Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Palawan and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Palawan: $792 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $12,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

38

Cost of Living Index in Palawan
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Palawan Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index

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Palawan

🇵🇭 Philippines

$792

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Palawan 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 Palawan and in Nosara actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $792 per month in Palawan vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Palawan $792
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $1,230 per month in Palawan vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Palawan $1,230
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $1,668 per month in Palawan vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Palawan $1,668
Nosara $3,818

Palawan is about 57% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Palawan sits 41% below the global median, while Nosara is 36% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.62 ₱228

$12.35 ₡5,539

-70.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.14 ₱1,205

$61.2 ₡27.4K

-68.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.37 ₱212

$7.52 ₡3,373

-55.19%

Cappuccino

$2.63 ₱165

$4.41 ₡1,978

-40.36%

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

$0.83 ₱52.5

$1.74 ₡780

-52.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.39 ₱24.65

$1.31 ₡587

-70.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.29 ₱81.4

$3.28 ₡1,471

-60.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.16 ₱136

$4.47 ₡2,004

-51.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.90 ₱120

$1.56 ₡701

21.79%

White Bread (500g)

$1.26 ₱79.4

$3.02 ₡1,355

-58.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.01 ₱63.5

$2.51 ₡1,125

-59.76%

Eggs

$1.98 ₱125

$3.57 ₡1,603

-44.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.83 ₱493

$7.43 ₡3,333

5.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.21 ₱265

$10.52 ₡4,717

-59.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.78 ₱490

$13.97 ₡6,265

-44.31%

Apples (1kg)

$3.00 ₱189

$2.35 ₡1,052

27.66%

Banana (1kg)

$1.56 ₱98.2

$1.61 ₡720

-3.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.72 ₱171

$4.80 ₡2,152

-43.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.62 ₱102

$1.61 ₡724

0.62%

Potato (1kg)

$2.31 ₱146

$3.80 ₡1,703

-39.21%

Onion (1kg)

$2.59 ₱163

$3.69 ₡1,657

-29.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.06 ₱66.9

$1.13 ₡507

-6.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.71 ₱44.86

$2.66 ₡1,191

-73.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.78 ₱175

$5.18 ₡2,321

-46.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.85 ₱431

$19.88 ₡8,916

-65.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 ₱75.4

$2.90 ₡1,300

-58.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 ₱128

$3.63 ₡1,626

-44.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.28 ₱17.81

$1.12 ₡504

-75.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.29 ₱711

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-84.46%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.83 ₱52.4

$2.14 ₡958

-61.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.24 ₱15.20

$1.57 ₡703

-84.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.15 ₱136

$8.52 ₡3,823

-74.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.10 ₱69.2

$1.52 ₡682

-27.63%

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

$26.5K ₱1.7M

$21.6K ₡9.7M

22.64%

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

$20.1K ₱1.3M

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-41.88%

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

$114 ₱7,183

$96.3 ₡43.2K

18.49%

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

$32.54 ₱2,049

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-9.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.55 ₱1,734

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-48.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.48 ₱2,171

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-51.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.36 ₱275

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-87.51%

Cinema Ticket

$5.80 ₱365

$7.89 ₡3,539

-26.49%

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

$150 ₱9,463

$494 ₡221.6K

-69.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,228 ₱266.2K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-64.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.09 ₱2,839

$53.9 ₡24.2K

-16.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$26.54 ₱1,671

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-52.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.9 ₱4,713

$77.9 ₡34.9K

-3.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$53.6 ₱3,377

$79.6 ₡35.7K

-32.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$264 ₱16.6K

$788 ₡353.4K

-66.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$177 ₱11.1K

$794 ₡356.2K

-77.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$589 ₱37.1K

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-85.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$390 ₱24.5K

$1,419 ₡636.5K

-72.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,359 ₱148.5K

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-65.87%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$994 ₱62.6K

$1,224 ₡549.0K

-18.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.67

8.62

-22.62%

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

Last update for Palawan: 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

Palawan

$204 25.7%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 73.1% $149

Accommodation & Living

Palawan

$177 22.4%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 349% $617

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Palawan

$174 22%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 6.7% $12

Clothing & Footwear

Palawan

$90 11.4%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 33.4% $30

Eating Out

Palawan

$86 10.9%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 145% $126

Sport & Entertainment

Palawan

$46 5.8%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 89.6% $41

Getting Around

Palawan

$14 1.8%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 502% $73

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $264 in Palawan 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19.00 in Palawan versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $204 vs $352 – making Palawan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Palawan

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

21:30 9:30 PM

07:30 7:30 AM

14 h behind Palawan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

939,594

4,912

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to PHP – Philippine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇭 Philippine Peso (₱)

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.79 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Palawan Nosara 16,530 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Palawan
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

Palawan vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $792 in Palawan, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 132% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,187 per month in Palawan and $2,758 in Nosara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 543% less in Palawan. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $150 per month in Palawan and $494 in Nosara. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Palawan, where all-in costs run around $792, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Palawan 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 $792 in Palawan 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 Palawan. 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.