Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Siargao and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Siargao: $787 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $12,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

38

Cost of Living Index in Siargao
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Siargao Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Siargao

🇵🇭 Philippines

$787

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $787 per month in Siargao vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Siargao $787
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $1,226 per month in Siargao vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Siargao $1,226
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $1,664 per month in Siargao vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Siargao $1,664
Nosara $3,818

Siargao is about 57% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Siargao sits 42% below the global median, while Nosara is 36% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.60 ₱227

$12.35 ₡5,547

-70.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.21 ₱1,210

$61.2 ₡27.5K

-68.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.36 ₱212

$7.52 ₡3,377

-55.32%

Cappuccino

$2.62 ₱165

$4.41 ₡1,981

-40.59%

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

$0.78 ₱49.46

$1.74 ₡781

-55.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.40 ₱24.97

$1.31 ₡588

-69.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.25 ₱79.0

$3.28 ₡1,473

-61.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 ₱138

$4.47 ₡2,007

-51.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.88 ₱119

$1.56 ₡702

20.51%

White Bread (500g)

$1.23 ₱77.4

$3.02 ₡1,357

-59.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.96 ₱60.3

$2.51 ₡1,127

-61.75%

Eggs

$2.00 ₱126

$3.57 ₡1,605

-43.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.23 ₱519

$7.43 ₡3,338

10.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.32 ₱273

$10.52 ₡4,724

-58.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.50 ₱473

$13.97 ₡6,274

-46.31%

Apples (1kg)

$2.97 ₱187

$2.35 ₡1,054

26.38%

Banana (1kg)

$1.58 ₱99.9

$1.61 ₡721

-1.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.58 ₱162

$4.80 ₡2,155

-46.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.62 ₱102

$1.61 ₡725

0.62%

Potato (1kg)

$2.25 ₱142

$3.80 ₡1,706

-40.79%

Onion (1kg)

$2.53 ₱160

$3.69 ₡1,659

-31.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 ₱69.4

$1.13 ₡507

-2.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.71 ₱44.50

$2.66 ₡1,193

-73.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.83 ₱178

$5.18 ₡2,324

-45.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.79 ₱428

$19.88 ₡8,929

-65.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 ₱75.3

$2.90 ₡1,302

-58.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 ₱128

$3.63 ₡1,628

-44.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 ₱16.34

$1.12 ₡505

-76.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.65 ₱734

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-83.96%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.78 ₱48.93

$2.14 ₡959

-63.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.22 ₱13.82

$1.57 ₡704

-85.99%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.08 ₱131

$8.52 ₡3,828

-75.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.15 ₱72.5

$1.52 ₡683

-24.34%

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

$26.3K ₱1.7M

$21.6K ₡9.7M

21.52%

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

$20.2K ₱1.3M

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-41.59%

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

$112 ₱7,067

$96.3 ₡43.2K

16.46%

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

$33.18 ₱2,091

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-7.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.75 ₱1,749

$53.6 ₡24.1K

-48.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.05 ₱2,146

$71.6 ₡32.2K

-52.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.45 ₱280

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-87.25%

Cinema Ticket

$5.85 ₱368

$7.89 ₡3,544

-25.86%

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

$154 ₱9,706

$494 ₡221.9K

-68.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,271 ₱269.1K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-63.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.34 ₱2,920

$53.9 ₡24.2K

-14.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$26.69 ₱1,682

$55.4 ₡24.9K

-51.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.7 ₱4,831

$77.9 ₡35.0K

-1.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$54.2 ₱3,413

$79.6 ₡35.8K

-31.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$266 ₱16.8K

$788 ₡353.9K

-66.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$174 ₱10.9K

$794 ₡356.7K

-78.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$582 ₱36.7K

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-85.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$387 ₱24.4K

$1,419 ₡637.4K

-72.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,349 ₱148.0K

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-66.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$978 ₱61.6K

$1,224 ₡549.8K

-20.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.67

8.62

-22.62%

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

Last update for Siargao: October 12, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Siargao

$203 25.8%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 73.8% $150

Accommodation & Living

Siargao

$174 22.1%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 357% $621

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Siargao

$173 22%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 7.3% $13

Clothing & Footwear

Siargao

$92 11.7%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 30.9% $28

Eating Out

Siargao

$86 10.9%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 147% $126

Sport & Entertainment

Siargao

$46 5.8%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 91% $42

Getting Around

Siargao

$15 1.9%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 498% $73

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $266 in Siargao 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 $19.00 in Siargao versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $203 vs $352 – making Siargao the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Siargao

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

14:36 2:36 PM

00:36 12:36 AM

14 h behind Siargao

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

150,000

4,912

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.42 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to PHP – Philippine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇭 Philippine Peso (₱)

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 16, 2026: 1 USD = 63.02 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.65 PHP (100 PHP = 1.42 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 16, 2026: 1 USD = 449 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 503 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Siargao Nosara 15,870 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Siargao
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

Siargao vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $787 in Siargao, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 134% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,181 per month in Siargao 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 Siargao, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 524% less in Siargao. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $154 per month in Siargao and $494 in Nosara. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Siargao, where all-in costs run around $787, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Siargao 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 $787 in Siargao 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 Siargao. 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.