Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Road Town and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,837 a month against $2,590 in Road Town, rent and utilities included – about $9,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

141

Cost of Living Index in Road Town
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Road Town Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Road Town

🇻🇬 British Virgin Islands

$2,590

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,590 per month in Road Town vs $1,837 in Nosara, rent included.

Road Town $2,590
Nosara $1,837

A couple spends around $4,520 per month in Road Town vs $2,775 in Nosara, rent included.

Road Town $4,520
Nosara $2,775

A family of three spends $6,450 per month in Road Town vs $3,712 in Nosara, rent included.

Road Town $6,450
Nosara $3,712

Road Town costs about 41% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both Road Town and Nosara sit above the global median – Road Town by 93%, Nosara by 37%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.40 $17.40

$12.22 ₡5,509

42.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.0 $79.0

$60.2 ₡27.1K

31.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.07 $8.07

$7.54 ₡3,399

7.03%

Cappuccino

$4.55 $4.55

$4.31 ₡1,941

5.57%

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

$1.61 $1.61

$1.72 ₡773

-6.40%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.96 $0.96

$1.35 ₡608

-28.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.08 $4.08

$3.24 ₡1,459

25.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 $1.85

$4.48 ₡2,018

-58.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.31 $2.31

$1.57 ₡707

47.13%

White Bread (500g)

$4.52 $4.52

$3.17 ₡1,429

42.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.06 $3.06

$2.42 ₡1,091

26.45%

Eggs

$5.02 $5.02

$3.57 ₡1,609

40.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.43 ₡3,349

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.42 ₡4,697

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.66 ₡6,156

Apples (1kg)

$3.63 $3.63

$2.32 ₡1,044

56.47%

Banana (1kg)

$3.27 $3.27

$1.61 ₡728

103.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.04 $2.04

$4.74 ₡2,138

-56.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.62 $6.62

$1.66 ₡747

298.80%

Potato (1kg)

$4.78 $4.78

$3.72 ₡1,679

28.49%

Onion (1kg)

$3.87 $3.87

$3.57 ₡1,611

8.40%

Lettuce (1 head)

$6.32 $6.32

$1.10 ₡497

474.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.84 $1.84

$2.55 ₡1,149

-27.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.10 $5.10

$4.95 ₡2,232

3.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.89 $10.89

$20.01 ₡9,020

-45.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.79 ₡1,256

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.53 ₡1,589

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.10 $4.10

$1.19 ₡537

244.54%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.1 ₡32.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.24 ₡1,011

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 ₡701

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₡3,993

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.21 $1.21

$1.57 ₡708

-22.93%

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

$21.8K ₡9.8M

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

$34.6K ₡15.6M

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

$164 $164

$93.5 ₡42.1K

75.70%

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

$82.4 $82.4

$35.11 ₡15.8K

134.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$124 $124

$51.5 ₡23.2K

141.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$121 $121

$71.4 ₡32.2K

69.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.82 $19.82

$35.44 ₡16.0K

-44.07%

Cinema Ticket

$10.20 $10.20

$7.84 ₡3,535

30.10%

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

$369 $369

$490 ₡220.7K

-24.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.4K $10.4K

$11.9K ₡5.4M

-12.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$47.86 $47.86

$53.5 ₡24.1K

-10.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.2 $54.2

$55.8 ₡25.1K

-2.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$129 $129

$79.3 ₡35.7K

62.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$137 $137

$78.9 ₡35.6K

74.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,654 $1,654

$786 ₡354.3K

110.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,371 $1,371

$780 ₡351.6K

75.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,373 $4,373

$3,860 ₡1.7M

13.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,596 $3,596

$1,407 ₡634.4K

155.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,972 ₡3.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,201 ₡541.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,706 $1,706

$876 ₡395.0K

94.70%

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 Road Town: October 4, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Road Town

$1.4K 53%

Nosara

$780 43% 43.1% $591

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Road Town

$371 14.3%

Nosara

$180 9.9% 51.5% $191

Groceries & Markets

Road Town

$271 * 10.5%

Nosara

$350 19.3% 29.1% $79

Eating Out

Road Town

$252 9.8%

Nosara

$209 11.6% 17% $43

Clothing & Footwear

Road Town

$166 6.4%

Nosara

$120 6.6% 27.4% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Road Town

$141 5.5%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 38.4% $54

Getting Around

Road Town

$16 * 0.6%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 429% $70

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,654 in Road Town versus $786 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 95% higher in Road Town, 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 Road Town versus $60.0 in Nosara. Groceries tell a different story – $271 in Road Town vs $350 in Nosara – so Road Town wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇻🇬 Road Town

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

04:25 4:25 AM

02:25 2:25 AM

2 h behind Road Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,603 Capital

4,912

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 506 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

CRC to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Road Town Nosara 2,450 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Road Town
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

Road Town vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,590 in Road Town, $1,837 in Nosara – roughly 41% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in utilities.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,885 per month in Road Town and $2,756 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $79.0 in Road Town and $60.0 in Nosara. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 29% cheaper in Road Town – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Nosara, where all-in costs run around $1,837, than in Road Town at $2,590. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Road Town 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 $1,837 in Nosara to $2,590 in Road Town. 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, Road Town makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.