Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Plunge and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Plunge: $1,376 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $5,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

67

Cost of Living Index in Plunge
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Plunge Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Plunge

🇱🇹 Lithuania

$1,376

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,376 per month in Plunge vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Plunge $1,376
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $2,179 per month in Plunge vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Plunge $2,179
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $2,983 per month in Plunge vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Plunge $2,983
Nosara $3,818

Plunge is about 25% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Plunge and Nosara sit above the global median – Plunge by 2%, Nosara by 36%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.23 €11.77

$12.35 ₡5,539

7.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$75.1 €66.8

$61.2 ₡27.4K

22.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.98 €7.99

$7.52 ₡3,373

19.41%

Cappuccino

$3.62 €3.22

$4.41 ₡1,978

-17.91%

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

$2.22 €1.98

$1.74 ₡780

27.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 €1.96

$1.31 ₡587

67.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.57 €4.95

$3.28 ₡1,471

69.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.14 €4.57

$4.47 ₡2,004

14.99%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.52 €1.35

$1.56 ₡701

-2.56%

White Bread (500g)

$1.67 €1.48

$3.02 ₡1,355

-44.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 €2.22

$2.51 ₡1,125

-0.80%

Eggs

$3.20 €2.85

$3.57 ₡1,603

-10.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 €9.06

$7.43 ₡3,333

37.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.40 €7.47

$10.52 ₡4,717

-20.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.93 €10.62

$13.97 ₡6,265

-14.60%

Apples (1kg)

$1.95 €1.73

$2.35 ₡1,052

-17.02%

Banana (1kg)

$1.48 €1.32

$1.61 ₡720

-8.07%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.76 €1.56

$4.80 ₡2,152

-63.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.47 €3.09

$1.61 ₡724

115.53%

Potato (1kg)

$0.96 €0.85

$3.80 ₡1,703

-74.74%

Onion (1kg)

$0.83 €0.74

$3.69 ₡1,657

-77.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.56 €1.39

$1.13 ₡507

38.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 €0.74

$2.66 ₡1,191

-68.80%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.14 €5.46

$5.18 ₡2,321

18.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.08 €8.08

$19.88 ₡8,916

-54.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 €1.57

$2.90 ₡1,300

-38.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.96 €1.75

$3.63 ₡1,626

-46.01%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.01 €0.90

$1.12 ₡504

-9.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$32.76 €29.14

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-54.90%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.06 €2.72

$2.14 ₡958

42.99%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.20 €1.07

$1.57 ₡703

-23.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.84 €12.31

$8.52 ₡3,823

62.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.92 €1.71

$1.52 ₡682

26.32%

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

$26.9K €23.9K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

24.29%

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

$31.4K €27.9K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-9.00%

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

$231 €205

$96.3 ₡43.2K

139.79%

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

$13.80 €12.27

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-61.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.51 €18.24

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-61.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.62 €35.24

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-44.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.77 €19.37

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-37.64%

Cinema Ticket

$9.87 €8.78

$7.89 ₡3,539

25.10%

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

$647 €575

$494 ₡221.6K

30.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K €10.1K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-4.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$95.1 €84.6

$53.9 ₡24.2K

76.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 €36.86

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-25.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.0 €80.0

$77.9 ₡34.9K

15.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$128 €114

$79.6 ₡35.7K

61.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$548 €488

$788 ₡353.4K

-30.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$356 €316

$794 ₡356.2K

-55.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$877 €780

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-77.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$684 €608

$1,419 ₡636.5K

-51.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,058 €2,720

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-55.75%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,795 €1,597

$1,224 ₡549.0K

46.63%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,246 €1,108

$864 ₡387.3K

44.28%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.99

8.62

-53.71%

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

Last update for Plunge: October 12, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Plunge

$356 25.9%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 123% $439

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Plunge

$265 19.3%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 30% $79

Groceries & Markets

Plunge

$258 18.7%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 36.7% $95

Eating Out

Plunge

$232 16.9%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 8.7% $20

Clothing & Footwear

Plunge

$160 11.6%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 24.8% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Plunge

$59 4.3%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 47.2% $28

Getting Around

Plunge

$46 3.3%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 89.9% $41

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $548 in Plunge 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 44% higher in Plunge, 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 $75.0 in Plunge versus $61.0 in Nosara. Groceries tell a different story – $258 in Plunge vs $352 in Nosara – so Plunge wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇱🇹 Plunge

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

15:14 3:14 PM

06:14 6:14 AM

9 h behind Plunge

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

20,041

4,912

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

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

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).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Plunge Nosara 10,150 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Plunge
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

Plunge vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,376 in Plunge, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 34% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,063 per month in Plunge 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 Plunge, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 122% less in Plunge. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $647 per month in Plunge 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 Plunge, where all-in costs run around $1,376, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Plunge 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 $1,376 in Plunge 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 Plunge. 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.