Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santa Ana and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $2,018 in Santa Ana, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

97

Cost of Living Index in Santa Ana
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Santa Ana Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Santa Ana

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,018

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,018 per month in Santa Ana vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Santa Ana $2,018
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $3,233 per month in Santa Ana vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Santa Ana $3,233
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $4,447 per month in Santa Ana vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Santa Ana $4,447
Nosara $3,818

Santa Ana costs about 10% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Santa Ana and Nosara sit above the global median – Santa Ana by 49%, Nosara by 36%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.04 ₡5,401

$12.35 ₡5,539

-2.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.6 ₡28.1K

$61.2 ₡27.4K

2.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 ₡5,285

$7.52 ₡3,373

56.65%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₡1,975

$4.41 ₡1,978

-0.23%

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

$2.14 ₡959

$1.74 ₡780

22.99%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.37 ₡613

$1.31 ₡587

4.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.36 ₡1,508

$3.28 ₡1,471

2.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.27 ₡1,917

$4.47 ₡2,004

-4.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.21 ₡993

$1.56 ₡701

41.67%

White Bread (500g)

$3.12 ₡1,400

$3.02 ₡1,355

3.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 ₡1,127

$2.51 ₡1,125

Eggs

$3.47 ₡1,554

$3.57 ₡1,603

-2.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.87 ₡4,876

$7.43 ₡3,333

46.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.40 ₡4,664

$10.52 ₡4,717

-1.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.19 ₡6,364

$13.97 ₡6,265

1.57%

Apples (1kg)

$5.10 ₡2,289

$2.35 ₡1,052

117.02%

Banana (1kg)

$1.65 ₡742

$1.61 ₡720

2.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.65 ₡2,086

$4.80 ₡2,152

-3.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.98 ₡1,785

$1.61 ₡724

147.20%

Potato (1kg)

$3.93 ₡1,761

$3.80 ₡1,703

3.42%

Onion (1kg)

$3.60 ₡1,615

$3.69 ₡1,657

-2.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ₡500

$1.13 ₡507

-0.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 ₡808

$2.66 ₡1,191

-32.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.11 ₡2,738

$5.18 ₡2,321

17.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.77 ₡7,970

$19.88 ₡8,916

-10.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.88 ₡1,293

$2.90 ₡1,300

-0.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.69 ₡1,207

$3.63 ₡1,626

-25.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.49 ₡1,116

$2.14 ₡958

16.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 ₡698

$1.57 ₡703

-0.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.59 ₡3,852

$8.52 ₡3,823

0.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 ₡694

$1.52 ₡682

1.97%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

-0.05%

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

$34.6K ₡15.5M

$34.5K ₡15.5M

0.24%

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

$93.7 ₡42.0K

$96.3 ₡43.2K

-2.74%

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

$32.78 ₡14.7K

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-8.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.0 ₡22.4K

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-6.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$157 ₡70.4K

$71.6 ₡32.1K

119.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.25 ₡9,980

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-36.26%

Cinema Ticket

$7.78 ₡3,490

$7.89 ₡3,539

-1.39%

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

$983 ₡440.6K

$494 ₡221.6K

98.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.4K ₡7.8M

$11.9K ₡5.3M

46.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$65.4 ₡29.3K

$53.9 ₡24.2K

21.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.0 ₡25.1K

$55.4 ₡24.8K

1.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$127 ₡57.2K

$77.9 ₡34.9K

63.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 ₡59.0K

$79.6 ₡35.7K

65.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 ₡473.0K

$788 ₡353.4K

33.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$885 ₡396.9K

$794 ₡356.2K

11.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,955 ₡1.3M

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-24.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,844 ₡827.1K

$1,419 ₡636.5K

29.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,727 ₡1.2M

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-60.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,657 ₡743.2K

$1,224 ₡549.0K

35.38%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,402 ₡628.9K

$864 ₡387.3K

62.40%

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 Santa Ana: October 11, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Santa Ana

$885 43.9%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 10.3% $91

Groceries & Markets

Santa Ana

$379 18.8%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 7% $27

Eating Out

Santa Ana

$224 11.1%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 5.4% $12

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santa Ana

$176 8.7%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 5.3% $9.3

Sport & Entertainment

Santa Ana

$173 8.6%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 49.4% $85

Clothing & Footwear

Santa Ana

$171 8.5%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 29.8% $51

Getting Around

Santa Ana

$10 * 0.5%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 748% $77

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,055 in Santa Ana 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.

Salaries run about 62% higher in Santa Ana, 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 $63.0 in Santa Ana versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $379 vs $352 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Santa Ana

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

01:23 1:23 AM

Same time as Santa Ana

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

13,000

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

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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

Santa Ana vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,018 in Santa Ana, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 10% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,027 per month in Santa Ana 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 Nosara, 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 $63.0 in Santa Ana 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 8% more in Santa Ana, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Nosara, where all-in costs run around $1,839, than in Santa Ana at $2,018. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Santa Ana 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 $1,839 in Nosara to $2,018 in Santa Ana. 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, Santa Ana makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.