Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San José and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in San José: $913 a month against $1,835 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $11,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

44

Cost of Living Index in San José
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San José Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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San José

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$913

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $913 per month in San José vs $1,835 in Nosara, rent included.

San José $913
Nosara $1,835

A couple spends around $1,449 per month in San José vs $2,825 in Nosara, rent included.

San José $1,449
Nosara $2,825

A family of three spends $1,985 per month in San José vs $3,814 in Nosara, rent included.

San José $1,985
Nosara $3,814

San José is about 50% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

San José sits 33% below the global median, while Nosara is 35% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.95 UYU 520

$12.34 ₡5,535

4.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.87 UYU 1,761

$61.3 ₡27.5K

-28.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.82 UYU 555

$7.76 ₡3,481

78.09%

Cappuccino

$4.88 UYU 196

$4.44 ₡1,992

9.91%

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

$2.38 UYU 95.6

$1.79 ₡803

32.96%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.19 UYU 87.9

$1.29 ₡580

69.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.92 UYU 117

$3.24 ₡1,451

-9.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 UYU 140

$4.43 ₡1,985

-21.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.99 UYU 39.77

$1.55 ₡696

-36.13%

White Bread (500g)

$2.01 UYU 80.7

$3.08 ₡1,380

-34.74%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 UYU 59.0

$2.53 ₡1,133

-41.90%

Eggs

$2.62 UYU 105

$3.45 ₡1,546

-24.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.01 UYU 482

$7.32 ₡3,284

64.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.26 UYU 291

$10.24 ₡4,594

-29.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.07 UYU 484

$14.10 ₡6,326

-14.40%

Apples (1kg)

$1.22 UYU 48.77

$2.29 ₡1,027

-46.72%

Banana (1kg)

$1.54 UYU 61.8

$1.64 ₡737

-6.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.21 UYU 48.71

$4.79 ₡2,149

-74.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.54 UYU 61.7

$1.64 ₡735

-6.10%

Potato (1kg)

$0.98 UYU 39.49

$3.85 ₡1,727

-74.55%

Onion (1kg)

$1.28 UYU 51.5

$3.75 ₡1,681

-65.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.49 UYU 59.7

$1.09 ₡488

36.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.99 UYU 79.9

$2.59 ₡1,160

-23.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.82 UYU 394

$5.12 ₡2,295

91.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.17 UYU 328

$19.92 ₡8,931

-58.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.05 UYU 123

$2.80 ₡1,255

8.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.35 UYU 135

$3.52 ₡1,580

-4.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.22 ₡549

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.9 ₡33.1K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.50 UYU 141

$2.17 ₡973

61.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.45 UYU 139

$1.56 ₡698

121.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.95 UYU 399

$8.67 ₡3,886

14.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.15 UYU 86.3

$1.55 ₡697

38.71%

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

$36.4K UYU 1.5M

$34.5K ₡15.5M

5.39%

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

$40.1K UYU 1.6M

$38.7K ₡17.4M

3.36%

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

$113 UYU 4,547

$94.8 ₡42.5K

19.49%

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

$23.78 UYU 955

$36.15 ₡16.2K

-34.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$47.11 UYU 1,891

$53.1 ₡23.8K

-11.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$73.8 ₡33.1K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.63 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$12.35 UYU 496

$7.91 ₡3,548

56.13%

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

$494 UYU 19.8K

$490 ₡219.9K

0.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,691 UYU 268.6K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-43.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.3 UYU 3,542

$54.8 ₡24.6K

61.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.57 UYU 1,508

$55.9 ₡25.1K

-32.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$164 UYU 6,601

$80.4 ₡36.0K

104.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 UYU 4,699

$77.9 ₡34.9K

50.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$801 ₡359.1K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$790 ₡354.1K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,005 ₡1.8M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,409 ₡632.0K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,064 ₡3.2M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,236 ₡554.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$887 ₡397.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

-42.00%

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

Last update for San José: October 17, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

San José

$256 28.1%

Nosara

$350 19.1% 36.4% $93

Eating Out

San José

$243 26.7%

Nosara

$213 11.6% 12.6% $31

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San José

$184 20.2%

Nosara

$184 10% 0.1% $0.2

Clothing & Footwear

San José

$183 20.1%

Nosara

$121 6.6% 34% $62

Sport & Entertainment

San José

$25 * 2.7%

Nosara

$90 4.9% 263% $65

Getting Around

San José

$21 * 2.3%

Nosara

$89 4.8% 328% $68

Accommodation & Living

San José

- * 0%

Nosara

$790 43%

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44.00 in San José versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $256 vs $350 – making San José the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇾 San José

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

19:12 7:12 PM

16:12 4:12 PM

3 h behind San José

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

36,747

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 = 2.23 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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 40.14 UYU (100 UYU = 2.49 USD). 1 EUR = 45.12 UYU (100 UYU = 2.22 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to UYU in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

San José Nosara 5,800 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

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

Monthly costs with rent: $913 in San José, $1,835 in Nosara – roughly 101% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,369 per month in San José and $2,753 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 $44.00 in San José and $61.0 in Nosara. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 36% 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 $1,000 monthly budget goes further in San José, where all-in costs run around $913, than in Nosara at $1,835. In San José 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 $913 in San José to $1,835 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 José. 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.