Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nueva Ecija and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nueva Ecija: $529 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $15,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Nueva Ecija
🇵🇭 Philippines
$529
/mo nomad
Nosara
🇨🇷 Costa Rica
$1,839
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nueva Ecija and in Nosara

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Nueva Ecija and in Nosara actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $529 per month in Nueva Ecija vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

  • Nueva Ecija $529
  • Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $935 per month in Nueva Ecija vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

  • Nueva Ecija $935
  • Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $1,340 per month in Nueva Ecija vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

  • Nueva Ecija $1,340
  • Nosara $3,818

Nueva Ecija is about 71% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Nueva Ecija sits 61% below the global median, while Nosara is 36% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Nueva Ecija
Nosara
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.90 ₱246
$12.35 ₡5,539
-68.42%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$16.99 ₱1,070
$61.2 ₡27.4K
-72.23%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$2.74 ₱173
$7.52 ₡3,373
-63.56%
Cappuccino
$1.42 ₱89.2
$4.41 ₡1,978
-67.80%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.56 ₱35.40
$1.74 ₡780
-67.82%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.30 ₱19.18
$1.31 ₡587
-77.10%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$0.97 ₱61.2
$3.28 ₡1,471
-70.43%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.56 ₱98.5
$4.47 ₡2,004
-65.10%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Nueva Ecija
Nosara
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.67 ₱105
$1.56 ₡701
7.05%
White Bread (500g)
$0.96 ₱60.5
$3.02 ₡1,355
-68.21%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.89 ₱56.0
$2.51 ₡1,125
-64.54%
Eggs
$1.54 ₱96.7
$3.57 ₡1,603
-56.86%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$5.22 ₱329
$7.43 ₡3,333
-29.74%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.31 ₱208
$10.52 ₡4,717
-68.54%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$5.65 ₱356
$13.97 ₡6,265
-59.56%
Apples (1kg)
$2.20 ₱139
$2.35 ₡1,052
-6.38%
Banana (1kg)
$0.73 ₱46.06
$1.61 ₡720
-54.66%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.76 ₱111
$4.80 ₡2,152
-63.33%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.08 ₱67.8
$1.61 ₡724
-32.92%
Potato (1kg)
$1.66 ₱105
$3.80 ₡1,703
-56.32%
Onion (1kg)
$1.72 ₱109
$3.69 ₡1,657
-53.39%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.62 ₱38.73
$1.13 ₡507
-45.13%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.43 ₱26.97
$2.66 ₡1,191
-83.83%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.26 ₱142
$5.18 ₡2,321
-56.37%
Wine (Bottle)
$4.36 ₱275
$19.88 ₡8,916
-78.07%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$0.96 ₱60.3
$2.90 ₡1,300
-66.90%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.00 ₱126
$3.63 ₡1,626
-44.90%
🚌 Getting Around
Nueva Ecija
Nosara
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.27 ₱16.99
$1.12 ₡504
-75.89%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$5.51 ₱347
$72.6 ₡32.6K
-92.41%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.70 ₱44.14
$2.14 ₡958
-67.29%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.14 ₱9.01
$1.57 ₡703
-91.08%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$1.01 ₱63.9
$8.52 ₡3,823
-88.15%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.92 ₱58.1
$1.52 ₡682
-39.47%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$16.1K ₱1.0M
$21.6K ₡9.7M
-25.69%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$19.2K ₱1.2M
$34.5K ₡15.5M
-44.50%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Nueva Ecija
Nosara
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$78.7 ₱4,954
$96.3 ₡43.2K
-18.28%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$17.23 ₱1,085
$35.89 ₡16.1K
-51.99%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$18.30 ₱1,152
$53.6 ₡24.0K
-65.85%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Nueva Ecija
Nosara
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$36.48 ₱2,297
$71.6 ₡32.1K
-49.04%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$4.38 ₱276
$34.91 ₡15.7K
-87.45%
Cinema Ticket
$4.48 ₱282
$7.89 ₡3,539
-43.22%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Nueva Ecija
Nosara
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$134 ₱8,440
$494 ₡221.6K
-72.87%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$10.6K ₱669.6K
$11.9K ₡5.3M
-10.32%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Nueva Ecija
Nosara
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$29.15 ₱1,835
$53.9 ₡24.2K
-45.96%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$19.55 ₱1,231
$55.4 ₡24.8K
-64.72%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$70.6 ₱4,442
$77.9 ₡34.9K
-9.45%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$54.7 ₱3,445
$79.6 ₡35.7K
-31.26%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Nueva Ecija
Nosara
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$114 ₱7,197
$788 ₡353.4K
-85.50%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$68.6 ₱4,321
$794 ₡356.2K
-91.36%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$173 ₱10.9K
$3,939 ₡1.8M
-95.62%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$357 ₱22.5K
$1,419 ₡636.5K
-74.87%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,452 ₱154.4K
$6,912 ₡3.1M
-64.53%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$883 ₱55.6K
$1,224 ₡549.0K
-27.87%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Nueva Ecija
Nosara
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$189 ₱11.9K
$864 ₡387.3K
-78.12%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.75
8.62
-21.69%

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

Last update for Nueva Ecija: October 11, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Groceries & Markets
Nueva Ecija
$147
Nosara
$352 140% $206
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Nueva Ecija
$114
Nosara
$186 62.6% $72
Clothing & Footwear
Nueva Ecija
$78
Nosara
$120 53.4% $42
Accommodation & Living
Nueva Ecija
$69
Nosara
$794 1057% $726
Eating Out
Nueva Ecija
$68
Nosara
$212 212% $144
Sport & Entertainment
Nueva Ecija
$45
Nosara
$87 92.3% $42
Getting Around
Nueva Ecija
$8
Nosara
$87 989% $79

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $114 in Nueva Ecija versus $788 in Nosara. 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 357% 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 $17.00 in Nueva Ecija versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $147 vs $352 – making Nueva Ecija the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇵🇭 Nueva Ecija
🇨🇷 Nosara
🕒 Local time
22:45 10:45 PM
08:45 8:45 AM
14 h behind Nueva Ecija
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
64,610
4,912
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to PHP – Philippine Peso Converter

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).

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Nueva Ecija Nosara 15,930 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Nueva Ecija
  • Nosara

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
Nueva Ecija vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Nueva Ecija and in Nosara compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $529 in Nueva Ecija, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 248% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.
What salary covers living expenses in Nueva Ecija compared to Nosara?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $794 per month in Nueva Ecija and $2,758 in Nosara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Nueva Ecija and Nosara?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Nueva Ecija, 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 Nueva Ecija and in Nosara?
Public transport costs about 1218% less in Nueva Ecija. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Nueva Ecija and Nosara?
Kindergarten costs $134 per month in Nueva Ecija and $494 in Nosara. 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 Nueva Ecija, where all-in costs run around $529, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Nueva Ecija it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
How does quality of life compare between Nueva Ecija and Nosara?
It depends on your priorities. Nosara has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $529 in Nueva Ecija to $1,839 in Nosara. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
Is Nueva Ecija or Nosara 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 Nueva Ecija and Nosara?
If budget matters most, go with Nueva Ecija. 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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