Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Singapore and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,837 a month against $3,454 in Singapore, rent and utilities included – about $19,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

168

Cost of Living Index in Singapore
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Singapore Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Singapore

🇸🇬 Singapore

$3,454

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,454 per month in Singapore vs $1,837 in Nosara, rent included.

Singapore $3,454
Nosara $1,837

A couple spends around $5,224 per month in Singapore vs $2,775 in Nosara, rent included.

Singapore $5,224
Nosara $2,775

A family of three spends $6,994 per month in Singapore vs $3,712 in Nosara, rent included.

Singapore $6,994
Nosara $3,712

Singapore costs about 88% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Singapore and Nosara sit above the global median – Singapore by 158%, Nosara by 37%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.53 SGD 14.77

$12.22 ₡5,509

-5.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$71.2 SGD 91.2

$60.2 ₡27.1K

18.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.76 SGD 11.22

$7.54 ₡3,399

16.18%

Cappuccino

$5.25 SGD 6.73

$4.31 ₡1,941

21.81%

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

$1.83 SGD 2.34

$1.72 ₡773

6.40%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.25 SGD 1.60

$1.35 ₡608

-7.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.42 SGD 10.79

$3.24 ₡1,459

159.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.02 SGD 12.83

$4.48 ₡2,018

123.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.94 SGD 3.76

$1.57 ₡707

87.26%

White Bread (500g)

$2.47 SGD 3.16

$3.17 ₡1,429

-22.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.71 SGD 3.47

$2.42 ₡1,091

11.98%

Eggs

$3.73 SGD 4.77

$3.57 ₡1,609

4.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.54 SGD 27.58

$7.43 ₡3,349

189.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.52 SGD 12.20

$10.42 ₡4,697

-8.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.98 SGD 33.27

$13.66 ₡6,156

90.19%

Apples (1kg)

$4.48 SGD 5.74

$2.32 ₡1,044

93.10%

Banana (1kg)

$3.11 SGD 3.99

$1.61 ₡728

93.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.62 SGD 5.92

$4.74 ₡2,138

-2.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.23 SGD 2.86

$1.66 ₡747

34.34%

Potato (1kg)

$2.50 SGD 3.20

$3.72 ₡1,679

-32.80%

Onion (1kg)

$2.38 SGD 3.05

$3.57 ₡1,611

-33.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 SGD 2.28

$1.10 ₡497

61.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.51 SGD 1.93

$2.55 ₡1,149

-40.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.18 SGD 18.16

$4.95 ₡2,232

186.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$23.79 SGD 30.47

$20.01 ₡9,020

18.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.51 SGD 5.78

$2.79 ₡1,256

61.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.57 SGD 5.86

$3.53 ₡1,589

29.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.58 SGD 2.03

$1.19 ₡537

32.77%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$96.4 SGD 123

$72.1 ₡32.5K

33.69%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.63 SGD 4.65

$2.24 ₡1,011

62.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.80 SGD 1.02

$1.55 ₡701

-48.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.18 SGD 20.72

$8.86 ₡3,993

82.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.51 SGD 3.21

$1.57 ₡708

59.87%

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

$155.9K SGD 199.6K

$21.8K ₡9.8M

614.88%

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

$145.8K SGD 186.7K

$34.6K ₡15.6M

320.85%

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

$175 SGD 224

$93.5 ₡42.1K

87.29%

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

$12.45 SGD 15.94

$35.11 ₡15.8K

-64.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.64 SGD 34.11

$51.5 ₡23.2K

-48.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$112 SGD 143

$71.4 ₡32.2K

56.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.07 SGD 15.46

$35.44 ₡16.0K

-65.94%

Cinema Ticket

$11.60 SGD 14.85

$7.84 ₡3,535

47.96%

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

$1,463 SGD 1,874

$490 ₡220.7K

198.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.4K SGD 36.3K

$11.9K ₡5.4M

138.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$81.5 SGD 104

$53.5 ₡24.1K

52.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.6 SGD 64.8

$55.8 ₡25.1K

-9.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 SGD 143

$79.3 ₡35.7K

40.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 SGD 166

$78.9 ₡35.6K

64.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,916 SGD 3,734

$786 ₡354.3K

271.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,128 SGD 2,725

$780 ₡351.6K

172.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,654 SGD 7,241

$3,860 ₡1.7M

46.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,968 SGD 5,081

$1,407 ₡634.4K

181.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$23.6K SGD 30.2K

$6,972 ₡3.1M

238.54%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$16.8K SGD 21.5K

$1,201 ₡541.3K

1301.47%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,369 SGD 5,594

$876 ₡395.0K

398.52%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.44

8.62

-71.69%

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

Last update for Singapore: October 5, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Singapore

$2.1K 61.4%

Nosara

$780 43% 63.3% $1.3K

Groceries & Markets

Singapore

$457 13.2%

Nosara

$350 19.3% 23.6% $108

Eating Out

Singapore

$256 7.4%

Nosara

$209 11.6% 18.2% $47

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Singapore

$214 6.2%

Nosara

$180 9.9% 15.9% $34

Clothing & Footwear

Singapore

$168 4.9%

Nosara

$120 6.6% 28.4% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Singapore

$135 3.9%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 35.4% $48

Getting Around

Singapore

$110 3.2%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 21.3% $23

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,916 in Singapore 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 399% higher in Singapore, 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 $71.0 in Singapore versus $60.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $457 vs $350 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇸🇬 Singapore

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

14:01 2:01 PM

00:01 12:01 AM

14 h behind Singapore

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,535,002 Capital

4,912

💱 Currency

Singapore Dollar SGD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 SGD = 0.781 USD

1 SGD = 0.696 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to SGD – Singapore Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇸🇬 Singapore Dollar ($)

Singapore Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.28 SGD (1 SGD = 0.781 USD). 1 EUR = 1.44 SGD (1 SGD = 0.696 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 SGD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Singapore Nosara 18,380 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

Singapore
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

Singapore vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $3,454 in Singapore, $1,837 in Nosara – roughly 88% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,180 per month in Singapore 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 Nosara, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 34% less in Nosara. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $1,463 per month in Singapore and $490 in Nosara. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Nosara, where all-in costs run around $1,837, than in Singapore at $3,454. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Singapore 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 $1,837 in Nosara to $3,454 in Singapore. 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 Nosara. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Singapore makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.