Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Puerto de la Cruz and Nosara

For one person, living costs are similar in Puerto de la Cruz and in Nosara: $1,912 and $1,839 a month, rent and utilities included.

92

Cost of Living Index in Puerto de la Cruz
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Puerto de la Cruz Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Puerto de la Cruz

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,912

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,912 per month in Puerto de la Cruz vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Puerto de la Cruz $1,912
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $2,769 per month in Puerto de la Cruz vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Puerto de la Cruz $2,769
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $3,625 per month in Puerto de la Cruz vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Puerto de la Cruz $3,625
Nosara $3,818

Puerto de la Cruz costs about 4% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Puerto de la Cruz and Nosara sit above the global median – Puerto de la Cruz by 42%, Nosara by 36%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.53 €12.04

$12.35 ₡5,539

9.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.4 €54.6

$61.2 ₡27.4K

0.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.06 €8.95

$7.52 ₡3,373

33.78%

Cappuccino

$2.58 €2.29

$4.41 ₡1,978

-41.50%

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

$1.90 €1.69

$1.74 ₡780

9.20%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.53 €1.36

$1.31 ₡587

16.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.86 €2.54

$3.28 ₡1,471

-12.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.59 €3.20

$4.47 ₡2,004

-19.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.10 €0.98

$1.56 ₡701

-29.49%

White Bread (500g)

$1.62 €1.44

$3.02 ₡1,355

-46.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.65 €1.47

$2.51 ₡1,125

-34.26%

Eggs

$3.70 €3.29

$3.57 ₡1,603

3.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.22 €10.87

$7.43 ₡3,333

64.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.00 €8.89

$10.52 ₡4,717

-4.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.61 €12.10

$13.97 ₡6,265

-2.58%

Apples (1kg)

$2.55 €2.27

$2.35 ₡1,052

8.51%

Banana (1kg)

$2.06 €1.83

$1.61 ₡720

27.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.48 €1.32

$4.80 ₡2,152

-69.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.58 €2.29

$1.61 ₡724

60.25%

Potato (1kg)

$2.35 €2.09

$3.80 ₡1,703

-38.16%

Onion (1kg)

$2.31 €2.05

$3.69 ₡1,657

-37.40%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.02 €1.79

$1.13 ₡507

78.76%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.81 €0.72

$2.66 ₡1,191

-69.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.17 €3.71

$5.18 ₡2,321

-19.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.52 €5.80

$19.88 ₡8,916

-67.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 €1.22

$2.90 ₡1,300

-52.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.68 €2.38

$3.63 ₡1,626

-26.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.93 €37.29

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-42.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 €2.94

$2.14 ₡958

54.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.28 €2.02

$1.57 ₡703

45.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.23 €25.11

$8.52 ₡3,823

231.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.65 €1.47

$1.52 ₡682

8.55%

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

$35.1K €31.2K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

62.37%

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

$28.4K €25.3K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-17.63%

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

$111 €98.4

$96.3 ₡43.2K

14.89%

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

$19.16 €17.04

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-46.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.08 €24.97

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-47.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.72 €14.87

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-52.11%

Cinema Ticket

$9.15 €8.14

$7.89 ₡3,539

15.97%

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

$481 €428

$494 ₡221.6K

-2.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,713 €5,971

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-43.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.7 €78.9

$53.9 ₡24.2K

64.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.90 €33.71

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-31.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.9 €79.1

$77.9 ₡34.9K

14.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €107

$79.6 ₡35.7K

50.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,133 €1,008

$788 ₡353.4K

43.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,049 €933

$794 ₡356.2K

32.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,891 €1,682

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-51.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,577 €1,403

$1,419 ₡636.5K

11.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,614 €3,215

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-47.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,478 €3,093

$1,224 ₡549.0K

184.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,345 €1,196

$864 ₡387.3K

55.74%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.15

8.62

-63.46%

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

Last update for Puerto de la Cruz: October 10, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Puerto de la Cruz

$1K 54.9%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 24.3% $255

Groceries & Markets

Puerto de la Cruz

$275 14.4%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 28.2% $77

Eating Out

Puerto de la Cruz

$205 10.7%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 3.5% $7.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Puerto de la Cruz

$158 8.3%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 17.7% $28

Clothing & Footwear

Puerto de la Cruz

$151 7.9%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 20.4% $31

Getting Around

Puerto de la Cruz

$57 * 3%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 53.9% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Puerto de la Cruz

$18 * 1%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 377% $69

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,133 in Puerto de la Cruz 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 56% higher in Puerto de la Cruz, 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 $61.0 in Puerto de la Cruz versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $275 vs $352 – making Puerto de la Cruz the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Puerto de la Cruz

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

11:03 11:03 AM

04:03 4:03 AM

7 h behind Puerto de la Cruz

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

30,849

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 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 19, 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

Puerto de la Cruz Nosara 7,440 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Puerto de la Cruz
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

Puerto de la Cruz vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,912 in Puerto de la Cruz, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 4% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,868 per month in Puerto de la Cruz 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 73% less in Nosara. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $481 per month in Puerto de la Cruz 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 Puerto de la Cruz at $1,912. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Puerto de la Cruz 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 $1,912 in Puerto de la Cruz. 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, Puerto de la Cruz makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.