Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Juan and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,837 a month against $2,197 in San Juan, rent and utilities included – about $4,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

108

Cost of Living Index in San Juan
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San Juan Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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San Juan

🇵🇷 Puerto Rico

$2,197

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,197 per month in San Juan vs $1,837 in Nosara, rent included.

San Juan $2,197
Nosara $1,837

A couple spends around $3,317 per month in San Juan vs $2,775 in Nosara, rent included.

San Juan $3,317
Nosara $2,775

A family of three spends $4,436 per month in San Juan vs $3,712 in Nosara, rent included.

San Juan $4,436
Nosara $3,712

San Juan costs about 20% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both San Juan and Nosara sit above the global median – San Juan by 64%, Nosara by 37%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.95 $18.95

$12.22 ₡5,509

55.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$81.6 $81.6

$60.2 ₡27.1K

35.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.01 $9.01

$7.54 ₡3,399

19.50%

Cappuccino

$3.63 $3.63

$4.31 ₡1,941

-15.78%

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

$1.92 $1.92

$1.72 ₡773

11.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.44 $1.44

$1.35 ₡608

6.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.96 $2.96

$3.24 ₡1,459

-8.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.12 $5.12

$4.48 ₡2,018

14.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.16 $2.16

$1.57 ₡707

37.58%

White Bread (500g)

$3.64 $3.64

$3.17 ₡1,429

14.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.40 $2.40

$2.42 ₡1,091

-0.83%

Eggs

$7.30 $7.30

$3.57 ₡1,609

104.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.48 $12.48

$7.43 ₡3,349

67.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.91 $9.91

$10.42 ₡4,697

-4.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.15 $13.15

$13.66 ₡6,156

-3.73%

Apples (1kg)

$5.01 $5.01

$2.32 ₡1,044

115.95%

Banana (1kg)

$2.57 $2.57

$1.61 ₡728

59.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.83 $4.83

$4.74 ₡2,138

1.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.68 $4.68

$1.66 ₡747

181.93%

Potato (1kg)

$3.69 $3.69

$3.72 ₡1,679

-0.81%

Onion (1kg)

$3.89 $3.89

$3.57 ₡1,611

8.96%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.35 $3.35

$1.10 ₡497

204.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.65 $1.65

$2.55 ₡1,149

-35.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.90 $11.90

$4.95 ₡2,232

140.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.42 $15.42

$20.01 ₡9,020

-22.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.98 $2.98

$2.79 ₡1,256

6.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.91 $3.91

$3.53 ₡1,589

10.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.78 $0.78

$1.19 ₡537

-34.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.65 $29.65

$72.1 ₡32.5K

-58.86%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.53 $2.53

$2.24 ₡1,011

12.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.53 $1.53

$1.55 ₡701

-1.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.18 $41.18

$8.86 ₡3,993

364.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.23 $1.23

$1.57 ₡708

-21.66%

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

$39.7K $39.7K

$21.8K ₡9.8M

82.24%

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

$28.0K $28.0K

$34.6K ₡15.6M

-19.02%

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

$323 $323

$93.5 ₡42.1K

245.77%

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

$70.0 $70.0

$35.11 ₡15.8K

99.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.1 $70.1

$51.5 ₡23.2K

36.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.55 $41.55

$71.4 ₡32.2K

-41.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.78 $7.78

$35.44 ₡16.0K

-78.05%

Cinema Ticket

$10.57 $10.57

$7.84 ₡3,535

34.82%

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

$814 $814

$490 ₡220.7K

66.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.4K $12.4K

$11.9K ₡5.4M

4.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.5 $55.5

$53.5 ₡24.1K

3.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$61.6 $61.6

$55.8 ₡25.1K

10.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 $107

$79.3 ₡35.7K

34.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 $113

$78.9 ₡35.6K

43.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,791 $1,791

$786 ₡354.3K

127.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$847 $847

$780 ₡351.6K

8.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,872 $2,872

$3,860 ₡1.7M

-25.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,496 $1,496

$1,407 ₡634.4K

6.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,513 $7,513

$6,972 ₡3.1M

7.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,351 $3,351

$1,201 ₡541.3K

179.09%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,674 $2,674

$876 ₡395.0K

205.09%

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 Juan: October 3, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Juan

$847 37.8%

Nosara

$780 43% 8% $67

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Juan

$463 20.7%

Nosara

$180 9.9% 61.1% $283

Groceries & Markets

San Juan

$412 18.4%

Nosara

$350 19.3% 15.2% $63

Eating Out

San Juan

$261 11.6%

Nosara

$209 11.6% 19.7% $51

Clothing & Footwear

San Juan

$152 6.8%

Nosara

$120 6.6% 20.6% $31

Sport & Entertainment

San Juan

$63 2.8%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 38.9% $24

Getting Around

San Juan

$43 1.9%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 102% $44

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,791 in San Juan versus $786 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 205% higher in San Juan, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $82.0 in San Juan versus $60.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $412 vs $350 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇷 San Juan

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

04:42 4:42 AM

02:42 2:42 AM

2 h behind San Juan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

322,854 Capital

4,912

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 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 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 506 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

CRC to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

San Juan Nosara 2,300 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

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

Monthly costs with rent: $2,197 in San Juan, $1,837 in Nosara – roughly 20% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,295 per month in San Juan and $2,756 in Nosara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Nosara, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 143% less in Nosara. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $814 per month in San Juan and $490 in Nosara. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Nosara, where all-in costs run around $1,837, than in San Juan at $2,197. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in San Juan it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. San Juan has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,837 in Nosara to $2,197 in San Juan. 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 Nosara. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, San Juan makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.