Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santa Rita and Nosara

For one person, living costs are similar in Santa Rita and in Nosara: $1,784 and $1,835 a month, rent and utilities included.

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Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Santa Rita

🇬🇺 Guam

$1,784

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,784 per month in Santa Rita vs $1,835 in Nosara, rent included.

Santa Rita $1,784
Nosara $1,835

A couple spends around $2,706 per month in Santa Rita vs $2,825 in Nosara, rent included.

Santa Rita $2,706
Nosara $2,825

A family of three spends $3,628 per month in Santa Rita vs $3,814 in Nosara, rent included.

Santa Rita $3,628
Nosara $3,814

Santa Rita is about 3% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Santa Rita and Nosara sit above the global median – Santa Rita by 32%, Nosara by 35%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.09 $20.09

$12.34 ₡5,535

62.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$75.3 $75.3

$61.3 ₡27.5K

22.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.16 $6.16

$7.76 ₡3,481

-20.62%

Cappuccino

$5.04 $5.04

$4.44 ₡1,992

13.51%

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

$2.48 $2.48

$1.79 ₡803

38.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.43 $2.43

$1.29 ₡580

88.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.90 $7.90

$3.24 ₡1,451

143.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.88 $9.88

$4.43 ₡1,985

123.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.85 $3.85

$1.55 ₡696

148.39%

White Bread (500g)

$4.24 $4.24

$3.08 ₡1,380

37.66%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.63 $2.63

$2.53 ₡1,133

3.95%

Eggs

$3.84 $3.84

$3.45 ₡1,546

11.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.70 $19.70

$7.32 ₡3,284

169.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.46 $6.46

$10.24 ₡4,594

-36.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.92 $9.92

$14.10 ₡6,326

-29.65%

Apples (1kg)

$4.76 $4.76

$2.29 ₡1,027

107.86%

Banana (1kg)

$2.69 $2.69

$1.64 ₡737

64.02%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.79 ₡2,149

Tomato (1kg)

$4.50 $4.50

$1.64 ₡735

174.39%

Potato (1kg)

$4.08 $4.08

$3.85 ₡1,727

5.97%

Onion (1kg)

$2.77 $2.77

$3.75 ₡1,681

-26.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.00 $2.00

$1.09 ₡488

83.49%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.59 ₡1,160

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.12 ₡2,295

Wine (Bottle)

$19.92 ₡8,931

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.77 $2.77

$2.80 ₡1,255

-1.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 $1.73

$3.52 ₡1,580

-50.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.22 ₡549

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.9 ₡33.1K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.17 ₡973

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 ₡698

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.63 $32.63

$8.67 ₡3,886

276.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.39 $1.39

$1.55 ₡697

-10.32%

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

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

$38.7K ₡17.4M

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

$251 $251

$94.8 ₡42.5K

164.63%

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

$89.9 $89.9

$36.15 ₡16.2K

148.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$78.4 $78.4

$53.1 ₡23.8K

47.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$101 $101

$73.8 ₡33.1K

36.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.63 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$7.91 ₡3,548

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

$490 ₡219.9K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.8 ₡24.6K

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.9 ₡25.1K

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.4 ₡36.0K

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.9 ₡34.9K

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$900 $900

$801 ₡359.1K

12.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$612 $612

$790 ₡354.1K

-22.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,982 $1,982

$4,005 ₡1.8M

-50.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,102 $1,102

$1,409 ₡632.0K

-21.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,064 ₡3.2M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$303 $303

$1,236 ₡554.3K

-75.50%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,588 $5,588

$887 ₡397.6K

530.27%

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 Rita: October 17, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Santa Rita

–

Nosara

$790 43%

Groceries & Markets

Santa Rita

–

Nosara

$350 19.1%

Eating Out

Santa Rita

–

Nosara

$213 11.6%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santa Rita

–

Nosara

$184 10%

Clothing & Footwear

Santa Rita

–

Nosara

$121 6.6%

Sport & Entertainment

Santa Rita

–

Nosara

$90 4.9%

Getting Around

Santa Rita

–

Nosara

$89 4.8%

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $900 in Santa Rita versus $801 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 530% higher in Santa Rita, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $75.0 in Santa Rita versus $61.0 in Nosara. Groceries tell a different story – $333 in Santa Rita vs $350 in Nosara – so Santa Rita wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇬🇺 Santa Rita

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

08:42 8:42 AM

16:42 4:42 PM

16 h behind Santa Rita

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

7,500

4,912

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

CRC to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Santa Rita Nosara 13,880 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

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

Monthly costs with rent: $1,784 in Santa Rita, $1,835 in Nosara – roughly 3% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,676 per month in Santa Rita and $2,753 in Nosara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Santa Rita, 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 $75.0 in Santa Rita and $61.0 in Nosara. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,784 in Santa Rita and $1,835 in Nosara. That's a gap of about 3%.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Santa Rita, where all-in costs run around $1,784, than in Nosara at $1,835. In Santa Rita 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 $1,784 in Santa Rita to $1,835 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 Rita. 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.