Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ventanas and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Ventanas: $794 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $12,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

39

Cost of Living Index in Ventanas
Learn more

Ventanas Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index

Jump to prices

Ventanas

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$794

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $794 per month in Ventanas vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Ventanas $794
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $1,368 per month in Ventanas vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Ventanas $1,368
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $1,941 per month in Ventanas vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Ventanas $1,941
Nosara $3,818

Ventanas is about 57% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Ventanas sits 41% below the global median, while Nosara is 36% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.09 $4.09

$12.35 ₡5,539

-66.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$52.8 $52.8

$61.2 ₡27.4K

-13.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.10 $9.10

$7.52 ₡3,373

21.01%

Cappuccino

$2.84 $2.84

$4.41 ₡1,978

-35.60%

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

$0.87 $0.87

$1.74 ₡780

-50.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.70 $0.70

$1.31 ₡587

-46.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.09 $3.09

$3.28 ₡1,471

-5.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.13 $4.13

$4.47 ₡2,004

-7.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 $1.21

$1.56 ₡701

-22.44%

White Bread (500g)

$2.01 $2.01

$3.02 ₡1,355

-33.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 $1.47

$2.51 ₡1,125

-41.43%

Eggs

$2.06 $2.06

$3.57 ₡1,603

-42.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.81 $6.81

$7.43 ₡3,333

-8.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.11 $5.11

$10.52 ₡4,717

-51.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.23 $9.23

$13.97 ₡6,265

-33.93%

Apples (1kg)

$1.54 $1.54

$2.35 ₡1,052

-34.47%

Banana (1kg)

$1.18 $1.18

$1.61 ₡720

-26.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.01 $1.01

$4.80 ₡2,152

-78.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.90 $0.90

$1.61 ₡724

-44.10%

Potato (1kg)

$1.22 $1.22

$3.80 ₡1,703

-67.89%

Onion (1kg)

$0.98 $0.98

$3.69 ₡1,657

-73.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.88 $0.88

$1.13 ₡507

-22.12%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.95 $0.95

$2.66 ₡1,191

-64.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.99 $5.99

$5.18 ₡2,321

15.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.87 $11.87

$19.88 ₡8,916

-40.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.56 $1.56

$2.90 ₡1,300

-46.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.19 $2.19

$3.63 ₡1,626

-39.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.33 $0.33

$1.12 ₡504

-70.54%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.38 $17.38

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-76.07%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.33 $1.33

$2.14 ₡958

-37.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.72 $1.72

$1.57 ₡703

9.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.98 $11.98

$8.52 ₡3,823

40.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.85 $0.85

$1.52 ₡682

-44.08%

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

$20.7K $20.7K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

-4.09%

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

$31.5K $31.5K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-8.75%

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

$39.46 $39.46

$96.3 ₡43.2K

-59.02%

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

$14.92 $14.92

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-58.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.27 $26.27

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-50.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.36 $31.36

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-56.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.54 $15.54

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-55.49%

Cinema Ticket

$7.67 $7.67

$7.89 ₡3,539

-2.79%

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

$374 $374

$494 ₡221.6K

-24.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,644 $5,644

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-52.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$66.4 $66.4

$53.9 ₡24.2K

23.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.14 $41.14

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-25.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$127 $127

$77.9 ₡34.9K

63.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.8 $91.8

$79.6 ₡35.7K

15.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$312 $312

$788 ₡353.4K

-60.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$167 $167

$794 ₡356.2K

-78.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$681 $681

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-82.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$402 $402

$1,419 ₡636.5K

-71.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,128 $1,128

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-83.68%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$726 $726

$1,224 ₡549.0K

-40.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.05

8.62

16.59%

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

Last update for Ventanas: October 12, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Ventanas

$200 25.2%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 76.3% $152

Accommodation & Living

Ventanas

$167 21.1%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 375% $627

Clothing & Footwear

Ventanas

$147 18.5%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 18.2% $27

Eating Out

Ventanas

$124 15.6%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 70.8% $88

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ventanas

$81 10.2%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 130% $105

Sport & Entertainment

Ventanas

$47 5.9%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 87.1% $41

Getting Around

Ventanas

$29 3.6%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 204% $58

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $312 in Ventanas 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 $53.0 in Ventanas versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $200 vs $352 – making Ventanas the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇨 Ventanas

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

21:23 9:23 PM

20:23 8:23 PM

1 h behind Ventanas

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

38,168

4,912

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 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).

CRC to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ventanas Nosara 1,440 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Ventanas
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

Ventanas vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $794 in Ventanas, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 132% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,191 per month in Ventanas 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 Ventanas, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 318% less in Ventanas. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $374 per month in Ventanas 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 Ventanas, where all-in costs run around $794, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Ventanas 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 $794 in Ventanas 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 Ventanas. 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.