Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Fernando and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in San Fernando: $1,263 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $6,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

61

Cost of Living Index in San Fernando
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San Fernando Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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San Fernando

🇹🇹 Trinidad And Tobago

$1,263

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,263 per month in San Fernando vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

San Fernando $1,263
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $2,045 per month in San Fernando vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

San Fernando $2,045
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $2,827 per month in San Fernando vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

San Fernando $2,827
Nosara $3,818

San Fernando is about 31% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

San Fernando sits 6% below the global median, while Nosara is 36% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.22 TTD 68.8

$12.35 ₡5,539

-17.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$59.6 TTD 401

$61.2 ₡27.4K

-2.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.00 TTD 53.9

$7.52 ₡3,373

6.38%

Cappuccino

$3.66 TTD 24.65

$4.41 ₡1,978

-17.01%

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

$1.02 TTD 6.88

$1.74 ₡780

-41.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.76 TTD 5.09

$1.31 ₡587

-41.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.89 TTD 12.69

$3.28 ₡1,471

-42.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 TTD 17.71

$4.47 ₡2,004

-41.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.98 TTD 13.33

$1.56 ₡701

26.92%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 TTD 15.41

$3.02 ₡1,355

-24.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.92 TTD 19.61

$2.51 ₡1,125

16.33%

Eggs

$3.90 TTD 26.27

$3.57 ₡1,603

9.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.58 TTD 44.24

$7.43 ₡3,333

-11.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.17 TTD 68.4

$10.52 ₡4,717

-3.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.04 TTD 60.8

$13.97 ₡6,265

-35.29%

Apples (1kg)

$5.59 TTD 37.61

$2.35 ₡1,052

137.87%

Banana (1kg)

$2.57 TTD 17.31

$1.61 ₡720

59.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.60 TTD 24.21

$4.80 ₡2,152

-25.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.38 TTD 29.43

$1.61 ₡724

172.05%

Potato (1kg)

$0.75 TTD 5.05

$3.80 ₡1,703

-80.26%

Onion (1kg)

$0.74 TTD 5.00

$3.69 ₡1,657

-79.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.50 TTD 10.11

$1.13 ₡507

32.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 TTD 7.73

$2.66 ₡1,191

-56.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.71 TTD 38.38

$5.18 ₡2,321

10.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.92 TTD 121

$19.88 ₡8,916

-9.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.55 TTD 10.43

$2.90 ₡1,300

-46.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.93 TTD 19.74

$3.63 ₡1,626

-19.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.46 TTD 3.10

$1.12 ₡504

-58.93%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.31 TTD 298

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-39.00%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.86 TTD 5.79

$2.14 ₡958

-59.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 TTD 6.20

$1.57 ₡703

-41.40%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.57 TTD 98.0

$8.52 ₡3,823

71.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.16 TTD 7.81

$1.52 ₡682

-23.68%

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

$36.1K TTD 243.1K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

67.23%

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

$40.3K TTD 270.8K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

16.64%

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

$44.87 TTD 302

$96.3 ₡43.2K

-53.40%

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

$42.63 TTD 287

$35.89 ₡16.1K

18.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$45.78 TTD 308

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-14.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.5 TTD 340

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-29.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.37 TTD 151

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-35.92%

Cinema Ticket

$8.70 TTD 58.5

$7.89 ₡3,539

10.27%

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

$402 TTD 2,702

$494 ₡221.6K

-18.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.9K TTD 73.0K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-8.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.6 TTD 360

$53.9 ₡24.2K

-0.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.29 TTD 251

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-32.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.1 TTD 593

$77.9 ₡34.9K

13.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.7 TTD 603

$79.6 ₡35.7K

12.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$517 TTD 3,480

$788 ₡353.4K

-34.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$398 TTD 2,675

$794 ₡356.2K

-49.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$914 TTD 6,149

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-76.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$743 TTD 5,000

$1,419 ₡636.5K

-47.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,991 TTD 13.4K

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-71.19%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,492 TTD 10.0K

$1,224 ₡549.0K

21.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,043 TTD 7,019

$864 ₡387.3K

20.82%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.75

8.62

-33.29%

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

Last update for San Fernando: 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

San Fernando

$398 31.5%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 99.7% $397

Groceries & Markets

San Fernando

$320 25.4%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 10% $32

Eating Out

San Fernando

$172 13.6%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 23.4% $40

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Fernando

$133 10.6%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 39.4% $52

Clothing & Footwear

San Fernando

$121 9.6%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 0.7% $0.8

Sport & Entertainment

San Fernando

$68 5.4%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 28.6% $19

Getting Around

San Fernando

$52 4.1%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 68.7% $35

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $517 in San Fernando 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 21% higher in San Fernando, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $60.0 in San Fernando versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $320 vs $352 – making San Fernando the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇹 San Fernando

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

13:45 1:45 PM

11:45 11:45 AM

2 h behind San Fernando

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

55,419

4,912

💱 Currency

Trinidad and Tobago Dollar TTD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 TTD = 0.149 USD

1 TTD = 0.132 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to TTD – Trinidad and Tobago Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇹 Trinidad and Tobago Dollar ($)

Trinidad and Tobago Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 6.73 TTD (1 TTD = 0.149 USD). 1 EUR = 7.56 TTD (1 TTD = 0.132 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 TTD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

San Fernando Nosara 2,650 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

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

Monthly costs with rent: $1,263 in San Fernando, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 46% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,895 per month in San Fernando 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, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 64% less in San Fernando. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $402 per month in San Fernando 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, where all-in costs run around $1,263, than in Nosara at $1,839. In San Fernando 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 $1,263 in San Fernando 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. 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.