Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Pedro and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in San Pedro: $1,707 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $1,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Nosara outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

84

Cost of Living Index in San Pedro
Learn more

San Pedro Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index

Jump to prices

San Pedro

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,707

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,707 per month in San Pedro vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

San Pedro $1,707
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $2,825 per month in San Pedro vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

San Pedro $2,825
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $3,943 per month in San Pedro vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

San Pedro $3,943
Nosara $3,818

San Pedro is about 7% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both San Pedro and Nosara sit above the global median – San Pedro by 26%, Nosara by 36%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.40 ₡5,563

$12.35 ₡5,539

0.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.5 ₡28.0K

$61.2 ₡27.4K

2.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.85 ₡5,314

$7.52 ₡3,373

57.58%

Cappuccino

$4.38 ₡1,964

$4.41 ₡1,978

-0.68%

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

$2.73 ₡1,226

$1.74 ₡780

56.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 ₡829

$1.31 ₡587

41.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.27 ₡1,467

$3.28 ₡1,471

-0.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.42 ₡1,984

$4.47 ₡2,004

-1.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.39 ₡1,074

$1.56 ₡701

53.21%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 ₡1,363

$3.02 ₡1,355

0.66%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.50 ₡1,123

$2.51 ₡1,125

-0.40%

Eggs

$3.48 ₡1,560

$3.57 ₡1,603

-2.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.84 ₡4,862

$7.43 ₡3,333

45.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.52 ₡4,718

$10.52 ₡4,717

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.17 ₡6,355

$13.97 ₡6,265

1.43%

Apples (1kg)

$5.11 ₡2,291

$2.35 ₡1,052

117.45%

Banana (1kg)

$1.57 ₡705

$1.61 ₡720

-2.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 ₡2,153

$4.80 ₡2,152

Tomato (1kg)

$3.79 ₡1,699

$1.61 ₡724

135.40%

Potato (1kg)

$3.86 ₡1,732

$3.80 ₡1,703

1.58%

Onion (1kg)

$3.73 ₡1,674

$3.69 ₡1,657

1.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.09 ₡487

$1.13 ₡507

-3.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.10 ₡1,388

$2.66 ₡1,191

16.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.97 ₡2,677

$5.18 ₡2,321

15.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.99 ₡8,963

$19.88 ₡8,916

0.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.75 ₡1,235

$2.90 ₡1,300

-5.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.55 ₡1,590

$3.63 ₡1,626

-2.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.47 ₡661

$1.12 ₡504

31.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.49 ₡1,119

$2.14 ₡958

16.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 ₡698

$1.57 ₡703

-0.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.84 ₡3,964

$8.52 ₡3,823

3.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 ₡676

$1.52 ₡682

-0.66%

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

$21.7K ₡9.7M

$21.6K ₡9.7M

0.29%

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

$35.6K ₡16.0M

$34.5K ₡15.5M

3.12%

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

$94.6 ₡42.4K

$96.3 ₡43.2K

-1.71%

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

$35.67 ₡16.0K

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-0.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$60.3 ₡27.0K

$53.6 ₡24.0K

12.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$69.6 ₡31.2K

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-2.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$7.62 ₡3,417

$7.89 ₡3,539

-3.42%

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

$985 ₡441.6K

$494 ₡221.6K

99.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.3K ₡7.8M

$11.9K ₡5.3M

45.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.4 ₡32.0K

$53.9 ₡24.2K

32.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.2 ₡24.8K

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-0.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$129 ₡57.9K

$77.9 ₡34.9K

65.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 ₡58.9K

$79.6 ₡35.7K

64.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$818 ₡366.9K

$788 ₡353.4K

3.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$610 ₡273.6K

$794 ₡356.2K

-23.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,985 ₡890.2K

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-49.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,447 ₡649.1K

$1,419 ₡636.5K

1.99%

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 %)

8.62

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

Last update for San Pedro: 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 Pedro

$610 35.7%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 30.2% $184

Groceries & Markets

San Pedro

$400 23.5%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 12% $48

Eating Out

San Pedro

$231 13.5%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 8.2% $19

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Pedro

$191 11.2%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 2.5% $4.8

Clothing & Footwear

San Pedro

$174 10.2%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 31% $54

Sport & Entertainment

San Pedro

$85 5%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 3% $2.5

Getting Around

San Pedro

$16 * 1%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 439% $71

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $818 in San Pedro 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 $62.0 in San Pedro versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $400 vs $352 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 San Pedro

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

21:42 9:42 PM

Same time as San Pedro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

27,477

4,912

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

San Pedro Nosara 130 km

From you

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

Monthly costs with rent: $1,707 in San Pedro, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 8% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,561 per month in San Pedro 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 Pedro, 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 $62.0 in San Pedro and $61.0 in Nosara. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 14% cheaper in Nosara – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in San Pedro, where all-in costs run around $1,707, than in Nosara at $1,839. In San Pedro 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 $1,707 in San Pedro 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 Pedro. 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.