Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santa Rita and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Santa Rita: $932 a month against $1,837 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $10,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Santa Rita

🇵🇾 Paraguay

$932

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/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 $932 per month in Santa Rita vs $1,837 in Nosara, rent included.

Santa Rita $932
Nosara $1,837

A couple spends around $1,412 per month in Santa Rita vs $2,775 in Nosara, rent included.

Santa Rita $1,412
Nosara $2,775

A family of three spends $1,893 per month in Santa Rita vs $3,712 in Nosara, rent included.

Santa Rita $1,893
Nosara $3,712

Santa Rita is about 49% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Santa Rita sits 30% below the global median, while Nosara is 37% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.43 ₲19.6K

$12.22 ₡5,509

-71.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$33.54 ₲191.9K

$60.2 ₡27.1K

-44.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 ₡3,399

Cappuccino

$3.33 ₲19.1K

$4.31 ₡1,941

-22.74%

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

$0.87 ₲4,988

$1.72 ₡773

-49.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ₲2,805

$1.35 ₡608

-63.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 ₡1,459

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.34 ₲7,644

$4.48 ₡2,018

-70.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 ₲6,422

$1.57 ₡707

-28.66%

White Bread (500g)

$1.82 ₲10.4K

$3.17 ₡1,429

-42.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.15 ₲6,606

$2.42 ₡1,091

-52.48%

Eggs

$2.74 ₲15.7K

$3.57 ₡1,609

-23.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.86 ₲45.0K

$7.43 ₡3,349

5.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.33 ₲24.8K

$10.42 ₡4,697

-58.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.25 ₲64.4K

$13.66 ₡6,156

-17.64%

Apples (1kg)

$5.25 ₲30.0K

$2.32 ₡1,044

126.29%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₡728

Oranges (1kg)

$3.43 ₲19.6K

$4.74 ₡2,138

-27.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.09 ₲17.7K

$1.66 ₡747

86.14%

Potato (1kg)

$3.30 ₲18.9K

$3.72 ₡1,679

-11.29%

Onion (1kg)

$2.61 ₲15.0K

$3.57 ₡1,611

-26.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.81 ₲4,643

$1.10 ₡497

-26.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.40 ₲8,014

$2.55 ₡1,149

-45.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.95 ₡2,232

Wine (Bottle)

$5.07 ₲29.0K

$20.01 ₡9,020

-74.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.79 ₡1,256

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 ₲15.7K

$3.53 ₡1,589

-22.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.33 ₲7,591

$1.19 ₡537

11.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.55 ₲232.0K

$72.1 ₡32.5K

-43.74%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.24 ₡1,011

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.37 ₲25.0K

$1.55 ₡701

181.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.83 ₲21.9K

$8.86 ₡3,993

-56.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 ₲8,152

$1.57 ₡708

-9.55%

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

$9,647 ₲55.2M

$21.8K ₡9.8M

-55.76%

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

$34.6K ₡15.6M

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

$105 ₲599.4K

$93.5 ₡42.1K

12.09%

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

$23.85 ₲136.5K

$35.11 ₡15.8K

-32.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$37.63 ₲215.3K

$51.5 ₡23.2K

-26.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.27 ₲247.6K

$71.4 ₡32.2K

-39.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.68 ₲146.9K

$35.44 ₡16.0K

-27.54%

Cinema Ticket

$8.31 ₲47.6K

$7.84 ₡3,535

5.99%

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

$77.2 ₲441.4K

$490 ₡220.7K

-84.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.4M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.9 ₲291.2K

$53.5 ₡24.1K

-4.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$83.6 ₲478.5K

$55.8 ₡25.1K

49.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 ₡35.7K

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$68.9 ₲394.3K

$78.9 ₡35.6K

-12.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$346 ₲2.0M

$786 ₡354.3K

-56.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$254 ₲1.5M

$780 ₡351.6K

-67.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$421 ₲2.4M

$3,860 ₡1.7M

-89.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$340 ₲1.9M

$1,407 ₡634.4K

-75.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,972 ₡3.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,201 ₡541.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$514 ₲2.9M

$876 ₡395.0K

-41.36%

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 3, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Santa Rita

–

Nosara

$780 43%

Groceries & Markets

Santa Rita

–

Nosara

$350 19.3%

Eating Out

Santa Rita

–

Nosara

$209 11.6%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santa Rita

–

Nosara

$180 9.9%

Clothing & Footwear

Santa Rita

–

Nosara

$120 6.6%

Sport & Entertainment

Santa Rita

–

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Getting Around

Santa Rita

–

Nosara

$87 4.8%

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $346 in Santa Rita versus $786 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 71% higher in Nosara, 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 $34.00 in Santa Rita versus $60.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $230 vs $350 – making Santa Rita the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇾 Santa Rita

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

05:31 5:31 AM

02:31 2:31 AM

3 h behind Santa Rita

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

35,000

4,912

💱 Currency

Paraguayan Guarani PYG ₲

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 PYG = 1.75 USD

10,000 PYG = 1.56 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to PYG – Paraguayan Guarani Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇾 Paraguayan Guarani (₲)

Paraguayan Guarani exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 5,722 PYG (10,000 PYG = 1.75 USD). 1 EUR = 6,418 PYG (10,000 PYG = 1.56 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 506 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to PYG in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Santa Rita Nosara 5,170 km ≈ 7 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: $932 in Santa Rita, $1,837 in Nosara – roughly 97% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,397 per month in Santa Rita and $2,756 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.

Public transport costs about 78% less in Santa Rita. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $77.2 per month in Santa Rita and $490 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 Rita, where all-in costs run around $932, than in Nosara at $1,837. 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 $932 in Santa Rita to $1,837 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.