Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tres Cantos and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Tres Cantos: $1,640 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Tres Cantos
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Tres Cantos Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Tres Cantos

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,640

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,640 per month in Tres Cantos vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Tres Cantos $1,640
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $2,406 per month in Tres Cantos vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Tres Cantos $2,406
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $3,171 per month in Tres Cantos vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Tres Cantos $3,171
Nosara $3,818

Tres Cantos is about 11% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Tres Cantos and Nosara sit above the global median – Tres Cantos by 22%, Nosara by 36%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.59 €14.76

$12.35 ₡5,539

34.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$56.7 €50.4

$61.2 ₡27.4K

-7.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.00 €9.78

$7.52 ₡3,373

46.28%

Cappuccino

$2.34 €2.08

$4.41 ₡1,978

-46.94%

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

$2.56 €2.28

$1.74 ₡780

47.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 €1.66

$1.31 ₡587

42.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.39 €3.01

$3.28 ₡1,471

3.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.55 €3.16

$4.47 ₡2,004

-20.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.18 €1.05

$1.56 ₡701

-24.36%

White Bread (500g)

$1.48 €1.32

$3.02 ₡1,355

-50.99%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.62 €1.44

$2.51 ₡1,125

-35.46%

Eggs

$3.35 €2.98

$3.57 ₡1,603

-6.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.36 €11.88

$7.43 ₡3,333

79.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.96 €7.08

$10.52 ₡4,717

-24.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.53 €13.81

$13.97 ₡6,265

11.17%

Apples (1kg)

$2.56 €2.28

$2.35 ₡1,052

8.94%

Banana (1kg)

$2.01 €1.79

$1.61 ₡720

24.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.91 €1.70

$4.80 ₡2,152

-60.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.58 €2.29

$1.61 ₡724

60.25%

Potato (1kg)

$1.79 €1.59

$3.80 ₡1,703

-52.89%

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 €1.77

$3.69 ₡1,657

-46.07%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.33 €1.18

$1.13 ₡507

17.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.68 €0.60

$2.66 ₡1,191

-74.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.32 €5.62

$5.18 ₡2,321

22.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.55 €4.94

$19.88 ₡8,916

-72.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 €1.05

$2.90 ₡1,300

-59.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.23 €1.99

$3.63 ₡1,626

-38.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.65 €1.46

$1.12 ₡504

47.32%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$32.40 €28.82

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-55.40%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.99 €3.55

$2.14 ₡958

86.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.42 €1.26

$1.57 ₡703

-9.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.12 €20.56

$8.52 ₡3,823

171.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.76 €1.56

$1.52 ₡682

15.79%

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

$35.9K €31.9K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

66.12%

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

$28.6K €25.4K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-17.24%

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

$143 €127

$96.3 ₡43.2K

47.99%

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

$18.25 €16.23

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-49.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.50 €26.24

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-44.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.25 €39.36

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-38.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.66 €13.93

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-55.14%

Cinema Ticket

$8.91 €7.92

$7.89 ₡3,539

12.93%

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

$467 €415

$494 ₡221.6K

-5.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,395 €7,467

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-29.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.7 €77.1

$53.9 ₡24.2K

60.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.97 €31.99

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-35.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.3 €81.2

$77.9 ₡34.9K

17.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$114 €102

$79.6 ₡35.7K

43.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$884 €786

$788 ₡353.4K

12.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$692 €616

$794 ₡356.2K

-12.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,350 €1,201

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-65.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,004 €893

$1,419 ₡636.5K

-29.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,352 €2,982

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-51.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,235 €1,988

$1,224 ₡549.0K

82.61%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,300 €2,935

$864 ₡387.3K

282.11%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.3

8.62

-61.72%

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

Last update for Tres Cantos: 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

Tres Cantos

$692 42.2%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 14.8% $102

Groceries & Markets

Tres Cantos

$263 16%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 34.1% $90

Eating Out

Tres Cantos

$236 14.4%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 10.1% $24

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tres Cantos

$190 11.6%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 2.4% $4.5

Clothing & Footwear

Tres Cantos

$148 9%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 18.7% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Tres Cantos

$62 3.8%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 40.8% $25

Getting Around

Tres Cantos

$50 3.1%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 74% $37

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $884 in Tres Cantos 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.

Salaries run about 282% higher in Tres Cantos, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $57.0 in Tres Cantos versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $263 vs $352 – making Tres Cantos the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Tres Cantos

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

14:28 2:28 PM

06:28 6:28 AM

8 h behind Tres Cantos

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

51,453

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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 18, 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

Tres Cantos Nosara 8,610 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Tres Cantos
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

Tres Cantos vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,640 in Tres Cantos, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 12% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,461 per month in Tres Cantos 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 Tres Cantos, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 124% less in Tres Cantos. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $467 per month in Tres Cantos and $494 in Nosara. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Tres Cantos, where all-in costs run around $1,640, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Tres Cantos 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 $1,640 in Tres Cantos 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 Tres Cantos. 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.