Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Saintes and Nosara

For one person, living costs are similar in Saintes and in Nosara: $1,872 and $1,846 a month, rent and utilities included.

86

Cost of Living Index in Saintes
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Saintes Living Index
88

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Saintes

🇫🇷 France

$1,872

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,846

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,872 per month in Saintes vs $1,846 in Nosara, rent included.

Saintes $1,872
Nosara $1,846

A couple spends around $2,858 per month in Saintes vs $2,833 in Nosara, rent included.

Saintes $2,858
Nosara $2,833

A family of three spends $3,843 per month in Saintes vs $3,820 in Nosara, rent included.

Saintes $3,843
Nosara $3,820

Saintes costs about 1% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Saintes and Nosara sit above the global median – Saintes by 38%, Nosara by 36%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.58 €20.29

$12.36 ₡5,575

82.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.3 €61.4

$60.8 ₡27.4K

12.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.52 €5.86

$7.88 ₡3,557

-17.26%

Cappuccino

$3.69 €3.31

$4.40 ₡1,986

-16.14%

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

$2.71 €2.44

$1.72 ₡776

57.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.35 €1.21

$1.34 ₡603

0.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.35 €6.60

$3.34 ₡1,505

120.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.62 €4.15

$4.54 ₡2,048

1.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.04 €0.93

$1.64 ₡739

-36.59%

White Bread (500g)

$1.85 €1.66

$3.16 ₡1,426

-41.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.88 €1.69

$2.39 ₡1,080

-21.34%

Eggs

$2.26 €2.03

$3.47 ₡1,564

-34.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$23.82 €21.41

$7.13 ₡3,217

234.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.79 €10.59

$10.32 ₡4,655

14.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.67 €15.88

$13.97 ₡6,302

26.49%

Apples (1kg)

$4.20 €3.77

$2.29 ₡1,031

83.41%

Banana (1kg)

$3.71 €3.33

$1.62 ₡731

129.01%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.94 €1.74

$4.81 ₡2,169

-59.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.14 €4.62

$1.68 ₡758

205.95%

Potato (1kg)

$0.76 €0.68

$3.91 ₡1,765

-80.56%

Onion (1kg)

$1.20 €1.07

$3.63 ₡1,640

-66.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.71 €1.53

$1.13 ₡509

51.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.34 €0.31

$2.63 ₡1,188

-87.07%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.46 €12.99

$5.02 ₡2,267

188.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.93 €11.62

$19.71 ₡8,893

-34.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.39 €2.15

$2.91 ₡1,314

-17.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 €2.12

$3.54 ₡1,597

-33.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.86 €1.67

$1.21 ₡545

53.72%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.18 €39.69

$73.8 ₡33.3K

-40.10%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.37 €3.93

$2.15 ₡969

103.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.31 €2.08

$1.63 ₡738

41.72%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.94 €30.49

$8.77 ₡3,958

287.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.94 €1.74

$1.55 ₡700

25.16%

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

$36.5K €32.8K

$33.9K ₡15.3M

7.66%

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

$38.1K €34.2K

$38.5K ₡17.4M

-1.10%

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

$134 €120

$95.2 ₡43.0K

40.78%

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

$11.13 €10.00

$36.29 ₡16.4K

-69.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.75 €30.33

$52.0 ₡23.5K

-35.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.92 €32.27

$67.6 ₡30.5K

-46.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.55 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$9.91 €8.91

$7.54 ₡3,404

31.43%

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

$849 €762

$496 ₡224.0K

70.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.9K €9,791

$11.8K ₡5.3M

-7.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$109 €97.9

$55.1 ₡24.9K

97.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.98 €35.02

$56.1 ₡25.3K

-30.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 €97.0

$77.8 ₡35.1K

38.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$150 €134

$79.1 ₡35.7K

89.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$691 €621

$817 ₡368.9K

-15.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$717 €644

$806 ₡363.6K

-11.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,441 €1,295

$3,988 ₡1.8M

-63.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,179 €1,060

$1,429 ₡644.9K

-17.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,571 €3,209

$7,068 ₡3.2M

-49.47%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,323 €2,986

$1,197 ₡540.1K

177.64%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$888 ₡400.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.79

8.62

-56.03%

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

Last update for Saintes: October 27, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Saintes

$717 38.3%

Nosara

$806 43.7% 12.4% $89

Groceries & Markets

Saintes

$364 19.4%

Nosara

$351 19% 3.4% $12

Eating Out

Saintes

$307 16.4%

Nosara

$213 11.6% 30.5% $93

Clothing & Footwear

Saintes

$183 9.8%

Nosara

$121 6.5% 33.9% $62

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Saintes

$179 9.6%

Nosara

$184 9.9% 2.6% $4.6

Getting Around

Saintes

$68 3.6%

Nosara

$89 4.8% 31.6% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Saintes

$56 3%

Nosara

$83 4.5% 48.3% $27

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $691 in Saintes versus $817 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 $68 in Saintes versus $61 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $364 vs $351 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇫🇷 Saintes

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

08:40 8:40 AM

01:40 1:40 AM

7 h behind Saintes

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

25,518

4,912

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.898 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 502 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Saintes Nosara 8,830 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Saintes
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

Saintes vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,872 in Saintes, $1,846 in Nosara – roughly 1% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,808 per month in Saintes and $2,769 in Nosara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Saintes, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $691 there versus $817 in Nosara.

Public transport costs about 40% less in Saintes. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $849 per month in Saintes and $496 in Nosara. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$3,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,872 in Saintes and $1,846 in Nosara, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Nosara has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,846 in Nosara to $1,872 in Saintes. 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.