Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Fernando, La Union and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in San Fernando, La Union: $719 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $13,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

36

Cost of Living Index in San Fernando, La Union
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San Fernando, La Union Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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San Fernando, La Union

🇵🇭 Philippines

$719

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $719 per month in San Fernando, La Union vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

San Fernando, La Union $719
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $1,102 per month in San Fernando, La Union vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

San Fernando, La Union $1,102
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $1,485 per month in San Fernando, La Union vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

San Fernando, La Union $1,485
Nosara $3,818

San Fernando, La Union is about 61% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

San Fernando, La Union sits 47% below the global median, while Nosara is 36% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.93 ₱248

$12.35 ₡5,539

-68.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$14.86 ₱936

$61.2 ₡27.4K

-75.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.45 ₱154

$7.52 ₡3,373

-67.42%

Cappuccino

$1.92 ₱121

$4.41 ₡1,978

-56.46%

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

$0.63 ₱39.53

$1.74 ₡780

-63.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ₱18.67

$1.31 ₡587

-77.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.15 ₱72.3

$3.28 ₡1,471

-64.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 ₱112

$4.47 ₡2,004

-60.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.68 ₱106

$1.56 ₡701

7.69%

White Bread (500g)

$1.08 ₱67.7

$3.02 ₡1,355

-64.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.03 ₱65.0

$2.51 ₡1,125

-58.96%

Eggs

$1.93 ₱122

$3.57 ₡1,603

-45.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.38 ₱402

$7.43 ₡3,333

-14.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.77 ₱238

$10.52 ₡4,717

-64.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.48 ₱471

$13.97 ₡6,265

-46.46%

Apples (1kg)

$2.38 ₱150

$2.35 ₡1,052

1.28%

Banana (1kg)

$1.60 ₱101

$1.61 ₡720

-0.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.71 ₱170

$4.80 ₡2,152

-43.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.21 ₱76.1

$1.61 ₡724

-24.84%

Potato (1kg)

$2.26 ₱142

$3.80 ₡1,703

-40.53%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 ₱131

$3.69 ₡1,657

-43.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.00 ₱62.8

$1.13 ₡507

-11.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ₱36.41

$2.66 ₡1,191

-78.20%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.97 ₱187

$5.18 ₡2,321

-42.66%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.16 ₱451

$19.88 ₡8,916

-63.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 ₱70.0

$2.90 ₡1,300

-61.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.63 ₱103

$3.63 ₡1,626

-55.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 ₱15.89

$1.12 ₡504

-77.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$10.92 ₱687

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-84.97%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.81 ₱51.2

$2.14 ₡958

-62.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.21 ₱13.52

$1.57 ₡703

-86.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.77 ₱111

$8.52 ₡3,823

-79.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.02 ₱64.5

$1.52 ₡682

-32.89%

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

$21.0K ₱1.3M

$21.6K ₡9.7M

-2.82%

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

$18.3K ₱1.1M

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-47.08%

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

$109 ₱6,863

$96.3 ₡43.2K

13.20%

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

$16.96 ₱1,068

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-52.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.32 ₱1,720

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-49.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.83 ₱2,067

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-54.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.60 ₱290

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-86.82%

Cinema Ticket

$5.76 ₱363

$7.89 ₡3,539

-27.00%

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

$114 ₱7,179

$494 ₡221.6K

-76.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,119 ₱574.1K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-23.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$33.24 ₱2,093

$53.9 ₡24.2K

-38.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$17.66 ₱1,112

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-68.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.9 ₱4,524

$77.9 ₡34.9K

-7.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$55.6 ₱3,503

$79.6 ₡35.7K

-30.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$262 ₱16.5K

$788 ₡353.4K

-66.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$169 ₱10.7K

$794 ₡356.2K

-78.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$521 ₱32.8K

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-86.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$361 ₱22.7K

$1,419 ₡636.5K

-74.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,558 ₱161.1K

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-62.99%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,037 ₱65.3K

$1,224 ₡549.0K

-15.31%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

8.62

-21.23%

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

Last update for San Fernando, La Union: October 11, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

San Fernando, La Union

$183 25.5%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 92.3% $169

Accommodation & Living

San Fernando, La Union

$169 23.6%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 369% $625

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Fernando, La Union

$153 21.3%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 21.2% $32

Clothing & Footwear

San Fernando, La Union

$80 11.2%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 49.6% $40

Eating Out

San Fernando, La Union

$75 10.4%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 183% $137

Sport & Entertainment

San Fernando, La Union

$44 6.2%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 97% $43

Getting Around

San Fernando, La Union

$14 1.9%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 530% $73

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $262 in San Fernando, La Union 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $15.00 in San Fernando, La Union versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $183 vs $352 – making San Fernando, La Union the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇭 San Fernando, La Union

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

15:17 3:17 PM

01:17 1:17 AM

14 h behind San Fernando, La Union

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

83,003

4,912

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to PHP – Philippine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇭 Philippine Peso (₱)

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.78 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

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 PHP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

San Fernando, La Union Nosara 15,900 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

San Fernando, La Union
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

San Fernando, La Union vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $719 in San Fernando, La Union, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 156% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,079 per month in San Fernando, La Union 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 San Fernando, La Union, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 565% less in San Fernando, La Union. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $114 per month in San Fernando, La Union and $494 in Nosara. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in San Fernando, La Union, where all-in costs run around $719, than in Nosara at $1,839. In San Fernando, La Union 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 $719 in San Fernando, La Union 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 San Fernando, La Union. 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.