Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Salto and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Salto: $1,332 a month against $1,837 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $6,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

64

Cost of Living Index in Salto
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Salto Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Salto

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,332

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,332 per month in Salto vs $1,837 in Nosara, rent included.

Salto $1,332
Nosara $1,837

A couple spends around $1,921 per month in Salto vs $2,775 in Nosara, rent included.

Salto $1,921
Nosara $2,775

A family of three spends $2,510 per month in Salto vs $3,712 in Nosara, rent included.

Salto $2,510
Nosara $3,712

Salto is about 28% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Salto sits 1% below the global median, while Nosara is 37% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.98 UYU 642

$12.22 ₡5,509

30.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.19 UYU 1,493

$60.2 ₡27.1K

-38.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.86 UYU 476

$7.54 ₡3,399

57.29%

Cappuccino

$3.26 UYU 131

$4.31 ₡1,941

-24.36%

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

$2.21 UYU 88.9

$1.72 ₡773

28.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 UYU 63.0

$1.35 ₡608

16.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.57 UYU 183

$3.24 ₡1,459

41.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.08 UYU 124

$4.48 ₡2,018

-31.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.40 UYU 56.1

$1.57 ₡707

-10.83%

White Bread (500g)

$2.12 UYU 85.0

$3.17 ₡1,429

-33.12%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 UYU 60.2

$2.42 ₡1,091

-38.02%

Eggs

$5.34 UYU 215

$3.57 ₡1,609

49.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.05 UYU 604

$7.43 ₡3,349

102.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.73 UYU 350

$10.42 ₡4,697

-16.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.86 UYU 396

$13.66 ₡6,156

-27.82%

Apples (1kg)

$1.27 UYU 50.9

$2.32 ₡1,044

-45.26%

Banana (1kg)

$2.16 UYU 86.6

$1.61 ₡728

34.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.24 UYU 49.86

$4.74 ₡2,138

-73.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.86 UYU 74.7

$1.66 ₡747

12.05%

Potato (1kg)

$0.90 UYU 35.99

$3.72 ₡1,679

-75.81%

Onion (1kg)

$1.66 UYU 66.7

$3.57 ₡1,611

-53.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.89 UYU 35.73

$1.10 ₡497

-19.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.53 UYU 61.3

$2.55 ₡1,149

-40.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.29 UYU 213

$4.95 ₡2,232

6.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.55 UYU 303

$20.01 ₡9,020

-62.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.91 UYU 76.8

$2.79 ₡1,256

-31.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.61 UYU 105

$3.53 ₡1,589

-26.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.60 UYU 23.95

$1.19 ₡537

-49.58%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.75 UYU 1,194

$72.1 ₡32.5K

-58.72%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.24 ₡1,011

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.61 UYU 145

$1.55 ₡701

132.90%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 ₡3,993

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.95 UYU 78.2

$1.57 ₡708

24.20%

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)

$200 UYU 8,020

$93.5 ₡42.1K

113.76%

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

$21.70 UYU 871

$35.11 ₡15.8K

-38.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.62 UYU 1,189

$51.5 ₡23.2K

-42.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.74 UYU 1,475

$71.4 ₡32.2K

-48.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.46 UYU 500

$35.44 ₡16.0K

-64.84%

Cinema Ticket

$9.93 UYU 399

$7.84 ₡3,535

26.66%

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

$490 ₡220.7K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,463 UYU 179.2K

$11.9K ₡5.4M

-62.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$85.5 UYU 3,432

$53.5 ₡24.1K

59.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.9 UYU 2,244

$55.8 ₡25.1K

0.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 UYU 4,569

$79.3 ₡35.7K

43.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$67.1 UYU 2,693

$78.9 ₡35.6K

-14.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$438 UYU 17.6K

$786 ₡354.3K

-44.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$300 UYU 12.1K

$780 ₡351.6K

-61.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$749 UYU 30.1K

$3,860 ₡1.7M

-80.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$417 UYU 16.7K

$1,407 ₡634.4K

-70.38%

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)

$628 UYU 25.2K

$876 ₡395.0K

-28.34%

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 Salto: 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

Salto

$300 22.7%

Nosara

$780 43% 160% $480

Groceries & Markets

Salto

$272 20.6%

Nosara

$350 19.3% 28.4% $77

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Salto

$251 19%

Nosara

$180 9.9% 28.3% $71

Eating Out

Salto

$247 18.7%

Nosara

$209 11.6% 15.1% $37

Clothing & Footwear

Salto

$145 11%

Nosara

$120 6.6% 17% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Salto

$57 4.3%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 53.8% $30

Getting Around

Salto

$50 * 3.8%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 73% $37

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $438 in Salto 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 40% 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 $37.00 in Salto versus $60.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $272 vs $350 – making Salto the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇾 Salto

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

05:38 5:38 AM

02:38 2:38 AM

3 h behind Salto

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

104,028

4,912

💱 Currency

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

100 UYU = 2.49 USD

100 UYU = 2.22 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to UYU – Uruguayan Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇺🇾 Uruguayan Peso ($U)

Uruguayan Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 40.15 UYU (100 UYU = 2.49 USD). 1 EUR = 45.03 UYU (100 UYU = 2.22 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).

USD to UYU in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Salto Nosara 5,460 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Salto
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

Salto vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,332 in Salto, $1,837 in Nosara – roughly 38% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,998 per month in Salto 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 Salto, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 142% less in Salto. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Groceries cost about 28% 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 $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Salto, where all-in costs run around $1,332, than in Nosara at $1,837. In Salto 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 $1,332 in Salto to $1,837 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 Salto. 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.