Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Port Douglas and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $2,559 in Port Douglas, rent and utilities included – about $8,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

123

Cost of Living Index in Port Douglas
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Port Douglas Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Port Douglas

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,559

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,559 per month in Port Douglas vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Port Douglas $2,559
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $3,834 per month in Port Douglas vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Port Douglas $3,834
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $5,110 per month in Port Douglas vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Port Douglas $5,110
Nosara $3,818

Port Douglas costs about 39% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Port Douglas and Nosara sit above the global median – Port Douglas by 90%, Nosara by 36%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.13 A$24.54

$12.35 ₡5,556

38.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$99.0 A$142

$61.2 ₡27.5K

61.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.57 A$18.01

$7.52 ₡3,383

67.15%

Cappuccino

$4.47 A$6.40

$4.41 ₡1,984

1.36%

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

$3.12 A$4.46

$1.74 ₡782

79.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.64 A$3.79

$1.31 ₡589

101.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.00 A$10.03

$3.28 ₡1,475

113.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.12 A$11.63

$4.47 ₡2,010

81.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.86 A$2.66

$1.56 ₡703

19.23%

White Bread (500g)

$2.65 A$3.80

$3.02 ₡1,359

-12.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.52 A$3.61

$2.51 ₡1,129

0.40%

Eggs

$5.34 A$7.66

$3.57 ₡1,608

49.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.19 A$13.17

$7.43 ₡3,344

23.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.57 A$19.44

$10.52 ₡4,732

28.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.86 A$21.29

$13.97 ₡6,284

6.37%

Apples (1kg)

$4.13 A$5.92

$2.35 ₡1,055

75.74%

Banana (1kg)

$2.84 A$4.08

$1.61 ₡722

76.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.67 A$5.26

$4.80 ₡2,159

-23.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.64 A$8.07

$1.61 ₡726

250.31%

Potato (1kg)

$2.47 A$3.54

$3.80 ₡1,708

-35.00%

Onion (1kg)

$2.53 A$3.63

$3.69 ₡1,662

-31.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.76 A$3.95

$1.13 ₡508

144.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.59 A$3.72

$2.66 ₡1,195

-2.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.97 A$64.4

$5.18 ₡2,328

768.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.83 A$19.81

$19.88 ₡8,944

-30.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.65 A$5.23

$2.90 ₡1,304

25.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.36 A$7.68

$3.63 ₡1,631

47.66%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.67 A$3.83

$1.12 ₡506

138.39%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$80.1 A$115

$72.6 ₡32.7K

10.21%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.54 A$3.64

$2.14 ₡961

18.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.00 A$2.86

$1.57 ₡706

27.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$42.60 A$61.0

$8.52 ₡3,835

400.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.24 A$1.78

$1.52 ₡684

-18.42%

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

$30.4K A$43.6K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

40.80%

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

$40.3K A$57.8K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

16.88%

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

$162 A$232

$96.3 ₡43.3K

68.20%

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

$35.15 A$50.4

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-2.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$66.4 A$95.1

$53.6 ₡24.1K

23.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.3 A$83.5

$71.6 ₡32.2K

-18.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.90 A$25.64

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-48.73%

Cinema Ticket

$13.65 A$19.56

$7.89 ₡3,550

73.00%

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

$2,041 A$2,923

$494 ₡222.3K

312.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.9K A$19.9K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

17.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.1 A$128

$53.9 ₡24.3K

65.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$70.5 A$101

$55.4 ₡24.9K

27.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$125 A$179

$77.9 ₡35.1K

60.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 A$189

$79.6 ₡35.8K

66.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,463 A$2,096

$788 ₡354.5K

85.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 A$1,730

$794 ₡357.3K

52.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,047 A$2,932

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-48.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,965 A$2,815

$1,419 ₡638.4K

38.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,639 A$9,510

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-3.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,060 A$7,249

$1,224 ₡550.7K

313.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡388.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.32

8.62

-26.68%

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

Last update for Port Douglas: October 13, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Port Douglas

$1.2K 47.2%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 34.2% $414

Groceries & Markets

Port Douglas

$409 16%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 13.8% $56

Eating Out

Port Douglas

$303 11.8%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 30% $91

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Port Douglas

$263 10.3%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 29.5% $78

Clothing & Footwear

Port Douglas

$187 7.3%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 35.9% $67

Getting Around

Port Douglas

$103 4%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 15.7% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Port Douglas

$86 3.4%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 2.1% $1.8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,463 in Port Douglas 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 $99.0 in Port Douglas versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $409 vs $352 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Port Douglas

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

08:08 8:08 AM

16:08 4:08 PM

16 h behind Port Douglas

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,500

4,912

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.698 USD

1 AUD = 0.624 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 AUD (1 AUD = 0.698 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 AUD (1 AUD = 0.624 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 USD = 450 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 503 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Port Douglas Nosara 14,450 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Port Douglas
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

Port Douglas vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,559 in Port Douglas, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 39% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,838 per month in Port Douglas 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 Nosara, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 10% less in Nosara. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $2,041 per month in Port Douglas and $494 in Nosara. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Nosara, where all-in costs run around $1,839, than in Port Douglas at $2,559. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Port Douglas 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 $1,839 in Nosara to $2,559 in Port Douglas. 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 Nosara. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Port Douglas makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.