Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Arklow and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $2,624 in Arklow, rent and utilities included – about $9,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

128

Cost of Living Index in Arklow
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Arklow Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Arklow

🇮🇪 Ireland

$2,624

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,624 per month in Arklow vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Arklow $2,624
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $3,680 per month in Arklow vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Arklow $3,680
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $4,737 per month in Arklow vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Arklow $4,737
Nosara $3,818

Arklow costs about 43% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Arklow and Nosara sit above the global median – Arklow by 94%, Nosara by 36%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.34 €19.87

$12.35 ₡5,539

80.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$89.5 €79.6

$61.2 ₡27.4K

46.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.25 €10.01

$7.52 ₡3,373

49.60%

Cappuccino

$4.12 €3.67

$4.41 ₡1,978

-6.58%

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

$2.93 €2.60

$1.74 ₡780

68.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 €2.00

$1.31 ₡587

71.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.47 €4.86

$3.28 ₡1,471

66.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.16 €4.58

$4.47 ₡2,004

15.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.69 €1.50

$1.56 ₡701

8.33%

White Bread (500g)

$2.23 €1.99

$3.02 ₡1,355

-26.16%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.90 €1.69

$2.51 ₡1,125

-24.30%

Eggs

$4.64 €4.12

$3.57 ₡1,603

29.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.19 €12.62

$7.43 ₡3,333

90.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.17 €11.71

$10.52 ₡4,717

25.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.67 €14.83

$13.97 ₡6,265

19.33%

Apples (1kg)

$3.26 €2.90

$2.35 ₡1,052

38.72%

Banana (1kg)

$2.90 €2.58

$1.61 ₡720

80.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.42 €3.04

$4.80 ₡2,152

-28.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.70 €4.18

$1.61 ₡724

191.93%

Potato (1kg)

$2.36 €2.10

$3.80 ₡1,703

-37.89%

Onion (1kg)

$1.83 €1.62

$3.69 ₡1,657

-50.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 €1.29

$1.13 ₡507

28.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.15 €1.91

$2.66 ₡1,191

-19.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$20.31 €18.07

$5.18 ₡2,321

292.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.59 €12.09

$19.88 ₡8,916

-31.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.08 €3.63

$2.90 ₡1,300

40.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.61 €3.21

$3.63 ₡1,626

-0.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.40 €2.14

$1.12 ₡504

114.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.18 €4.61

$2.14 ₡958

142.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.54 €1.37

$1.57 ₡703

-1.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.30 €29.62

$8.52 ₡3,823

290.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.12 €1.89

$1.52 ₡682

39.47%

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

$38.8K €34.5K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

79.50%

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

$37.3K €33.2K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

8.07%

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

$240 €213

$96.3 ₡43.2K

149.14%

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

$22.10 €19.65

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-38.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.2 €49.08

$53.6 ₡24.0K

2.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.5 €51.2

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-19.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$13.58 €12.08

$7.89 ₡3,539

72.12%

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

$1,066 €948

$494 ₡221.6K

115.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,404 €4,807

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-54.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$93.9 €83.5

$53.9 ₡24.2K

74.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.32 €38.53

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-21.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.6

$77.9 ₡34.9K

36.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$118 €105

$79.6 ₡35.7K

48.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,566 €1,393

$788 ₡353.4K

98.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,325 €1,178

$794 ₡356.2K

66.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,857 €2,541

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-27.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,819 €1,618

$1,419 ₡636.5K

28.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,863 €4,325

$864 ₡387.3K

463.14%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.14

8.62

-51.97%

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

Last update for Arklow: 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

Arklow

$1.3K 50.5%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 40% $530

Groceries & Markets

Arklow

$392 14.9%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 10.1% $40

Eating Out

Arklow

$320 12.2%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 33.9% $108

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Arklow

$317 12.1%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 41.4% $131

Clothing & Footwear

Arklow

$163 6.2%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 26.2% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Arklow

$85 3.2%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 3.2% $2.7

Getting Around

Arklow

$23 * 0.9%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 287% $65

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,566 in Arklow 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 463% higher in Arklow, 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 $89.0 in Arklow versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $392 vs $352 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇪 Arklow

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

07:43 7:43 AM

00:43 12:43 AM

7 h behind Arklow

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

13,399

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 = 505 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Arklow Nosara 8,420 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Arklow
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

Arklow vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,624 in Arklow, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 43% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,936 per month in Arklow 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 Nosara, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $89.0 in Arklow and $61.0 in Nosara. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 11% more in Arklow, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Nosara, where all-in costs run around $1,839, than in Arklow at $2,624. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Arklow 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 $1,839 in Nosara to $2,624 in Arklow. 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 Nosara. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Arklow makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.