Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Juan and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in San Juan: $771 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $12,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

37

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

🇹🇹 Trinidad And Tobago

$771

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/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 $771 per month in San Juan vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

San Juan $771
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $1,321 per month in San Juan vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

San Juan $1,321
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $1,870 per month in San Juan vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

San Juan $1,870
Nosara $3,818

San Juan is about 58% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

San Juan sits 43% below the global median, while Nosara is 36% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.47 TTD 70.4

$12.35 ₡5,539

-15.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$59.2 TTD 398

$61.2 ₡27.4K

-3.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.95 TTD 53.5

$7.52 ₡3,373

5.72%

Cappuccino

$3.63 TTD 24.39

$4.41 ₡1,978

-17.69%

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

$1.21 TTD 8.15

$1.74 ₡780

-30.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.75 TTD 5.07

$1.31 ₡587

-42.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.23 TTD 14.98

$3.28 ₡1,471

-32.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.01 TTD 20.23

$4.47 ₡2,004

-32.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.98 TTD 13.33

$1.56 ₡701

26.92%

White Bread (500g)

$2.36 TTD 15.86

$3.02 ₡1,355

-21.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.91 TTD 19.56

$2.51 ₡1,125

15.94%

Eggs

$3.74 TTD 25.14

$3.57 ₡1,603

4.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.80 TTD 45.75

$7.43 ₡3,333

-8.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.15 TTD 68.3

$10.52 ₡4,717

-3.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.89 TTD 59.8

$13.97 ₡6,265

-36.36%

Apples (1kg)

$5.51 TTD 37.04

$2.35 ₡1,052

134.47%

Banana (1kg)

$2.53 TTD 17.00

$1.61 ₡720

57.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.60 TTD 24.22

$4.80 ₡2,152

-25.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.25 TTD 28.57

$1.61 ₡724

163.98%

Potato (1kg)

$0.77 TTD 5.17

$3.80 ₡1,703

-79.74%

Onion (1kg)

$0.71 TTD 4.81

$3.69 ₡1,657

-80.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 TTD 9.76

$1.13 ₡507

28.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 TTD 8.13

$2.66 ₡1,191

-54.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.77 TTD 38.81

$5.18 ₡2,321

11.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.00 TTD 121

$19.88 ₡8,916

-9.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.56 TTD 10.49

$2.90 ₡1,300

-46.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.01 TTD 20.23

$3.63 ₡1,626

-17.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.87 TTD 5.82

$2.14 ₡958

-59.35%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 TTD 5.71

$1.57 ₡703

-45.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.64 TTD 98.5

$8.52 ₡3,823

71.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.16 TTD 7.78

$1.52 ₡682

-23.68%

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

$37.6K TTD 253.1K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

74.10%

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

$41.0K TTD 275.6K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

18.70%

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

$43.82 TTD 295

$96.3 ₡43.2K

-54.49%

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

$42.30 TTD 285

$35.89 ₡16.1K

17.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.86 TTD 302

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-16.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$8.95 TTD 60.2

$7.89 ₡3,539

13.43%

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

$398 TTD 2,678

$494 ₡221.6K

-19.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.8K TTD 72.6K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-8.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.8 TTD 362

$53.9 ₡24.2K

-0.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.61 TTD 253

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-32.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.8 TTD 591

$77.9 ₡34.9K

12.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.9 TTD 605

$79.6 ₡35.7K

12.90%

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)

$864 ₡387.3K

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 Juan: October 11, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

San Juan

$320 41.5%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 10.1% $32

Eating Out

San Juan

$176 22.8%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 20.3% $36

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Juan

$131 17%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 41.8% $55

Clothing & Footwear

San Juan

$121 15.7%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 0.8% $1

Sport & Entertainment

San Juan

$18 * 2.3%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 388% $69

Getting Around

San Juan

$5.1 * 0.7%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 1605% $82

Accommodation & Living

San Juan

- * 0%

Nosara

$794 43.2%

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 $59.0 in San Juan versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $320 vs $352 – making San Juan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇹 San Juan

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

07:06 7:06 AM

05:06 5:06 AM

2 h behind San Juan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

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 Juan Nosara 2,650 km ≈ 3 h 45 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: $771 in San Juan, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 138% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,157 per month in San Juan 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 $59.0 in San Juan 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 10% 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 Juan, where all-in costs run around $771, than in Nosara at $1,839. In San Juan 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 $771 in San Juan 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 Juan. 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.