Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San German and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in San German: $1,313 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $6,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Nosara outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

64

Cost of Living Index in San German
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San German Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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San German

🇵🇷 Puerto Rico

$1,313

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,313 per month in San German vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

San German $1,313
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $2,073 per month in San German vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

San German $2,073
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $2,832 per month in San German vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

San German $2,832
Nosara $3,818

San German is about 29% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

San German sits 3% below the global median, while Nosara is 36% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.07 $19.07

$12.35 ₡5,539

54.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$83.1 $83.1

$61.2 ₡27.4K

35.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.08 $9.08

$7.52 ₡3,373

20.74%

Cappuccino

$3.55 $3.55

$4.41 ₡1,978

-19.50%

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

$1.82 $1.82

$1.74 ₡780

4.60%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.51 $1.51

$1.31 ₡587

15.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.97 $2.97

$3.28 ₡1,471

-9.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.01 $5.01

$4.47 ₡2,004

12.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.15 $2.15

$1.56 ₡701

37.82%

White Bread (500g)

$3.54 $3.54

$3.02 ₡1,355

17.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.34 $2.34

$2.51 ₡1,125

-6.77%

Eggs

$7.37 $7.37

$3.57 ₡1,603

106.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.35 $12.35

$7.43 ₡3,333

66.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.36 $9.36

$10.52 ₡4,717

-11.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.16 $13.16

$13.97 ₡6,265

-5.80%

Apples (1kg)

$5.04 $5.04

$2.35 ₡1,052

114.47%

Banana (1kg)

$2.62 $2.62

$1.61 ₡720

62.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.74 $4.74

$4.80 ₡2,152

-1.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.69 $4.69

$1.61 ₡724

191.30%

Potato (1kg)

$3.74 $3.74

$3.80 ₡1,703

-1.58%

Onion (1kg)

$4.00 $4.00

$3.69 ₡1,657

8.40%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.48 $3.48

$1.13 ₡507

207.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 $1.60

$2.66 ₡1,191

-39.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.11 $12.11

$5.18 ₡2,321

133.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.62 $15.62

$19.88 ₡8,916

-21.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.99 $2.99

$2.90 ₡1,300

3.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.09 $4.09

$3.63 ₡1,626

12.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.43 $2.43

$2.14 ₡958

13.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.54 $1.54

$1.57 ₡703

-1.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.21 $41.21

$8.52 ₡3,823

383.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.19 $1.19

$1.52 ₡682

-21.71%

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

$39.3K $39.3K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

82.08%

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

$27.8K $27.8K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-19.33%

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

$318 $318

$96.3 ₡43.2K

229.94%

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

$70.4 $70.4

$35.89 ₡16.1K

96.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.6 $70.6

$53.6 ₡24.0K

31.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$10.48 $10.48

$7.89 ₡3,539

32.83%

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

$811 $811

$494 ₡221.6K

64.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.4K $12.4K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

4.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.5 $56.5

$53.9 ₡24.2K

4.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$60.1 $60.1

$55.4 ₡24.8K

8.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 $109

$77.9 ₡34.9K

40.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 $115

$79.6 ₡35.7K

45.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,798 $2,798

$864 ₡387.3K

224.06%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.55

8.62

-24.01%

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

Last update for San German: October 11, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San German

$459 34.9%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 59.5% $273

Groceries & Markets

San German

$409 31.2%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 13.9% $57

Eating Out

San German

$261 19.8%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 18.7% $49

Clothing & Footwear

San German

$154 11.7%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 21.9% $34

Sport & Entertainment

San German

$21 * 1.6%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 317% $66

Getting Around

San German

$10 * 0.8%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 762% $77

Accommodation & Living

San German

- * 0%

Nosara

$794 43.2%

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

Cost Breakdown

Salaries run about 224% higher in San German, 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 $83.0 in San German versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $409 vs $352 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇷 San German

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

15:05 3:05 PM

13:05 1:05 PM

2 h behind San German

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

35,000

4,912

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.889 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 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 17, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.889 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

CRC to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

San German Nosara 2,200 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

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

Monthly costs with rent: $1,313 in San German, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 40% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,970 per month in San German and $2,758 in Nosara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $83.0 in San German and $61.0 in Nosara. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 16% cheaper in Nosara – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in San German, where all-in costs run around $1,313, than in Nosara at $1,839. In San German 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 $1,313 in San German 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 German. 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.