Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between An Najaf and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in An Najaf: $586 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $15,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

29

Cost of Living Index in An Najaf
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An Najaf Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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An Najaf

🇮🇶 Iraq

$586

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $586 per month in An Najaf vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

An Najaf $586
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $888 per month in An Najaf vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

An Najaf $888
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $1,190 per month in An Najaf vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

An Najaf $1,190
Nosara $3,818

An Najaf is about 68% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

An Najaf sits 57% below the global median, while Nosara is 36% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.06 IQD 6,132

$12.35 ₡5,539

-67.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.68 IQD 29.7K

$61.2 ₡27.4K

-67.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.25 IQD 6,429

$7.52 ₡3,373

-43.48%

Cappuccino

$2.29 IQD 3,455

$4.41 ₡1,978

-48.07%

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

$0.33 IQD 494

$1.74 ₡780

-81.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.20 IQD 302

$1.31 ₡587

-84.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.22 IQD 4,872

$3.28 ₡1,471

-1.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.98 IQD 2,989

$4.47 ₡2,004

-55.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.90 IQD 1,363

$1.56 ₡701

-42.31%

White Bread (500g)

$0.68 IQD 1,022

$3.02 ₡1,355

-77.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.31 IQD 1,981

$2.51 ₡1,125

-47.81%

Eggs

$1.48 IQD 2,240

$3.57 ₡1,603

-58.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.41 IQD 5,154

$7.43 ₡3,333

-54.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.07 IQD 6,157

$10.52 ₡4,717

-61.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.27 IQD 14.0K

$13.97 ₡6,265

-33.64%

Apples (1kg)

$1.01 IQD 1,530

$2.35 ₡1,052

-57.02%

Banana (1kg)

$0.96 IQD 1,445

$1.61 ₡720

-40.37%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.88 IQD 1,333

$4.80 ₡2,152

-81.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.63 IQD 950

$1.61 ₡724

-60.87%

Potato (1kg)

$0.58 IQD 880

$3.80 ₡1,703

-84.74%

Onion (1kg)

$0.56 IQD 841

$3.69 ₡1,657

-84.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.58 IQD 875

$1.13 ₡507

-48.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 IQD 742

$2.66 ₡1,191

-81.58%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.70 IQD 2,564

$5.18 ₡2,321

-67.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.66 IQD 17.6K

$19.88 ₡8,916

-41.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.92 IQD 2,907

$2.90 ₡1,300

-33.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.93 IQD 2,923

$3.63 ₡1,626

-46.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.33 IQD 492

$1.12 ₡504

-70.54%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$18.92 IQD 28.6K

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-73.95%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.34 IQD 2,022

$2.14 ₡958

-37.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.29 IQD 1,942

$1.57 ₡703

-17.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 IQD 8,095

$8.52 ₡3,823

-37.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.39 IQD 584

$1.52 ₡682

-74.34%

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

$12.0K IQD 18.1M

$21.6K ₡9.7M

-44.51%

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

$16.7K IQD 25.3M

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-51.52%

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

$34.90 IQD 52.7K

$96.3 ₡43.2K

-63.76%

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

$14.79 IQD 22.3K

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-58.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.93 IQD 49.8K

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-38.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.24 IQD 38.1K

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-64.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$8.38 IQD 12.7K

$7.89 ₡3,539

6.21%

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

$147 IQD 222.3K

$494 ₡221.6K

-70.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$799 IQD 1.2M

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-93.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$14.90 IQD 22.5K

$53.9 ₡24.2K

-72.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$23.76 IQD 35.9K

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-57.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$60.5 IQD 91.5K

$77.9 ₡34.9K

-22.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$41.72 IQD 63.0K

$79.6 ₡35.7K

-47.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$235 IQD 354.8K

$788 ₡353.4K

-70.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$124 IQD 187.9K

$794 ₡356.2K

-84.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$319 IQD 481.5K

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-91.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$194 IQD 292.4K

$1,419 ₡636.5K

-86.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,118 IQD 1.7M

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-83.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$455 IQD 687.3K

$1,224 ₡549.0K

-62.84%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$659 IQD 996.4K

$864 ₡387.3K

-23.64%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.12

8.62

-52.20%

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

Last update for An Najaf: October 10, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

An Najaf

$151 25.7%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 134% $202

Accommodation & Living

An Najaf

$124 21.2%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 539% $670

Eating Out

An Najaf

$95 16.2%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 123% $117

Monthly Utilities & Internet

An Najaf

$83 14.1%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 125% $103

Clothing & Footwear

An Najaf

$63 10.8%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 89.4% $57

Sport & Entertainment

An Najaf

$42 7.2%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 108% $45

Getting Around

An Najaf

$28 4.8%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 211% $59

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $235 in An Najaf 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 31% 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 $20.00 in An Najaf versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $151 vs $352 – making An Najaf the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇶 An Najaf

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

18:42 6:42 PM

09:42 9:42 AM

9 h behind An Najaf

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,221,248

4,912

💱 Currency

Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.89 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to IQD – Iraqi Dinar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇶 Iraqi Dinar (ع.د)

Iraqi Dinar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1,511 IQD (10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD). 1 EUR = 1,699 IQD (10,000 IQD = 5.89 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 IQD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

An Najaf Nosara 12,940 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

An Najaf
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

An Najaf vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara costs about 214% more than An Najaf, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $879 per month in An Najaf 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 An Najaf, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $586 in An Najaf and $1,839 in Nosara. That's a gap of about 214%.

Public transport costs about 284% less in An Najaf. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in An Najaf, where all-in costs run around $586, than in Nosara at $1,839. In An Najaf it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. An Najaf costs $586 versus $1,839 in Nosara. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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 An Najaf. 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.