Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santa Maria Capua Vetere and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Santa Maria Capua Vetere: $1,587 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Santa Maria Capua Vetere
🇮🇹 Italy
$1,587
/mo nomad
Nosara
🇨🇷 Costa Rica
$1,839
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,587 per month in Santa Maria Capua Vetere vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

  • Santa Maria Capua Vetere $1,587
  • Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $2,439 per month in Santa Maria Capua Vetere vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

  • Santa Maria Capua Vetere $2,439
  • Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $3,291 per month in Santa Maria Capua Vetere vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

  • Santa Maria Capua Vetere $3,291
  • Nosara $3,818

Santa Maria Capua Vetere is about 14% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Santa Maria Capua Vetere and Nosara sit above the global median – Santa Maria Capua Vetere by 18%, Nosara by 36%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Santa Maria Capua Vetere
Nosara
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$16.96 €15.09
$12.35 ₡5,539
37.33%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$67.8 €60.3
$61.2 ₡27.4K
10.77%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.26 €10.01
$7.52 ₡3,373
49.73%
Cappuccino
$2.00 €1.78
$4.41 ₡1,978
-54.65%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.48 €2.21
$1.74 ₡780
42.53%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.25 €1.11
$1.31 ₡587
-4.58%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.87 €3.44
$3.28 ₡1,471
17.99%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.44 €3.06
$4.47 ₡2,004
-23.04%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Santa Maria Capua Vetere
Nosara
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.03 €0.92
$1.56 ₡701
-33.97%
White Bread (500g)
$1.83 €1.62
$3.02 ₡1,355
-39.40%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.16 €1.92
$2.51 ₡1,125
-13.94%
Eggs
$1.68 €1.50
$3.57 ₡1,603
-52.94%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$15.34 €13.64
$7.43 ₡3,333
106.46%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$11.39 €10.13
$10.52 ₡4,717
8.27%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$16.77 €14.91
$13.97 ₡6,265
20.04%
Apples (1kg)
$2.40 €2.13
$2.35 ₡1,052
2.13%
Banana (1kg)
$1.66 €1.47
$1.61 ₡720
3.11%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.12 €1.88
$4.80 ₡2,152
-55.83%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.58 €3.18
$1.61 ₡724
122.36%
Potato (1kg)
$1.72 €1.53
$3.80 ₡1,703
-54.74%
Onion (1kg)
$1.60 €1.42
$3.69 ₡1,657
-56.64%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.18 €1.05
$1.13 ₡507
4.42%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.32 €0.28
$2.66 ₡1,191
-87.97%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.87 €6.11
$5.18 ₡2,321
32.63%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.08 €6.30
$19.88 ₡8,916
-64.39%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.95 €1.74
$2.90 ₡1,300
-32.76%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.48 €2.21
$3.63 ₡1,626
-31.68%
🚌 Getting Around
Santa Maria Capua Vetere
Nosara
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.51 €1.34
$1.12 ₡504
34.82%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$48.00 €42.69
$72.6 ₡32.6K
-33.92%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$5.69 €5.06
$2.14 ₡958
165.89%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.24 €2.00
$1.57 ₡703
42.68%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$23.52 €20.92
$8.52 ₡3,823
176.06%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.00 €1.78
$1.52 ₡682
31.58%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$35.8K €31.9K
$21.6K ₡9.7M
65.79%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$35.5K €31.5K
$34.5K ₡15.5M
2.76%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Santa Maria Capua Vetere
Nosara
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$210 €186
$96.3 ₡43.2K
117.66%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$11.21 €9.98
$35.89 ₡16.1K
-68.77%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$29.66 €26.38
$53.6 ₡24.0K
-44.65%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Santa Maria Capua Vetere
Nosara
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$50.1 €44.58
$71.6 ₡32.1K
-29.99%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$20.69 €18.41
$34.91 ₡15.7K
-40.73%
Cinema Ticket
$8.84 €7.87
$7.89 ₡3,539
12.04%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Santa Maria Capua Vetere
Nosara
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$753 €670
$494 ₡221.6K
52.33%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,653 €5,029
$11.9K ₡5.3M
-52.33%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Santa Maria Capua Vetere
Nosara
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$84.9 €75.5
$53.9 ₡24.2K
57.45%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$46.98 €41.79
$55.4 ₡24.8K
-15.21%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$107 €95.2
$77.9 ₡34.9K
37.40%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$145 €129
$79.6 ₡35.7K
82.01%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Santa Maria Capua Vetere
Nosara
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$688 €612
$788 ₡353.4K
-12.63%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$500 €444
$794 ₡356.2K
-37.11%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,012 €900
$3,939 ₡1.8M
-74.32%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$846 €752
$1,419 ₡636.5K
-40.39%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,673 €2,378
$6,912 ₡3.1M
-61.32%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,288 €2,036
$1,224 ₡549.0K
86.95%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Santa Maria Capua Vetere
Nosara
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$864 ₡387.3K
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.92
8.62
-54.52%

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

Last update for Santa Maria Capua Vetere: October 12, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Santa Maria Capua Vetere
$500
Nosara
$794 59% $295
Groceries & Markets
Santa Maria Capua Vetere
$291
Nosara
$352 20.9% $61
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Santa Maria Capua Vetere
$250
Nosara
$186 25.8% $65
Eating Out
Santa Maria Capua Vetere
$235
Nosara
$212 9.7% $23
Clothing & Footwear
Santa Maria Capua Vetere
$173
Nosara
$120 30.5% $53
Getting Around
Santa Maria Capua Vetere
$71
Nosara
$87 22.8% $16
Sport & Entertainment
Santa Maria Capua Vetere
$68
Nosara
$87 28.8% $20

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $688 in Santa Maria Capua Vetere 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 $68.0 in Santa Maria Capua Vetere versus $61.0 in Nosara. Groceries tell a different story – $291 in Santa Maria Capua Vetere vs $352 in Nosara – so Santa Maria Capua Vetere wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇮🇹 Santa Maria Capua Vetere
🇨🇷 Nosara
🕒 Local time
18:49 6:49 PM
10:49 10:49 AM
8 h behind Santa Maria Capua Vetere
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
32,802
4,912
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

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
  • Santa Maria Capua Vetere Nosara 10,100 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Santa Maria Capua Vetere
  • 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 Maria Capua Vetere vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Santa Maria Capua Vetere and in Nosara compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $1,587 in Santa Maria Capua Vetere, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 16% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.
What salary covers living expenses in Santa Maria Capua Vetere compared to Nosara?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,381 per month in Santa Maria Capua Vetere and $2,758 in Nosara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Santa Maria Capua Vetere and Nosara?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Santa Maria Capua Vetere, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
How do commuting costs compare in Santa Maria Capua Vetere and in Nosara?
Public transport costs about 51% less in Santa Maria Capua Vetere. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Santa Maria Capua Vetere and Nosara?
Kindergarten costs $753 per month in Santa Maria Capua Vetere 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 Santa Maria Capua Vetere, where all-in costs run around $1,587, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Santa Maria Capua Vetere it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
How does quality of life compare between Santa Maria Capua Vetere and Nosara?
It depends on your priorities. Nosara has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,587 in Santa Maria Capua Vetere to $1,839 in Nosara. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
Is Santa Maria Capua Vetere 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 Santa Maria Capua Vetere and Nosara?
If budget matters most, go with Santa Maria Capua Vetere. 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.

Santa Maria Capua Vetere vs other spots: cost of living compared

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