Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Pozuelo de Alarcon and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $2,114 in Pozuelo de Alarcon, rent and utilities included – about $3,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Pozuelo de Alarcon outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

103

Cost of Living Index in Pozuelo de Alarcon
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Pozuelo de Alarcon Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Pozuelo de Alarcon

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,114

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,114 per month in Pozuelo de Alarcon vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Pozuelo de Alarcon $2,114
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $3,141 per month in Pozuelo de Alarcon vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Pozuelo de Alarcon $3,141
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $4,169 per month in Pozuelo de Alarcon vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Pozuelo de Alarcon $4,169
Nosara $3,818

Pozuelo de Alarcon costs about 15% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Pozuelo de Alarcon and Nosara sit above the global median – Pozuelo de Alarcon by 57%, Nosara by 36%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.15 €16.15

$12.35 ₡5,539

46.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$78.8 €70.1

$61.2 ₡27.4K

28.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.39 €10.13

$7.52 ₡3,373

51.46%

Cappuccino

$2.75 €2.44

$4.41 ₡1,978

-37.64%

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

$3.37 €3.00

$1.74 ₡780

93.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 €2.03

$1.31 ₡587

74.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.91 €3.48

$3.28 ₡1,471

19.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.63 €4.12

$4.47 ₡2,004

3.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 €1.06

$1.56 ₡701

-23.72%

White Bread (500g)

$1.60 €1.42

$3.02 ₡1,355

-47.02%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.28 €2.03

$2.51 ₡1,125

-9.16%

Eggs

$4.19 €3.73

$3.57 ₡1,603

17.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$25.10 €22.32

$7.43 ₡3,333

237.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.39 €8.35

$10.52 ₡4,717

-10.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.26 €16.24

$13.97 ₡6,265

30.71%

Apples (1kg)

$2.71 €2.41

$2.35 ₡1,052

15.32%

Banana (1kg)

$2.37 €2.11

$1.61 ₡720

47.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.52 €2.24

$4.80 ₡2,152

-47.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.98 €3.54

$1.61 ₡724

147.20%

Potato (1kg)

$2.12 €1.88

$3.80 ₡1,703

-44.21%

Onion (1kg)

$2.08 €1.85

$3.69 ₡1,657

-43.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.97 €1.76

$1.13 ₡507

74.34%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 €0.95

$2.66 ₡1,191

-59.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.69 €5.95

$5.18 ₡2,321

29.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.14 €8.13

$19.88 ₡8,916

-54.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.17 €1.04

$2.90 ₡1,300

-59.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.19 €1.94

$3.63 ₡1,626

-39.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.25 €2.00

$1.12 ₡504

100.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.46 €25.31

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-60.82%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 €3.42

$2.14 ₡958

79.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 €1.38

$1.57 ₡703

-1.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.78 €20.26

$8.52 ₡3,823

167.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.77 €1.58

$1.52 ₡682

16.45%

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

$36.0K €32.0K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

66.56%

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

$29.5K €26.2K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-14.64%

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

$189 €168

$96.3 ₡43.2K

96.05%

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

$17.82 €15.85

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-50.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.80 €30.07

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-36.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.57 €40.53

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-36.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.68 €13.95

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-55.08%

Cinema Ticket

$10.13 €9.01

$7.89 ₡3,539

28.39%

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

$458 €407

$494 ₡221.6K

-7.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,871 €5,222

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-50.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$75.0 €66.7

$53.9 ₡24.2K

38.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.73 €36.23

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-26.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.4 €72.4

$77.9 ₡34.9K

4.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.5 €85.9

$79.6 ₡35.7K

21.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,353 €1,204

$788 ₡353.4K

71.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,014 €902

$794 ₡356.2K

27.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,375 €2,113

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-39.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,618 €1,439

$1,419 ₡636.5K

14.01%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,334 €2,965

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-51.77%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,207 €1,964

$1,224 ₡549.0K

80.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,387 €3,013

$864 ₡387.3K

292.26%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.08

8.62

-64.27%

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

Last update for Pozuelo de Alarcon: 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

Pozuelo de Alarcon

$1K 48%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 21.7% $220

Groceries & Markets

Pozuelo de Alarcon

$348 16.5%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 1.1% $3.9

Eating Out

Pozuelo de Alarcon

$264 12.5%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 19.7% $52

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Pozuelo de Alarcon

$240 11.4%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 22.7% $55

Clothing & Footwear

Pozuelo de Alarcon

$132 6.3%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 9.1% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Pozuelo de Alarcon

$66 3.1%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 32.7% $22

Getting Around

Pozuelo de Alarcon

$49 2.3%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 77.6% $38

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,353 in Pozuelo de Alarcon 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 292% higher in Pozuelo de Alarcon, 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 $79.0 in Pozuelo de Alarcon versus $61.0 in Nosara. Groceries tell a different story – $348 in Pozuelo de Alarcon vs $352 in Nosara – so Pozuelo de Alarcon wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Pozuelo de Alarcon

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

09:53 9:53 AM

01:53 1:53 AM

8 h behind Pozuelo de Alarcon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

88,784

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

Pozuelo de Alarcon Nosara 8,600 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Pozuelo de Alarcon
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

Pozuelo de Alarcon vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,114 in Pozuelo de Alarcon, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 15% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,170 per month in Pozuelo de Alarcon 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 155% less in Nosara. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $458 per month in Pozuelo de Alarcon 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 Pozuelo de Alarcon at $2,114. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Pozuelo de Alarcon 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 $2,114 in Pozuelo de Alarcon. 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, Pozuelo de Alarcon makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.