Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Trujillo and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Trujillo: $867 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $11,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

42

Cost of Living Index in Trujillo
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Trujillo Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index

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Trujillo

🇵🇪 Peru

$867

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $867 per month in Trujillo vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Trujillo $867
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $1,340 per month in Trujillo vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Trujillo $1,340
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $1,814 per month in Trujillo vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Trujillo $1,814
Nosara $3,818

Trujillo is about 53% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.50 PEN 12.01

$12.35 ₡5,539

-71.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.64 PEN 81.2

$61.2 ₡27.4K

-61.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.01 PEN 24.07

$7.52 ₡3,373

-6.78%

Cappuccino

$3.25 PEN 11.17

$4.41 ₡1,978

-26.30%

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

$0.89 PEN 3.06

$1.74 ₡780

-48.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.62 PEN 2.12

$1.31 ₡587

-52.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.98 PEN 6.81

$3.28 ₡1,471

-39.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 PEN 11.89

$4.47 ₡2,004

-22.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 PEN 4.50

$1.56 ₡701

-16.03%

White Bread (500g)

$2.06 PEN 7.08

$3.02 ₡1,355

-31.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.14 PEN 3.92

$2.51 ₡1,125

-54.58%

Eggs

$3.98 PEN 13.68

$3.57 ₡1,603

11.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.81 PEN 26.82

$7.43 ₡3,333

5.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.54 PEN 22.46

$10.52 ₡4,717

-37.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.20 PEN 31.61

$13.97 ₡6,265

-34.14%

Apples (1kg)

$1.67 PEN 5.74

$2.35 ₡1,052

-28.94%

Banana (1kg)

$0.61 PEN 2.08

$1.61 ₡720

-62.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.60 PEN 2.06

$4.80 ₡2,152

-87.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.89 PEN 3.07

$1.61 ₡724

-44.72%

Potato (1kg)

$1.00 PEN 3.42

$3.80 ₡1,703

-73.68%

Onion (1kg)

$1.14 PEN 3.90

$3.69 ₡1,657

-69.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.24 PEN 4.24

$1.13 ₡507

9.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 PEN 3.93

$2.66 ₡1,191

-57.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.22 PEN 14.49

$5.18 ₡2,321

-18.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.72 PEN 19.66

$19.88 ₡8,916

-71.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.71 PEN 5.88

$2.90 ₡1,300

-41.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.63 PEN 5.61

$3.63 ₡1,626

-55.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 PEN 1.94

$1.12 ₡504

-49.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.65 PEN 60.6

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-75.70%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.53 PEN 8.68

$2.14 ₡958

18.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.21 PEN 7.58

$1.57 ₡703

40.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.98 PEN 20.55

$8.52 ₡3,823

-29.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.70 PEN 5.84

$1.52 ₡682

11.84%

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

$17.5K PEN 60.2K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

-18.92%

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

$27.8K PEN 95.3K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-19.57%

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

$97.9 PEN 336

$96.3 ₡43.2K

1.68%

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

$12.84 PEN 44.08

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-64.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.05 PEN 92.9

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-49.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.49 PEN 136

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-44.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.79 PEN 19.89

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-83.41%

Cinema Ticket

$4.40 PEN 15.11

$7.89 ₡3,539

-44.23%

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

$107 PEN 369

$494 ₡221.6K

-78.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,078 PEN 7,136

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-82.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.8 PEN 247

$53.9 ₡24.2K

33.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$14.35 PEN 49.28

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-74.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$46.03 PEN 158

$77.9 ₡34.9K

-40.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$43.97 PEN 151

$79.6 ₡35.7K

-44.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$384 PEN 1,319

$788 ₡353.4K

-51.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$253 PEN 869

$794 ₡356.2K

-68.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$744 PEN 2,555

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-81.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$512 PEN 1,758

$1,419 ₡636.5K

-63.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,177 PEN 4,043

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-82.97%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$548 PEN 1,884

$864 ₡387.3K

-36.49%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.7

8.62

35.73%

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

Last update for Trujillo: 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

Trujillo

$253 29.2%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 214% $541

Groceries & Markets

Trujillo

$204 23.5%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 72.7% $148

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Trujillo

$138 15.9%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 34.8% $48

Eating Out

Trujillo

$111 12.8%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 91% $101

Clothing & Footwear

Trujillo

$79 9.2%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 51.5% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Trujillo

$48 5.6%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 80.9% $39

Getting Around

Trujillo

$33 3.9%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 160% $54

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $384 in Trujillo 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 57% higher in Nosara, 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 $24.00 in Trujillo versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $204 vs $352 – making Trujillo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇪 Trujillo

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

08:59 8:59 AM

07:59 7:59 AM

1 h behind Trujillo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

314,939

4,912

💱 Currency

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 PEN = 0.291 USD

1 PEN = 0.259 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to PEN – Peruvian Sol Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇪 Peruvian Sol (S/)

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 3.43 PEN (1 PEN = 0.291 USD). 1 EUR = 3.86 PEN (1 PEN = 0.259 EUR).

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 PEN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Trujillo Nosara 2,140 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Trujillo
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

Trujillo vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $867 in Trujillo, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 112% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,300 per month in Trujillo 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 Trujillo, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 312% less in Trujillo. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $107 per month in Trujillo 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 Trujillo, where all-in costs run around $867, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Trujillo 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 $867 in Trujillo 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 Trujillo. 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.