Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Polva and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Polva: $1,201 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $7,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Polva
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Polva Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Polva

🇪🇪 Estonia

$1,201

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,201 per month in Polva vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Polva $1,201
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $1,915 per month in Polva vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Polva $1,915
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $2,628 per month in Polva vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Polva $2,628
Nosara $3,818

Polva is about 35% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Polva sits 11% below the global median, while Nosara is 36% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.99 €15.15

$12.35 ₡5,550

37.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$89.9 €80.2

$61.2 ₡27.5K

46.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.49 €10.25

$7.52 ₡3,379

52.79%

Cappuccino

$4.41 €3.93

$4.41 ₡1,982

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

$2.16 €1.93

$1.74 ₡781

24.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 €1.98

$1.31 ₡588

69.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.66 €5.94

$3.28 ₡1,474

103.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.57 €5.86

$4.47 ₡2,008

46.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.09 €0.97

$1.56 ₡702

-30.13%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 €1.29

$3.02 ₡1,358

-52.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.91 €2.59

$2.51 ₡1,127

15.94%

Eggs

$3.19 €2.84

$3.57 ₡1,606

-10.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.17 €9.96

$7.43 ₡3,340

50.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.98 €8.01

$10.52 ₡4,727

-14.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.79 €23.00

$13.97 ₡6,277

84.61%

Apples (1kg)

$2.29 €2.04

$2.35 ₡1,054

-2.55%

Banana (1kg)

$1.41 €1.25

$1.61 ₡721

-12.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.59 €2.31

$4.80 ₡2,156

-46.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.83 €2.52

$1.61 ₡725

75.78%

Potato (1kg)

$0.73 €0.65

$3.80 ₡1,706

-80.79%

Onion (1kg)

$0.81 €0.72

$3.69 ₡1,660

-78.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.09 €1.86

$1.13 ₡508

84.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$2.66 ₡1,193

-66.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.74 €6.01

$5.18 ₡2,326

30.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.13 €9.04

$19.88 ₡8,934

-49.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.94 €1.73

$2.90 ₡1,303

-33.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 €1.84

$3.63 ₡1,629

-43.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡505

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.97 €5.32

$2.14 ₡960

178.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.14 €1.02

$1.57 ₡705

-27.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.67 €23.79

$8.52 ₡3,830

213.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.94 €1.73

$1.52 ₡683

27.63%

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

$27.5K €24.5K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

27.07%

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

$31.9K €28.5K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-7.52%

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

$336 €300

$96.3 ₡43.3K

248.89%

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

$17.49 €15.60

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-51.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.37 €28.88

$53.6 ₡24.1K

-39.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.2K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$13.55 €12.08

$7.89 ₡3,546

71.74%

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

$660 €589

$494 ₡222.0K

33.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,854 €8,790

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-16.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$103 €91.5

$53.9 ₡24.2K

90.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.9 €45.40

$55.4 ₡24.9K

-8.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$119 €106

$77.9 ₡35.0K

53.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 €119

$79.6 ₡35.8K

67.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡354.1K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡637.7K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡550.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡388.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.44

8.62

-60.09%

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

Last update for Polva: October 11, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Polva

$386 32.1%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 51.9% $200

Groceries & Markets

Polva

$307 25.5%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 14.9% $46

Eating Out

Polva

$287 23.9%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 26.3% $75

Clothing & Footwear

Polva

$183 15.2%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 34.2% $63

Sport & Entertainment

Polva

$27 * 2.3%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 223% $60

Getting Around

Polva

$12 * 1%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 646% $75

Accommodation & Living

Polva

- * 0%

Nosara

$794 43.2%

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $90.0 in Polva versus $61.0 in Nosara. Groceries tell a different story – $307 in Polva vs $352 in Nosara – so Polva wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇪🇪 Polva

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

01:12 1:12 AM

16:12 4:12 PM

9 h behind Polva

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,700

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 = 1.99 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 449 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Polva Nosara 10,350 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Polva
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

Polva vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,201 in Polva, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 53% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,802 per month in Polva and $2,758 in Nosara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $90.0 in Polva and $61.0 in Nosara. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 15% more in Nosara, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Polva, where all-in costs run around $1,201, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Polva 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 $1,201 in Polva 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 Polva. 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.