Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Puerto Rico and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Puerto Rico: $1,730 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $1,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

84

Cost of Living Index in Puerto Rico
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Puerto Rico Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Puerto Rico

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,730

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,730 per month in Puerto Rico vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Puerto Rico $1,730
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $2,579 per month in Puerto Rico vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Puerto Rico $2,579
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $3,429 per month in Puerto Rico vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Puerto Rico $3,429
Nosara $3,818

Puerto Rico is about 6% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Puerto Rico and Nosara sit above the global median – Puerto Rico by 28%, Nosara by 36%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.40 €18.15

$12.35 ₡5,539

65.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.9 €54.2

$61.2 ₡27.4K

-0.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.11 €9.88

$7.52 ₡3,373

47.74%

Cappuccino

$2.05 €1.83

$4.41 ₡1,978

-53.51%

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

$1.94 €1.73

$1.74 ₡780

11.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.30 €1.16

$1.31 ₡587

-0.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.77 €2.47

$3.28 ₡1,471

-15.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.28 €2.92

$4.47 ₡2,004

-26.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.39 €1.23

$1.56 ₡701

-10.90%

White Bread (500g)

$2.45 €2.18

$3.02 ₡1,355

-18.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.59 €1.41

$2.51 ₡1,125

-36.65%

Eggs

$4.16 €3.70

$3.57 ₡1,603

16.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.85 €17.66

$7.43 ₡3,333

167.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.29 €9.15

$10.52 ₡4,717

-2.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.84 €15.86

$13.97 ₡6,265

27.70%

Apples (1kg)

$2.77 €2.46

$2.35 ₡1,052

17.87%

Banana (1kg)

$2.33 €2.07

$1.61 ₡720

44.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 €1.94

$4.80 ₡2,152

-54.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.63 €2.34

$1.61 ₡724

63.35%

Potato (1kg)

$2.15 €1.92

$3.80 ₡1,703

-43.42%

Onion (1kg)

$2.00 €1.78

$3.69 ₡1,657

-45.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.71 €1.52

$1.13 ₡507

51.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 €0.88

$2.66 ₡1,191

-62.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.74 €4.22

$5.18 ₡2,321

-8.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.90 €7.03

$19.88 ₡8,916

-60.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 €1.44

$2.90 ₡1,300

-44.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.69 €1.50

$3.63 ₡1,626

-53.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.61 €1.43

$1.12 ₡504

43.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$32.93 €29.29

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-54.67%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.19 €3.72

$2.14 ₡958

95.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.69 €1.50

$1.57 ₡703

7.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.01 €15.13

$8.52 ₡3,823

99.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.72 €1.53

$1.52 ₡682

13.16%

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

$35.8K €31.9K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

65.85%

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

$29.1K €25.9K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-15.72%

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

$127 €113

$96.3 ₡43.2K

32.18%

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

$22.56 €20.07

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-37.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.96 €31.99

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-32.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.82 €39.86

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-37.39%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.88 €14.12

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-54.51%

Cinema Ticket

$10.11 €8.99

$7.89 ₡3,539

28.14%

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

$402 €358

$494 ₡221.6K

-18.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,970 €4,420

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-58.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$93.5 €83.2

$53.9 ₡24.2K

73.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.99 €37.35

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-24.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.0 €80.1

$77.9 ₡34.9K

15.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 €100

$79.6 ₡35.7K

41.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$908 €808

$788 ₡353.4K

15.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$688 €612

$794 ₡356.2K

-13.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,206

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-65.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,014 €902

$1,419 ₡636.5K

-28.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,250 €2,891

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-52.98%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,223 €1,977

$1,224 ₡549.0K

81.60%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.31

8.62

-61.60%

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

Last update for Puerto Rico: October 11, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Puerto Rico

$688 39.8%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 15.4% $106

Groceries & Markets

Puerto Rico

$332 19.2%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 6.1% $20

Eating Out

Puerto Rico

$255 14.7%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 16.8% $43

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Puerto Rico

$186 10.7%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 0% $0

Clothing & Footwear

Puerto Rico

$152 8.8%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 21% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Puerto Rico

$65 3.8%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 34.4% $22

Getting Around

Puerto Rico

$52 3%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 67.5% $35

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $908 in Puerto Rico 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 $61.0 in Puerto Rico versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $332 vs $352 – making Puerto Rico the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Puerto Rico

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

20:19 8:19 PM

13:19 1:19 PM

7 h behind Puerto Rico

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,500

4,912

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

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 EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Puerto Rico Nosara 7,530 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Puerto Rico
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

Puerto Rico vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,730 in Puerto Rico, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 6% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,594 per month in Puerto Rico 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 Puerto Rico, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 121% less in Puerto Rico. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $402 per month in Puerto Rico and $494 in Nosara. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Puerto Rico, where all-in costs run around $1,730, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Puerto Rico 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 $1,730 in Puerto Rico 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 Puerto Rico. 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.