Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santa Rosa and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Santa Rosa: $1,265 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $6,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

60

Cost of Living Index in Santa Rosa
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Santa Rosa Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Santa Rosa

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,265

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,265 per month in Santa Rosa vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Santa Rosa $1,265
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $2,107 per month in Santa Rosa vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Santa Rosa $2,107
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $2,950 per month in Santa Rosa vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Santa Rosa $2,950
Nosara $3,818

Santa Rosa is about 31% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Santa Rosa sits 6% below the global median, while Nosara is 36% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.42 ARS 26.4K

$12.35 ₡5,539

41.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$58.3 ARS 88.5K

$61.2 ₡27.4K

-4.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.10 ARS 21.4K

$7.52 ₡3,373

87.50%

Cappuccino

$3.86 ARS 5,864

$4.41 ₡1,978

-12.47%

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

$1.91 ARS 2,892

$1.74 ₡780

9.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 ARS 2,940

$1.31 ₡587

48.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 ARS 6,085

$3.28 ₡1,471

22.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.65 ARS 5,544

$4.47 ₡2,004

-18.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.46 ARS 2,212

$1.56 ₡701

-6.41%

White Bread (500g)

$2.51 ARS 3,809

$3.02 ₡1,355

-16.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 ARS 2,610

$2.51 ₡1,125

-31.47%

Eggs

$3.14 ARS 4,758

$3.57 ₡1,603

-12.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.74 ARS 16.3K

$7.43 ₡3,333

44.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.00 ARS 10.6K

$10.52 ₡4,717

-33.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.06 ARS 16.8K

$13.97 ₡6,265

-20.83%

Apples (1kg)

$2.27 ARS 3,449

$2.35 ₡1,052

-3.40%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 ARS 2,940

$1.61 ₡720

20.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.39 ARS 2,115

$4.80 ₡2,152

-71.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.56 ARS 3,888

$1.61 ₡724

59.01%

Potato (1kg)

$1.23 ARS 1,868

$3.80 ₡1,703

-67.63%

Onion (1kg)

$1.04 ARS 1,583

$3.69 ₡1,657

-71.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ₡507

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.57 ARS 2,377

$2.66 ₡1,191

-40.98%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.65 ARS 5,537

$5.18 ₡2,321

-29.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.38 ARS 6,648

$19.88 ₡8,916

-77.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 ARS 2,581

$2.90 ₡1,300

-41.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.10 ARS 4,703

$3.63 ₡1,626

-14.60%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.03 ARS 1,570

$1.12 ₡504

-8.04%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.56 ARS 2,360

$2.14 ₡958

-27.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.26 ARS 1,905

$1.52 ₡682

-17.11%

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

$29.0K ARS 44.0M

$21.6K ₡9.7M

34.25%

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

$35.1K ARS 53.2M

$34.5K ₡15.5M

1.63%

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

$116 ARS 176.3K

$96.3 ₡43.2K

20.68%

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

$15.64 ARS 23.7K

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-56.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.16 ARS 44.2K

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-45.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.30 ARS 52.0K

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-52.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$8.31 ARS 12.6K

$7.89 ₡3,539

5.32%

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

$269 ARS 407.6K

$494 ₡221.6K

-45.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$108 ARS 164.6K

$53.9 ₡24.2K

101.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 ARS 168.4K

$77.9 ₡34.9K

42.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$146 ARS 221.3K

$79.6 ₡35.7K

83.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$561 ARS 850.6K

$788 ₡353.4K

-28.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$363 ARS 551.1K

$794 ₡356.2K

-54.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$932 ARS 1.4M

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-76.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$874 ARS 1.3M

$1,419 ₡636.5K

-38.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

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 Rosa: 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 Rosa

$363 28.7%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 119% $431

Eating Out

Santa Rosa

$271 21.4%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 21.8% $59

Groceries & Markets

Santa Rosa

$249 * 19.7%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 41.5% $103

Clothing & Footwear

Santa Rosa

$164 * 13%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 26.9% $44

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santa Rosa

$161 12.7%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 15.4% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Santa Rosa

$51 4%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 71.6% $36

Getting Around

Santa Rosa

$5.7 * 0.5%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 1431% $81

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $561 in Santa Rosa 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 $58.0 in Santa Rosa versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $249 vs $352 – making Santa Rosa the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Santa Rosa

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

10:55 10:55 AM

07:55 7:55 AM

3 h behind Santa Rosa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

116,083

4,912

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to ARS – Argentine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇷 Argentine Peso ($)

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1,517 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD). 1 EUR = 1,706 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR).

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).

USD to ARS in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Santa Rosa Nosara 5,640 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

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

Monthly costs with rent: $1,265 in Santa Rosa, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 45% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,897 per month in Santa Rosa 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 Rosa, 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 $58.0 in Santa Rosa and $61.0 in Nosara. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 42% more in Nosara, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Santa Rosa, where all-in costs run around $1,265, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Santa Rosa 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 $1,265 in Santa Rosa 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 Rosa. 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.