84.26%
🚌 Getting Around
Nosara
Vilagarcia de Arousa
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.12 ₡504
$1.67 €1.49
-32.93%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$72.6 ₡32.6K
$18.67 €16.61
289.07%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.14 ₡958
$5.15 €4.58
-58.45%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.57 ₡703
$1.13 €1.01
38.94%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.52 ₡3,823
$19.10 €16.99
-55.39%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.52 ₡682
$1.71 €1.52
-11.11%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.6K ₡9.7M
$35.0K €31.1K
-38.19%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.5K ₡15.5M
$29.0K €25.8K
19.22%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Nosara
Vilagarcia de Arousa
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$96.3 ₡43.2K
$144 €128
-33.17%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$35.89 ₡16.1K
$16.18 €14.40
121.82%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$53.6 ₡24.0K
$30.73 €27.34
74.39%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Nosara
Vilagarcia de Arousa
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$71.6 ₡32.1K
$28.00 €24.91
155.68%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$34.91 ₡15.7K
$15.45 €13.74
125.95%
Cinema Ticket
$7.89 ₡3,539
$8.28 €7.36
-4.71%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Nosara
Vilagarcia de Arousa
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$494 ₡221.6K
$270 €240
83.11%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.9K ₡5.3M
$6,669 €5,932
77.81%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Nosara
Vilagarcia de Arousa
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$53.9 ₡24.2K
$72.7 €64.7
-25.83%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$55.4 ₡24.8K
$30.73 €27.34
80.31%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$77.9 ₡34.9K
$72.9 €64.8
6.93%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$79.6 ₡35.7K
$130 €116
-38.84%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Nosara
Vilagarcia de Arousa
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$788 ₡353.4K
$543 €483
45.10%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$794 ₡356.2K
$341 €304
132.77%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$3,939 ₡1.8M
$784 €697
402.40%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,419 ₡636.5K
$501 €446
183.19%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$6,912 ₡3.1M
$1,461 €1,300
373.02%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,224 ₡549.0K
$836 €744
46.43%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Nosara
Vilagarcia de Arousa
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$864 ₡387.3K
$2,245 €1,997
-61.53%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
8.62
3.77
128.65%

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

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Vilagarcia de Arousa: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Nosara
$794
Vilagarcia de Arousa
$341 57% $453
Groceries & Markets
Nosara
$352
Vilagarcia de Arousa
$217 38.5% $135
Eating Out
Nosara
$212
Vilagarcia de Arousa
$156 26.6% $56
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Nosara
$186
Vilagarcia de Arousa
$191 2.8% $5.2
Clothing & Footwear
Nosara
$120
Vilagarcia de Arousa
$138 14.8% $18
Sport & Entertainment
Nosara
$87
Vilagarcia de Arousa
$45 49% $43
Getting Around
Nosara
$87
Vilagarcia de Arousa
$36 58.5% $51

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $788 in Nosara versus $543 in Vilagarcia de Arousa. 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 160% higher in Vilagarcia de Arousa, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Nosara versus $38.00 in Vilagarcia de Arousa. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $352 vs $217 – making Vilagarcia de Arousa the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇨🇷 Nosara
🇪🇸 Vilagarcia de Arousa
🕒 Local time
18:14 6:14 PM
02:14 2:14 AM
8 h ahead of Nosara
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
4,912
37,689
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to CRC – Costa Rican Colón Converter

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).

Euro exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

On the map
Between locations
  • Nosara Vilagarcia de Arousa 8,190 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Nosara
  • Vilagarcia de Arousa

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 Vilagarcia de Arousa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Nosara and in Vilagarcia de Arousa compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $1,839 in Nosara, $1,123 in Vilagarcia de Arousa – roughly 64% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.
What salary covers living expenses in Nosara compared to Vilagarcia de Arousa?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,758 per month in Nosara and $1,685 in Vilagarcia de Arousa. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Nosara and Vilagarcia de Arousa?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Vilagarcia de Arousa, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
How do commuting costs compare in Nosara and in Vilagarcia de Arousa?
Public transport costs about 289% less in Vilagarcia de Arousa. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Nosara and Vilagarcia de Arousa?
Kindergarten costs $494 per month in Nosara and $270 in Vilagarcia de Arousa. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Which city is more doable on $1,000 per month?
A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Vilagarcia de Arousa, where all-in costs run around $1,123, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Vilagarcia de Arousa it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
How does quality of life compare between Nosara and Vilagarcia de Arousa?
It depends on your priorities. Nosara has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,123 in Vilagarcia de Arousa to $1,839 in Nosara. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
Is Nosara or Vilagarcia de Arousa safer for residents?
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.
How do I decide between Nosara and Vilagarcia de Arousa?
If budget matters most, go with Vilagarcia de Arousa. 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.

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