Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Lorenzo and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in San Lorenzo: $582 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $15,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

San Lorenzo
🇵🇾 Paraguay
$582
/mo nomad
Nosara
🇨🇷 Costa Rica
$1,839
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $582 per month in San Lorenzo vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

  • San Lorenzo $582
  • Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $992 per month in San Lorenzo vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

  • San Lorenzo $992
  • Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $1,402 per month in San Lorenzo vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

  • San Lorenzo $1,402
  • Nosara $3,818

San Lorenzo is about 68% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

San Lorenzo sits 57% below the global median, while Nosara is 36% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
San Lorenzo
Nosara
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$6.86 ₲39.0K
$12.35 ₡5,539
-44.45%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$43.70 ₲248.5K
$61.2 ₡27.4K
-28.57%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.90 ₲39.2K
$7.52 ₡3,373
-8.24%
Cappuccino
$3.45 ₲19.6K
$4.41 ₡1,978
-21.77%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.07 ₲6,076
$1.74 ₡780
-38.51%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.58 ₲3,290
$1.31 ₡587
-55.73%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.98 ₲11.2K
$3.28 ₡1,471
-39.63%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.74 ₲9,912
$4.47 ₡2,004
-61.07%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
San Lorenzo
Nosara
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.18 ₲6,709
$1.56 ₡701
-24.36%
White Bread (500g)
$1.03 ₲5,841
$3.02 ₡1,355
-65.89%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.38 ₲7,863
$2.51 ₡1,125
-45.02%
Eggs
$2.41 ₲13.7K
$3.57 ₡1,603
-32.49%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$5.16 ₲29.3K
$7.43 ₡3,333
-30.55%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$2.27 ₲12.9K
$10.52 ₡4,717
-78.42%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$6.99 ₲39.7K
$13.97 ₡6,265
-49.96%
Apples (1kg)
$2.32 ₲13.2K
$2.35 ₡1,052
-1.28%
Banana (1kg)
$1.25 ₲7,092
$1.61 ₡720
-22.36%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.02 ₲5,809
$4.80 ₡2,152
-78.75%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.22 ₲6,939
$1.61 ₡724
-24.22%
Potato (1kg)
$1.07 ₲6,110
$3.80 ₡1,703
-71.84%
Onion (1kg)
$0.92 ₲5,210
$3.69 ₡1,657
-75.07%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.46 ₲2,635
$1.13 ₡507
-59.29%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.54 ₲3,096
$2.66 ₡1,191
-79.70%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.31 ₲13.1K
$5.18 ₡2,321
-55.41%
Wine (Bottle)
$3.97 ₲22.6K
$19.88 ₡8,916
-80.03%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$0.65 ₲3,698
$2.90 ₡1,300
-77.59%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.91 ₲5,185
$3.63 ₡1,626
-74.93%
🚌 Getting Around
San Lorenzo
Nosara
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
-
$1.12 ₡504
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$35.47 ₲201.7K
$72.6 ₡32.6K
-51.17%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.47 ₲8,361
$2.14 ₡958
-31.31%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.55 ₲8,836
$1.57 ₡703
-1.27%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$4.07 ₲23.1K
$8.52 ₡3,823
-52.23%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.28 ₲7,304
$1.52 ₡682
-15.79%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$17.4K ₲99.2M
$21.6K ₡9.7M
-19.31%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$35.1K ₲199.7M
$34.5K ₡15.5M
1.76%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
San Lorenzo
Nosara
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$52.1 ₲296.1K
$96.3 ₡43.2K
-45.91%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$17.41 ₲99.0K
$35.89 ₡16.1K
-51.49%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$22.99 ₲130.8K
$53.6 ₡24.0K
-57.10%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
San Lorenzo
Nosara
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$21.48 ₲122.2K
$71.6 ₡32.1K
-70.00%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$12.11 ₲68.9K
$34.91 ₡15.7K
-65.31%
Cinema Ticket
$4.37 ₲24.9K
$7.89 ₡3,539
-44.61%
🧸 Childcare & Education
San Lorenzo
Nosara
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$185 ₲1.0M
$494 ₡221.6K
-62.65%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,735 ₲32.6M
$11.9K ₡5.3M
-51.64%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
San Lorenzo
Nosara
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$63.9 ₲363.4K
$53.9 ₡24.2K
18.50%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$58.7 ₲333.6K
$55.4 ₡24.8K
5.87%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$110 ₲624.8K
$77.9 ₡34.9K
41.02%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$72.2 ₲410.4K
$79.6 ₡35.7K
-9.35%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
San Lorenzo
Nosara
Difference
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
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
San Lorenzo
Nosara
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$864 ₡387.3K
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
10.15
8.62
17.75%

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

Last update for San Lorenzo: October 10, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Groceries & Markets
San Lorenzo
$141
Nosara
$352 150% $212
Clothing & Footwear
San Lorenzo
$137
Nosara
$120 12.4% $17
Eating Out
San Lorenzo
$137
Nosara
$212 54.7% $75
Monthly Utilities & Internet
San Lorenzo
$92
Nosara
$186 101% $93
Getting Around
San Lorenzo
$45 *
Nosara
$87 94.8% $42
Sport & Entertainment
San Lorenzo
$30
Nosara
$87 189% $57
Accommodation & Living
San Lorenzo
- *
Nosara
$794

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 Lorenzo versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $141 vs $352 – making San Lorenzo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇵🇾 San Lorenzo
🇨🇷 Nosara
🕒 Local time
18:04 6:04 PM
15:04 3:04 PM
3 h behind San Lorenzo
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
489,000
4,912
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to PYG – Paraguayan Guarani Converter

Paraguayan Guarani exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 5,686 PYG (10,000 PYG = 1.76 USD). 1 EUR = 6,393 PYG (10,000 PYG = 1.56 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).

On the map
Between locations
  • San Lorenzo Nosara 4,970 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight
From you
  • San Lorenzo
  • 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 Lorenzo vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in San Lorenzo and in Nosara compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $582 in San Lorenzo, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 216% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.
What salary covers living expenses in San Lorenzo compared to Nosara?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $873 per month in San Lorenzo and $2,758 in Nosara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do commuting costs compare in San Lorenzo and in Nosara?
Public transport costs about 105% less in San Lorenzo. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
What is the difference in childcare costs between San Lorenzo and Nosara?
Kindergarten costs $185 per month in San Lorenzo and $494 in Nosara. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Which city is more doable on $1,000 per month?
A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in San Lorenzo, where all-in costs run around $582, than in Nosara at $1,839. In San Lorenzo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
How does quality of life compare between San Lorenzo and Nosara?
It depends on your priorities. Nosara has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $582 in San Lorenzo to $1,839 in Nosara. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
Is San Lorenzo or Nosara safer for residents?
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.
How do I decide between San Lorenzo and Nosara?
If budget matters most, go with San Lorenzo. 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.

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