Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santa Teresa and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Santa Teresa: $1,530 a month against $1,844 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $3,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

73

Cost of Living Index in Santa Teresa
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Santa Teresa Living Index
88

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index

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Santa Teresa

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,530

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,844

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,530 per month in Santa Teresa vs $1,844 in Nosara, rent included.

Santa Teresa $1,530
Nosara $1,844

A couple spends around $2,295 per month in Santa Teresa vs $2,817 in Nosara, rent included.

Santa Teresa $2,295
Nosara $2,817

A family of three spends $3,061 per month in Santa Teresa vs $3,790 in Nosara, rent included.

Santa Teresa $3,061
Nosara $3,790

Santa Teresa is about 17% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Santa Teresa and Nosara sit above the global median – Santa Teresa by 13%, Nosara by 36%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.90 ₡4,459

$12.38 ₡5,578

-20.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.31 ₡19.1K

$60.6 ₡27.3K

-30.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.71 ₡4,374

$7.81 ₡3,519

24.33%

Cappuccino

$3.70 ₡1,667

$4.37 ₡1,969

-15.33%

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

$2.04 ₡917

$1.78 ₡802

14.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.63 ₡735

$1.35 ₡606

20.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.03 ₡1,366

$3.39 ₡1,528

-10.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.55 ₡2,048

$4.31 ₡1,943

5.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.05 ₡925

$1.55 ₡700

32.26%

White Bread (500g)

$2.82 ₡1,270

$3.17 ₡1,428

-11.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.16 ₡972

$2.51 ₡1,132

-13.94%

Eggs

$2.98 ₡1,344

$3.53 ₡1,588

-15.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.01 ₡4,509

$7.37 ₡3,319

35.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.97 ₡4,042

$10.46 ₡4,712

-14.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.60 ₡6,127

$13.91 ₡6,266

-2.23%

Apples (1kg)

$4.56 ₡2,052

$2.26 ₡1,020

101.77%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 ₡651

$1.56 ₡703

-7.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.12 ₡1,856

$4.70 ₡2,116

-12.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.07 ₡1,385

$1.62 ₡730

89.51%

Potato (1kg)

$3.39 ₡1,526

$3.88 ₡1,749

-12.63%

Onion (1kg)

$2.58 ₡1,161

$3.79 ₡1,707

-31.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.01 ₡455

$1.07 ₡482

-5.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.85 ₡1,282

$2.61 ₡1,176

9.20%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.09 ₡2,292

$5.16 ₡2,323

-1.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.79 ₡6,211

$20.33 ₡9,160

-32.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.36 ₡1,063

$2.91 ₡1,313

-18.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.62 ₡1,179

$3.67 ₡1,654

-28.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.96 ₡433

$1.31 ₡589

-26.72%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.2 ₡33.0K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 ₡830

$2.19 ₡986

-15.98%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.83 ₡826

$1.84 ₡831

-0.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.95 ₡3,580

$7.81 ₡3,520

1.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 ₡659

$1.56 ₡703

-6.41%

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

$38.4K ₡17.3M

$33.4K ₡15.1M

14.88%

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

$32.7K ₡14.7M

$38.1K ₡17.1M

-14.02%

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

$84.9 ₡38.2K

$95.9 ₡43.2K

-11.42%

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

$26.16 ₡11.8K

$35.37 ₡15.9K

-26.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.4 ₡22.7K

$53.7 ₡24.2K

-6.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.1 ₡22.6K

$67.5 ₡30.4K

-25.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.66 ₡10.7K

$35.43 ₡16.0K

-33.22%

Cinema Ticket

$8.89 ₡4,004

$7.72 ₡3,479

15.16%

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

$573 ₡257.9K

$496 ₡223.3K

15.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.4K ₡5.6M

$11.9K ₡5.4M

4.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.8 ₡27.8K

$54.6 ₡24.6K

13.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.2 ₡23.0K

$55.0 ₡24.8K

-6.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$127 ₡57.4K

$79.8 ₡36.0K

59.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 ₡48.0K

$77.9 ₡35.1K

36.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$706 ₡318.2K

$817 ₡368.1K

-13.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$592 ₡266.6K

$800 ₡360.4K

-26.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,461 ₡657.9K

$3,889 ₡1.8M

-62.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$955 ₡430.0K

$1,396 ₡628.7K

-31.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,977 ₡3.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,222 ₡550.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$879 ₡396.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.17

8.62

17.98%

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

Last update for Santa Teresa: November 1, 2026

Last update for Nosara: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Santa Teresa

$592 38.7%

Nosara

$800 43.4% 35.2% $208

Groceries & Markets

Santa Teresa

$346 22.6%

Nosara

$353 19.1% 1.8% $6.1

Eating Out

Santa Teresa

$192 12.5%

Nosara

$213 11.6% 11.2% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santa Teresa

$161 10.6%

Nosara

$185 10% 14.5% $23

Clothing & Footwear

Santa Teresa

$156 10.2%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 23% $36

Sport & Entertainment

Santa Teresa

$68 4.4%

Nosara

$83 4.5% 22.2% $15

Getting Around

Santa Teresa

$15 * 1%

Nosara

$90 4.9% 505% $75

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $706 in Santa Teresa versus $817 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 $42 in Santa Teresa versus $61 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $346 vs $353 – making Santa Teresa the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Santa Teresa

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

20:38 8:38 PM

Same time as Santa Teresa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,099

4,912

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.97 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.97 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Santa Teresa Nosara 65 km

From you

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

Monthly costs with rent: $1,530 in Santa Teresa, $1,844 in Nosara – Santa Teresa comes out roughly 17% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,295 per month in Santa Teresa and $2,765 in Nosara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Santa Teresa, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $706 there versus $817 in Nosara.

Kindergarten costs $573 per month in Santa Teresa and $496 in Nosara. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,530 in Santa Teresa and $1,844 in Nosara. That makes Santa Teresa about 17% cheaper.

$1,500 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,530 in Santa Teresa and $1,844 in Nosara. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Santa Teresa costs $1,530 versus $1,844 in Nosara. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.