Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Luis and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in San Luis: $1,175 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $8,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

56

Cost of Living Index in San Luis
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San Luis Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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San Luis

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,175

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,175 per month in San Luis vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

San Luis $1,175
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $1,962 per month in San Luis vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

San Luis $1,962
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $2,749 per month in San Luis vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

San Luis $2,749
Nosara $3,818

San Luis is about 36% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

San Luis sits 13% below the global median, while Nosara is 36% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.42 ARS 12.7K

$12.35 ₡5,547

-31.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.1 ARS 75.8K

$61.2 ₡27.5K

-18.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.72 ARS 13.2K

$7.52 ₡3,377

15.96%

Cappuccino

$2.10 ARS 3,171

$4.41 ₡1,981

-52.38%

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

$2.36 ARS 3,576

$1.74 ₡781

35.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.88 ARS 2,845

$1.31 ₡588

43.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.25 ARS 4,913

$3.28 ₡1,473

-0.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.54 ARS 6,863

$4.47 ₡2,007

1.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.23 ARS 1,858

$1.56 ₡702

-21.15%

White Bread (500g)

$2.04 ARS 3,082

$3.02 ₡1,357

-32.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.06 ARS 1,598

$2.51 ₡1,127

-57.77%

Eggs

$3.05 ARS 4,610

$3.57 ₡1,605

-14.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.72 ARS 22.3K

$7.43 ₡3,338

98.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.40 ARS 9,676

$10.52 ₡4,724

-39.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.02 ARS 16.7K

$13.97 ₡6,274

-21.12%

Apples (1kg)

$2.34 ARS 3,543

$2.35 ₡1,054

-0.43%

Banana (1kg)

$2.14 ARS 3,235

$1.61 ₡721

32.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.35 ARS 2,040

$4.80 ₡2,155

-71.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.18 ARS 4,812

$1.61 ₡725

97.52%

Potato (1kg)

$0.98 ARS 1,480

$3.80 ₡1,706

-74.21%

Onion (1kg)

$1.45 ARS 2,191

$3.69 ₡1,659

-60.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.93 ARS 2,925

$1.13 ₡507

70.80%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.44 ARS 3,687

$2.66 ₡1,193

-8.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.81 ARS 4,243

$5.18 ₡2,324

-45.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.11 ARS 7,728

$19.88 ₡8,929

-74.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 ARS 2,574

$2.90 ₡1,302

-41.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.98 ARS 4,502

$3.63 ₡1,628

-17.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.63 ARS 946

$1.12 ₡505

-43.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.66 ARS 1,001

$2.14 ₡959

-69.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ARS 1,546

$1.57 ₡704

-35.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.75 ARS 7,191

$8.52 ₡3,828

-44.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.21 ARS 1,833

$1.52 ₡683

-20.39%

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

$27.3K ARS 41.2M

$21.6K ₡9.7M

26.15%

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

$33.4K ARS 50.5M

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-3.28%

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

$39.37 ARS 59.5K

$96.3 ₡43.2K

-59.11%

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

$16.91 ARS 25.6K

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-52.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.67 ARS 37.3K

$53.6 ₡24.1K

-53.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.15 ARS 50.1K

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-53.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$5.46 ARS 8,252

$7.89 ₡3,544

-30.80%

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

$176 ARS 265.7K

$494 ₡221.9K

-64.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,167 ARS 6.3M

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-64.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$126 ARS 191.1K

$53.9 ₡24.2K

134.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$142 ARS 214.5K

$55.4 ₡24.9K

155.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$144 ARS 217.9K

$77.9 ₡35.0K

84.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$161 ARS 243.0K

$79.6 ₡35.8K

101.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$446 ARS 675.1K

$788 ₡353.9K

-43.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$351 ARS 531.2K

$794 ₡356.7K

-55.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,077 ARS 1.6M

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-72.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$781 ARS 1.2M

$1,419 ₡637.4K

-44.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

584.45%

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

Last update for San Luis: October 10, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Luis

$351 29.9%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 126% $443

Groceries & Markets

San Luis

$272 23.1%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 29.7% $81

Clothing & Footwear

San Luis

$258 21.9%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 53.4% $138

Eating Out

San Luis

$161 13.7%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 31.6% $51

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Luis

$81 6.9%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 130% $105

Sport & Entertainment

San Luis

$44 3.8%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 98.3% $43

Getting Around

San Luis

$8.3 * 0.7%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 953% $79

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $446 in San Luis versus $788 in Nosara. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $50.0 in San Luis versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $272 vs $352 – making San Luis the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇷 San Luis

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

11:38 11:38 AM

08:38 8:38 AM

3 h behind San Luis

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

204,019

4,912

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.61 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.9 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to ARS – Argentine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇷 Argentine Peso ($)

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 14, 2026: 1 USD = 1,513 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.61 USD). 1 EUR = 1,695 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.9 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 14, 2026: 1 USD = 449 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 503 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

USD to ARS in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

San Luis Nosara 5,230 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

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

Monthly costs with rent: $1,175 in San Luis, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 57% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,762 per month in San Luis and $2,758 in Nosara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

A mid-range dinner for two costs $50.0 in San Luis 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 30% 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 $1,500 monthly budget goes further in San Luis, where all-in costs run around $1,175, than in Nosara at $1,839. In San Luis 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 $1,175 in San Luis 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 Luis. 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.