Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santa Cruz, Costa Rica and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Santa Cruz: $1,686 a month against $1,846 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $1,900 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Nosara outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

83

Cost of Living Index in Santa Cruz
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Santa Cruz Living Index
88

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Santa Cruz

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,686

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,846

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,686 per month in Santa Cruz vs $1,846 in Nosara, rent included.

Santa Cruz $1,686
Nosara $1,846

A couple spends around $2,662 per month in Santa Cruz vs $2,833 in Nosara, rent included.

Santa Cruz $2,662
Nosara $2,833

A family of three spends $3,637 per month in Santa Cruz vs $3,820 in Nosara, rent included.

Santa Cruz $3,637
Nosara $3,820

Santa Cruz is about 9% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Santa Cruz and Nosara sit above the global median – Santa Cruz by 24%, Nosara by 36%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.17 ₡5,493

$12.36 ₡5,575

-1.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.3 ₡28.1K

$60.8 ₡27.4K

2.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.82 ₡4,882

$7.88 ₡3,557

37.31%

Cappuccino

$4.43 ₡1,999

$4.40 ₡1,986

0.68%

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

$2.32 ₡1,048

$1.72 ₡776

34.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.93 ₡871

$1.34 ₡603

44.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.36 ₡1,514

$3.34 ₡1,505

0.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.49 ₡2,026

$4.54 ₡2,048

-1.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.43 ₡1,097

$1.64 ₡739

48.17%

White Bread (500g)

$3.08 ₡1,391

$3.16 ₡1,426

-2.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.40 ₡1,082

$2.39 ₡1,080

0.42%

Eggs

$3.49 ₡1,573

$3.47 ₡1,564

0.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.74 ₡4,847

$7.13 ₡3,217

50.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.59 ₡4,777

$10.32 ₡4,655

2.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.96 ₡6,297

$13.97 ₡6,302

-0.07%

Apples (1kg)

$5.10 ₡2,301

$2.29 ₡1,031

122.71%

Banana (1kg)

$1.13 ₡510

$1.62 ₡731

-30.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.68 ₡2,114

$4.81 ₡2,169

-2.70%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.85 ₡1,737

$1.68 ₡758

129.17%

Potato (1kg)

$3.75 ₡1,693

$3.91 ₡1,765

-4.09%

Onion (1kg)

$3.60 ₡1,626

$3.63 ₡1,640

-0.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.09 ₡491

$1.13 ₡509

-3.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.21 ₡1,448

$2.63 ₡1,188

22.05%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.86 ₡2,646

$5.02 ₡2,267

16.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.73 ₡8,904

$19.71 ₡8,893

0.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 ₡1,310

$2.91 ₡1,314

-0.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.62 ₡1,635

$3.54 ₡1,597

2.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.29 ₡580

$1.21 ₡545

6.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.8 ₡33.3K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.49 ₡1,124

$2.15 ₡969

15.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.62 ₡729

$1.63 ₡738

-0.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.93 ₡4,031

$8.77 ₡3,958

1.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 ₡685

$1.55 ₡700

-1.94%

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

$34.4K ₡15.5M

$33.9K ₡15.3M

1.40%

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

$42.2K ₡19.0M

$38.5K ₡17.4M

9.69%

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

$96.5 ₡43.5K

$95.2 ₡43.0K

1.35%

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

$35.12 ₡15.8K

$36.29 ₡16.4K

-3.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$60.0 ₡27.1K

$52.0 ₡23.5K

15.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$66.7 ₡30.1K

$67.6 ₡30.5K

-1.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.55 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$6.54 ₡2,949

$7.54 ₡3,404

-13.26%

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

$966 ₡435.9K

$496 ₡224.0K

94.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.3K ₡7.8M

$11.8K ₡5.3M

46.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.8 ₡32.4K

$55.1 ₡24.9K

30.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.0 ₡24.8K

$56.1 ₡25.3K

-1.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$131 ₡59.0K

$77.8 ₡35.1K

68.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 ₡60.1K

$79.1 ₡35.7K

68.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$785 ₡354.4K

$817 ₡368.9K

-3.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$599 ₡270.2K

$806 ₡363.6K

-25.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,081 ₡939.1K

$3,988 ₡1.8M

-47.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,165 ₡525.8K

$1,429 ₡644.9K

-18.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,068 ₡3.2M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,197 ₡540.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$888 ₡400.7K

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 Cruz: October 27, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Santa Cruz

$599 35.5%

Nosara

$806 43.7% 34.5% $207

Groceries & Markets

Santa Cruz

$399 23.6%

Nosara

$351 19% 11.9% $47

Eating Out

Santa Cruz

$226 13.4%

Nosara

$213 11.6% 5.5% $13

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santa Cruz

$192 11.4%

Nosara

$184 9.9% 4.2% $8.1

Clothing & Footwear

Santa Cruz

$176 10.4%

Nosara

$121 6.5% 31.4% $55

Sport & Entertainment

Santa Cruz

$80 4.7%

Nosara

$83 4.5% 3.6% $2.9

Getting Around

Santa Cruz

$16 * 0.9%

Nosara

$89 4.8% 466% $73

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $785 in Santa Cruz versus $817 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 in Santa Cruz versus $61 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $399 vs $351 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Santa Cruz

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

13:41 1:41 PM

Same time as Santa Cruz

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,665

4,912

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Santa Cruz Nosara 32 km

From you

Santa Cruz
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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $1,686 in Santa Cruz, $1,846 in Nosara – Santa Cruz comes out roughly 9% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,529 per month in Santa Cruz and $2,769 in Nosara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $785 in Santa Cruz and $817 in Nosara. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

Kindergarten costs $966 per month in Santa Cruz and $496 in Nosara. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,686 in Santa Cruz and $1,846 in Nosara. That makes Santa Cruz about 9% cheaper.

$3,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,686 in Santa Cruz and $1,846 in Nosara, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Nosara has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,686 in Santa Cruz to $1,846 in Nosara. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.