Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Puerto Varas and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Puerto Varas: $1,130 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $8,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

52

Cost of Living Index in Puerto Varas
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Puerto Varas Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Puerto Varas

🇨🇱 Chile

$1,130

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,130 per month in Puerto Varas vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Puerto Varas $1,130
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $1,624 per month in Puerto Varas vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Puerto Varas $1,624
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $2,118 per month in Puerto Varas vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Puerto Varas $2,118
Nosara $3,818

Puerto Varas is about 39% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Puerto Varas sits 16% below the global median, while Nosara is 36% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.47 CLP 12.3K

$12.35 ₡5,539

0.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$41.05 CLP 40.4K

$61.2 ₡27.4K

-32.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.58 CLP 7,462

$7.52 ₡3,373

0.80%

Cappuccino

$3.28 CLP 3,231

$4.41 ₡1,978

-25.62%

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

$0.99 CLP 977

$1.74 ₡780

-43.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.80 CLP 785

$1.31 ₡587

-38.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.28 ₡1,471

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 ₡2,004

Milk (1 liter)

$1.09 CLP 1,077

$1.56 ₡701

-30.13%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 CLP 1,830

$3.02 ₡1,355

-38.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.61 CLP 1,582

$2.51 ₡1,125

-35.86%

Eggs

$3.11 CLP 3,062

$3.57 ₡1,603

-12.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.61 CLP 8,476

$7.43 ₡3,333

15.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.68 CLP 4,609

$10.52 ₡4,717

-55.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.50 CLP 8,372

$13.97 ₡6,265

-39.16%

Apples (1kg)

$1.78 CLP 1,751

$2.35 ₡1,052

-24.26%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 CLP 1,922

$1.61 ₡720

21.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.61 CLP 2,565

$4.80 ₡2,152

-45.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.89 CLP 1,862

$1.61 ₡724

17.39%

Potato (1kg)

$1.50 CLP 1,480

$3.80 ₡1,703

-60.53%

Onion (1kg)

$1.25 CLP 1,230

$3.69 ₡1,657

-66.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.32 CLP 1,296

$1.13 ₡507

16.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 CLP 1,117

$2.66 ₡1,191

-57.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.96 CLP 4,884

$5.18 ₡2,321

-4.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.63 CLP 4,557

$19.88 ₡8,916

-76.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.40 CLP 1,379

$2.90 ₡1,300

-51.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.25 CLP 1,226

$3.63 ₡1,626

-65.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.10 CLP 1,078

$1.12 ₡504

-1.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ₡958

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡682

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

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

$255 CLP 251.2K

$96.3 ₡43.2K

165.00%

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

$16.06 CLP 15.8K

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-55.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 ₡24.0K

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.89 CLP 30.4K

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-56.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$7.89 ₡3,539

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

$488 CLP 480.6K

$494 ₡221.6K

-1.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,137 CLP 6.0M

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-48.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$20.37 CLP 20.1K

$53.9 ₡24.2K

-62.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$15.32 CLP 15.1K

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-72.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$61.1 CLP 60.1K

$77.9 ₡34.9K

-21.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$623 CLP 612.8K

$788 ₡353.4K

-21.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$402 CLP 396.0K

$794 ₡356.2K

-49.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$819 CLP 805.9K

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-79.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$619 CLP 609.7K

$1,419 ₡636.5K

-56.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$532 CLP 523.5K

$864 ₡387.3K

-38.41%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

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

Last update for Puerto Varas: 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

Puerto Varas

$402 35.6%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 97.4% $392

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Puerto Varas

$271 * 24%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 31.5% $85

Groceries & Markets

Puerto Varas

$208 18.4%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 69.1% $144

Eating Out

Puerto Varas

$169 * 15%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 25.3% $43

Clothing & Footwear

Puerto Varas

$44 * 3.9%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 176% $77

Sport & Entertainment

Puerto Varas

$31 * 2.7%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 183% $56

Getting Around

Puerto Varas

$4.4 * 0.4%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 1889% $83

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $623 in Puerto Varas 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 62% higher in Nosara, 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 $41.00 in Puerto Varas versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $208 vs $352 – making Puerto Varas the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇱 Puerto Varas

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

02:07 2:07 AM

23:07 11:07 PM

3 h behind Puerto Varas

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

41,255

4,912

💱 Currency

Chilean Peso CLP $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 CLP = 10.16 USD

10,000 CLP = 9.04 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to CLP – Chilean Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇱 Chilean Peso ($)

Chilean Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 984 CLP (1,000 CLP = 1.02 USD). 1 EUR = 1,107 CLP (10,000 CLP = 9.04 EUR).

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 CLP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Puerto Varas Nosara 5,850 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Puerto Varas
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 Varas vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,130 in Puerto Varas, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 63% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,694 per month in Puerto Varas 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 Puerto Varas, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $41.00 in Puerto Varas 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 69% 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 Puerto Varas, where all-in costs run around $1,130, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Puerto Varas 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 $1,130 in Puerto Varas 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 Puerto Varas. 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.