Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Isidro, Costa Rica and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in San Isidro: $1,684 a month against $1,846 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $1,900 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Nosara outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

81

Cost of Living Index in San Isidro
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San Isidro Living Index
88

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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San Isidro

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,684

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,846

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,684 per month in San Isidro vs $1,846 in Nosara, rent included.

San Isidro $1,684
Nosara $1,846

A couple spends around $2,655 per month in San Isidro vs $2,833 in Nosara, rent included.

San Isidro $2,655
Nosara $2,833

A family of three spends $3,625 per month in San Isidro vs $3,820 in Nosara, rent included.

San Isidro $3,625
Nosara $3,820

San Isidro is about 9% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both San Isidro and Nosara sit above the global median – San Isidro by 24%, Nosara by 36%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.00 ₡5,415

$12.36 ₡5,575

-2.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.9 ₡26.1K

$60.8 ₡27.4K

-4.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.71 ₡5,285

$7.88 ₡3,557

48.60%

Cappuccino

$4.21 ₡1,899

$4.40 ₡1,986

-4.32%

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

$2.65 ₡1,195

$1.72 ₡776

54.07%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 ₡834

$1.34 ₡603

38.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.32 ₡1,497

$3.34 ₡1,505

-0.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.41 ₡1,991

$4.54 ₡2,048

-2.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.43 ₡1,098

$1.64 ₡739

48.17%

White Bread (500g)

$2.78 ₡1,253

$3.16 ₡1,426

-12.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.53 ₡1,140

$2.39 ₡1,080

5.86%

Eggs

$3.58 ₡1,616

$3.47 ₡1,564

3.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.63 ₡4,798

$7.13 ₡3,217

49.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.13 ₡4,572

$10.32 ₡4,655

-1.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.89 ₡6,269

$13.97 ₡6,302

-0.57%

Apples (1kg)

$5.02 ₡2,264

$2.29 ₡1,031

119.21%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 ₡739

$1.62 ₡731

1.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.40 ₡1,533

$4.81 ₡2,169

-29.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.31 ₡1,496

$1.68 ₡758

97.02%

Potato (1kg)

$2.98 ₡1,347

$3.91 ₡1,765

-23.79%

Onion (1kg)

$3.20 ₡1,442

$3.63 ₡1,640

-11.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.03 ₡466

$1.13 ₡509

-8.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.69 ₡1,215

$2.63 ₡1,188

2.28%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.83 ₡2,632

$5.02 ₡2,267

16.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.81 ₡7,583

$19.71 ₡8,893

-14.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.53 ₡1,141

$2.91 ₡1,314

-13.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.70 ₡1,217

$3.54 ₡1,597

-23.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.30 ₡588

$1.21 ₡545

7.44%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.8 ₡33.3K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.47 ₡1,113

$2.15 ₡969

14.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 ₡704

$1.63 ₡738

-4.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.84 ₡3,536

$8.77 ₡3,958

-10.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡704

$1.55 ₡700

0.65%

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

$33.8K ₡15.3M

$33.9K ₡15.3M

-0.11%

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

$41.2K ₡18.6M

$38.5K ₡17.4M

7.14%

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

$95.7 ₡43.2K

$95.2 ₡43.0K

0.48%

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

$30.42 ₡13.7K

$36.29 ₡16.4K

-16.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.2 ₡26.3K

$52.0 ₡23.5K

11.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$63.2 ₡28.5K

$67.6 ₡30.5K

-6.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.55 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$7.93 ₡3,580

$7.54 ₡3,404

5.17%

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

$835 ₡376.8K

$496 ₡224.0K

68.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.5K ₡7.9M

$11.8K ₡5.3M

48.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$76.8 ₡34.7K

$55.1 ₡24.9K

39.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.8 ₡23.8K

$56.1 ₡25.3K

-5.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$123 ₡55.4K

$77.8 ₡35.1K

57.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$140 ₡63.0K

$79.1 ₡35.7K

76.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$810 ₡365.4K

$817 ₡368.9K

-0.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$635 ₡286.4K

$806 ₡363.6K

-21.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,917 ₡865.0K

$3,988 ₡1.8M

-51.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,250 ₡564.0K

$1,429 ₡644.9K

-12.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,068 ₡3.2M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,197 ₡540.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,085 ₡489.7K

$888 ₡400.7K

22.20%

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 San Isidro: 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

San Isidro

$635 37.7%

Nosara

$806 43.7% 26.9% $171

Groceries & Markets

San Isidro

$369 21.9%

Nosara

$351 19% 4.9% $18

Eating Out

San Isidro

$225 13.4%

Nosara

$213 11.6% 5.2% $12

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Isidro

$184 10.9%

Nosara

$184 9.9% 0.4% $0.8

Clothing & Footwear

San Isidro

$176 10.5%

Nosara

$121 6.5% 31.6% $56

Sport & Entertainment

San Isidro

$79 4.7%

Nosara

$83 4.5% 4.6% $3.6

Getting Around

San Isidro

$15 * 0.9%

Nosara

$89 4.8% 475% $73

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $810 in San Isidro 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.

Salaries run about 22% higher in San Isidro, 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 $58 in San Isidro versus $61 in Nosara. Groceries tell a different story – $369 in San Isidro vs $351 in Nosara – so Nosara wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇷 San Isidro

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

03:14 3:14 AM

Same time as San Isidro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

17,000

4,912

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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San Isidro Nosara 180 km

From you

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

Monthly costs with rent: $1,684 in San Isidro, $1,846 in Nosara – roughly 10% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,526 per month in San Isidro and $2,769 in Nosara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $810 in San Isidro and $817 in Nosara. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $58 in San Isidro and $61 in Nosara. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 5% cheaper in Nosara – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

It depends on your priorities. Nosara has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,684 in San Isidro to $1,846 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.