Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Albany and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $2,486 in Albany, rent and utilities included – about $7,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

121

Cost of Living Index in Albany
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Albany Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Albany

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,486

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,486 in Albany versus $1,839 in Nosara.

Albany $2,486
Nosara $1,839

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,609 in Albany versus $2,828 in Nosara.

Albany $3,609
Nosara $2,828

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,732 in Albany versus $3,818 in Nosara.

Albany $4,732
Nosara $3,818

Living in Albany is roughly 35% more expensive than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Albany 84% above, Nosara 36% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.51 A$28.07

$12.35 ₡5,539

57.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.9 A$122

$61.2 ₡27.4K

38.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.11 A$14.54

$7.52 ₡3,373

34.44%

Cappuccino

$4.33 A$6.22

$4.41 ₡1,978

-1.81%

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

$2.49 A$3.58

$1.74 ₡780

43.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 A$2.92

$1.31 ₡587

54.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.50 A$12.24

$3.28 ₡1,471

159.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.55 A$10.87

$4.47 ₡2,004

68.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 A$2.23

$1.56 ₡701

-0.64%

White Bread (500g)

$2.69 A$3.88

$3.02 ₡1,355

-10.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.14 A$3.08

$2.51 ₡1,125

-14.74%

Eggs

$5.19 A$7.47

$3.57 ₡1,603

45.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.46 A$15.05

$7.43 ₡3,333

40.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.32 A$13.41

$10.52 ₡4,717

-11.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.64 A$18.18

$13.97 ₡6,265

-9.52%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 A$5.85

$2.35 ₡1,052

73.19%

Banana (1kg)

$3.13 A$4.51

$1.61 ₡720

94.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.75 A$5.39

$4.80 ₡2,152

-21.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.53 A$6.52

$1.61 ₡724

181.37%

Potato (1kg)

$2.71 A$3.90

$3.80 ₡1,703

-28.68%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 A$3.38

$3.69 ₡1,657

-36.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.12 A$3.05

$1.13 ₡507

87.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 A$1.99

$2.66 ₡1,191

-48.12%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$42.14 A$60.6

$5.18 ₡2,321

713.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.68 A$21.13

$19.88 ₡8,916

-26.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.44 A$6.40

$2.90 ₡1,300

53.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.93 A$8.53

$3.63 ₡1,626

63.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.95 A$4.25

$1.12 ₡504

163.39%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$79.8 A$115

$72.6 ₡32.6K

9.80%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.98 A$4.29

$2.14 ₡958

39.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 A$2.24

$1.57 ₡703

-0.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.56 A$51.2

$8.52 ₡3,823

317.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.19 A$1.71

$1.52 ₡682

-21.71%

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

$25.6K A$36.9K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

18.53%

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

$33.5K A$48.1K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-3.09%

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

$202 A$290

$96.3 ₡43.2K

109.28%

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

$27.79 A$39.99

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-22.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$48.77 A$70.2

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-8.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.4 A$76.9

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-25.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.39 A$25.03

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-50.19%

Cinema Ticket

$14.90 A$21.43

$7.89 ₡3,539

88.85%

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

$2,234 A$3,215

$494 ₡221.6K

352.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.4K A$29.3K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

71.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$77.9 A$112

$53.9 ₡24.2K

44.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.4 A$72.5

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-9.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 A$167

$77.9 ₡34.9K

49.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 A$161

$79.6 ₡35.7K

40.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,194 A$1,718

$788 ₡353.4K

51.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,182 A$1,701

$794 ₡356.2K

48.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,181 A$3,139

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-44.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,789 A$2,574

$1,419 ₡636.5K

26.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,564 A$8,006

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-19.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,761 A$6,851

$1,224 ₡549.0K

288.93%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,598 A$3,738

$864 ₡387.3K

200.84%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.84

8.62

-32.25%

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

Last update for Albany: 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

Albany

$1.2K 47.6%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 32.8% $388

Groceries & Markets

Albany

$366 14.7%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 3.7% $14

Eating Out

Albany

$314 12.6%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 32.5% $102

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Albany

$278 11.2%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 33.2% $92

Clothing & Footwear

Albany

$160 6.4%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 25% $40

Getting Around

Albany

$102 4.1%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 14.9% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Albany

$83 3.4%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 5% $4.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,194 in Albany and $788 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Albany pays 201% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $85.0 in Albany vs $61.0 in Nosara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $366 vs $352 per month, with Nosara cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Albany

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

21:48 9:48 PM

07:48 7:48 AM

14 h behind Albany

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

31,128

4,912

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.695 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 AUD (1 AUD = 0.618 EUR).

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 AUD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Albany Nosara 16,350 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Albany
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

Albany vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara wins on cost – living expenses run 35% lower than in Albany. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Nosara the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 201% higher in Albany, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,194 in Albany versus $788 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,486 per month in Albany versus $1,839 in Nosara – a 35% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Nosara runs roughly 10% less than in Albany. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,839 in Nosara versus $2,486 in Albany, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Nosara but tight or insufficient in Albany. The gap between the two cities makes Nosara the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Nosara delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,839 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Nosara hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Albany and Nosara are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Nosara gentler on the wallet – expenses run 35% less than in Albany. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.