Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Valence and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Valence: $1,502 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $4,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

73

Cost of Living Index in Valence
Learn more

Valence Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index

Jump to prices

Valence

🇫🇷 France

$1,502

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,502 per month in Valence vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Valence $1,502
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $2,258 per month in Valence vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Valence $2,258
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $3,014 per month in Valence vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Valence $3,014
Nosara $3,818

Valence is about 18% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Valence and Nosara sit above the global median – Valence by 11%, Nosara by 36%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.21 €11.75

$12.35 ₡5,539

6.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$38.64 €34.37

$61.2 ₡27.4K

-36.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.27 €8.25

$7.52 ₡3,373

23.27%

Cappuccino

$3.70 €3.29

$4.41 ₡1,978

-16.10%

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

$2.98 €2.65

$1.74 ₡780

71.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.99 €1.77

$1.31 ₡587

51.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.48 €4.87

$3.28 ₡1,471

67.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.55 €4.04

$4.47 ₡2,004

1.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.10 €0.98

$1.56 ₡701

-29.49%

White Bread (500g)

$1.09 €0.97

$3.02 ₡1,355

-63.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.17 €1.93

$2.51 ₡1,125

-13.55%

Eggs

$3.62 €3.22

$3.57 ₡1,603

1.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.70 €16.63

$7.43 ₡3,333

151.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.85 €12.32

$10.52 ₡4,717

31.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$24.99 €22.23

$13.97 ₡6,265

78.88%

Apples (1kg)

$3.00 €2.67

$2.35 ₡1,052

27.66%

Banana (1kg)

$2.48 €2.21

$1.61 ₡720

54.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.86 €2.55

$4.80 ₡2,152

-40.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.84 €3.42

$1.61 ₡724

138.51%

Potato (1kg)

$2.35 €2.09

$3.80 ₡1,703

-38.16%

Onion (1kg)

$2.96 €2.63

$3.69 ₡1,657

-19.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.68 €1.50

$1.13 ₡507

48.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.21 €0.19

$2.66 ₡1,191

-92.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.87 €12.34

$5.18 ₡2,321

167.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$3.33 €2.96

$19.88 ₡8,916

-83.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.79 €3.37

$2.90 ₡1,300

30.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.69 €2.39

$3.63 ₡1,626

-25.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.58 €1.41

$1.12 ₡504

41.07%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.75 €20.24

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-68.68%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.14 €4.57

$2.14 ₡958

140.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.64 €1.46

$1.57 ₡703

4.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.64 €29.92

$8.52 ₡3,823

294.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.21 €1.97

$1.52 ₡682

45.39%

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

$34.7K €30.8K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

60.49%

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

$35.8K €31.9K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

3.80%

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

$140 €124

$96.3 ₡43.2K

45.04%

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

$11.35 €10.09

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-68.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.33 €25.20

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-47.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$27.79 €24.72

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-61.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.81 €14.95

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-51.85%

Cinema Ticket

$13.68 €12.17

$7.89 ₡3,539

73.38%

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

$729 €649

$494 ₡221.6K

47.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.9K €11.5K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

8.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.4 €69.7

$53.9 ₡24.2K

45.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$63.9 €56.9

$55.4 ₡24.8K

15.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.0

$77.9 ₡34.9K

34.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$178 €158

$79.6 ₡35.7K

123.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$534 €475

$788 ₡353.4K

-32.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$440 €391

$794 ₡356.2K

-44.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$768 €683

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-80.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$668 €594

$1,419 ₡636.5K

-52.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,183 €2,831

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-53.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,717 €2,416

$1,224 ₡549.0K

121.93%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,567 €2,283

$864 ₡387.3K

197.26%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.81

8.62

-55.80%

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

Last update for Valence: October 13, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Valence

$440 29.3%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 80.5% $354

Groceries & Markets

Valence

$359 23.9%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 1.9% $6.8

Eating Out

Valence

$234 15.6%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 9.6% $22

Clothing & Footwear

Valence

$191 12.7%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 37.2% $71

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Valence

$179 11.9%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 3.6% $6.4

Sport & Entertainment

Valence

$55 3.7%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 58.4% $32

Getting Around

Valence

$42 2.8%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 105% $45

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $534 in Valence 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 197% higher in Valence, 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 $39.00 in Valence versus $61.0 in Nosara. Groceries tell a different story – $359 in Valence vs $352 in Nosara – so Nosara wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇫🇷 Valence

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

22:11 10:11 PM

14:11 2:11 PM

8 h behind Valence

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

64,483

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Valence Nosara 9,270 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Valence
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

Valence vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,502 in Valence, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 22% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,252 per month in Valence 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 Valence, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 219% less in Valence. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $729 per month in Valence 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 Valence, where all-in costs run around $1,502, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Valence 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 $1,502 in Valence 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 Valence. 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.