Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santa Pola and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Santa Pola: $1,647 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $2,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Santa Pola
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Santa Pola Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Santa Pola

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,647

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,647 per month in Santa Pola vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Santa Pola $1,647
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $2,408 per month in Santa Pola vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Santa Pola $2,408
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $3,170 per month in Santa Pola vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Santa Pola $3,170
Nosara $3,818

Santa Pola is about 10% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Santa Pola and Nosara sit above the global median – Santa Pola by 22%, Nosara by 36%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.93 €15.06

$12.35 ₡5,539

37.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.7 €49.52

$61.2 ₡27.4K

-9.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.25 €10.00

$7.52 ₡3,373

49.60%

Cappuccino

$2.34 €2.08

$4.41 ₡1,978

-46.94%

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

$2.57 €2.29

$1.74 ₡780

47.70%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 €1.59

$1.31 ₡587

35.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.46 €3.08

$3.28 ₡1,471

5.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 €3.23

$4.47 ₡2,004

-18.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 €1.08

$1.56 ₡701

-22.44%

White Bread (500g)

$1.50 €1.33

$3.02 ₡1,355

-50.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.55 €1.38

$2.51 ₡1,125

-38.25%

Eggs

$3.20 €2.84

$3.57 ₡1,603

-10.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.64 €12.14

$7.43 ₡3,333

83.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.31 €7.39

$10.52 ₡4,717

-21.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.66 €13.93

$13.97 ₡6,265

12.10%

Apples (1kg)

$2.51 €2.23

$2.35 ₡1,052

6.81%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 €1.44

$1.61 ₡720

Oranges (1kg)

$1.92 €1.71

$4.80 ₡2,152

-60.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.51 €2.23

$1.61 ₡724

55.90%

Potato (1kg)

$1.80 €1.60

$3.80 ₡1,703

-52.63%

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 €1.77

$3.69 ₡1,657

-46.07%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.32 €1.18

$1.13 ₡507

16.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.64

$2.66 ₡1,191

-72.93%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.24 €5.55

$5.18 ₡2,321

20.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.70 €5.07

$19.88 ₡8,916

-71.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 €1.08

$2.90 ₡1,300

-57.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.13 €1.90

$3.63 ₡1,626

-41.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.61 €1.44

$1.12 ₡504

43.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$32.11 €28.56

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-55.80%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.01 €3.56

$2.14 ₡958

87.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.41 €1.25

$1.57 ₡703

-10.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.33 €20.75

$8.52 ₡3,823

173.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 €1.62

$1.52 ₡682

19.74%

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

$34.9K €31.0K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

61.31%

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

$29.3K €26.0K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-15.20%

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

$144 €128

$96.3 ₡43.2K

49.36%

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

$18.14 €16.13

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-49.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.11 €26.78

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-43.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.43 €40.41

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-36.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.40 €13.70

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-55.89%

Cinema Ticket

$9.07 €8.07

$7.89 ₡3,539

14.96%

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

$478 €425

$494 ₡221.6K

-3.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,406 €7,477

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-29.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.6 €77.0

$53.9 ₡24.2K

60.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.80 €32.73

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-33.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.8 €79.0

$77.9 ₡34.9K

13.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$111 €98.8

$79.6 ₡35.7K

39.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$905 €805

$788 ₡353.4K

14.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$694 €617

$794 ₡356.2K

-12.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,370 €1,218

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-65.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,002 €892

$1,419 ₡636.5K

-29.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,268 €2,907

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-52.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,175 €1,935

$1,224 ₡549.0K

77.71%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.3

8.62

-61.72%

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

Last update for Santa Pola: 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 Pola

$694 42.1%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 14.5% $101

Groceries & Markets

Santa Pola

$263 16%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 34% $89

Eating Out

Santa Pola

$239 14.5%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 11.5% $27

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santa Pola

$192 11.7%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 3.3% $6.3

Clothing & Footwear

Santa Pola

$145 8.8%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 17.4% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Santa Pola

$64 3.9%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 37.4% $24

Getting Around

Santa Pola

$50 3%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 75.6% $37

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $905 in Santa Pola 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 $56.0 in Santa Pola versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $263 vs $352 – making Santa Pola the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Santa Pola

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

02:14 2:14 AM

18:14 6:14 PM

8 h behind Santa Pola

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

37,816

4,912

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Santa Pola Nosara 8,900 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

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

Monthly costs with rent: $1,647 in Santa Pola, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 12% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,470 per month in Santa Pola 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 Santa Pola, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 126% less in Santa Pola. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $478 per month in Santa Pola and $494 in Nosara. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Santa Pola, where all-in costs run around $1,647, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Santa Pola 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 $1,647 in Santa Pola 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 Santa Pola. 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.