Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Arrest and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Arrest: $1,692 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Nosara outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

86

Cost of Living Index in Arrest
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Arrest Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Arrest

🇫🇷 France

$1,692

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,692 in Arrest versus $1,839 in Nosara.

Arrest $1,692
Nosara $1,839

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,690 in Arrest versus $2,828 in Nosara.

Arrest $2,690
Nosara $2,828

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,687 in Arrest versus $3,818 in Nosara.

Arrest $3,687
Nosara $3,818

Living in Arrest costs roughly 8% less than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Arrest 25% above, Nosara 36% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.07 €15.18

$12.35 ₡5,539

38.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.5 €49.38

$61.2 ₡27.4K

-9.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.59 €12.09

$7.52 ₡3,373

80.72%

Cappuccino

$2.92 €2.60

$4.41 ₡1,978

-33.79%

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

$3.06 €2.72

$1.74 ₡780

75.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.07 €1.84

$1.31 ₡587

58.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.32 €7.40

$3.28 ₡1,471

153.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.43 €4.83

$4.47 ₡2,004

21.48%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.29 €1.14

$1.56 ₡701

-17.31%

White Bread (500g)

$1.69 €1.51

$3.02 ₡1,355

-44.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.56 €2.28

$2.51 ₡1,125

1.99%

Eggs

$3.97 €3.53

$3.57 ₡1,603

11.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.14 €9.02

$7.43 ₡3,333

36.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.97 €10.65

$10.52 ₡4,717

13.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.82 €14.07

$13.97 ₡6,265

13.24%

Apples (1kg)

$3.02 €2.68

$2.35 ₡1,052

28.51%

Banana (1kg)

$3.00 €2.67

$1.61 ₡720

86.34%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.43 €1.27

$4.80 ₡2,152

-70.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.16 €3.70

$1.61 ₡724

158.39%

Potato (1kg)

$1.78 €1.58

$3.80 ₡1,703

-53.16%

Onion (1kg)

$2.01 €1.79

$3.69 ₡1,657

-45.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.60 €1.42

$1.13 ₡507

41.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.16 €0.14

$2.66 ₡1,191

-93.98%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.68 €11.28

$5.18 ₡2,321

144.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.46 €4.86

$19.88 ₡8,916

-72.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.46 €1.30

$2.90 ₡1,300

-49.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.63 €1.45

$3.63 ₡1,626

-55.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.88 €1.68

$1.12 ₡504

67.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.07 €36.53

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-43.46%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.29 €2.04

$2.14 ₡958

7.01%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.14 €1.02

$1.57 ₡703

-27.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.87 €29.23

$8.52 ₡3,823

285.80%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.18 €1.94

$1.52 ₡682

43.42%

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

$34.3K €30.5K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

58.89%

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

$36.3K €32.2K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

5.04%

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

$207 €184

$96.3 ₡43.2K

114.95%

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

$32.86 €29.22

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-8.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.63 €28.13

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-40.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.48 €33.33

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-47.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$15.53 €13.82

$7.89 ₡3,539

96.83%

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

$899 €799

$494 ₡221.6K

81.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,786 €8,704

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-17.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$129 €114

$53.9 ₡24.2K

138.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.89 €41.70

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-15.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 €91.1

$77.9 ₡34.9K

31.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$158 €141

$79.6 ₡35.7K

98.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$806 €717

$788 ₡353.4K

2.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$522 €464

$794 ₡356.2K

-34.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,433 €1,275

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-63.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,150 €1,023

$1,419 ₡636.5K

-18.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,381 €3,897

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-36.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,174 €2,823

$1,224 ₡549.0K

159.31%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.9

8.62

-54.76%

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

Last update for Arrest: October 12, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Arrest

$522 30.8%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 52.2% $273

Groceries & Markets

Arrest

$292 17.3%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 20.5% $60

Eating Out

Arrest

$285 16.9%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 25.8% $74

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Arrest

$271 16%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 31.6% $86

Clothing & Footwear

Arrest

$196 11.6%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 38.8% $76

Sport & Entertainment

Arrest

$69 4.1%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 27.5% $19

Getting Around

Arrest

$57 3.4%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 53.8% $30

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $806 in Arrest and $788 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $56.0 in Arrest vs $61.0 in Nosara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $292 vs $352 per month, with Arrest cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇫🇷 Arrest

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

18:25 6:25 PM

10:25 10:25 AM

8 h behind Arrest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

900

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

Arrest Nosara 8,960 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Arrest
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

Arrest vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Arrest is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, leisure, and utilities. The 9% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $2,539 in Arrest and $2,758 in Nosara to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $806 in Arrest versus $788 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $899 in Arrest versus $494 in Nosara. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 20% higher in Nosara. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,692 in Arrest versus $1,839 in Nosara, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Arrest but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Arrest the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Arrest is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Nosara, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Arrest 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 Arrest gentler on the wallet – expenses run 9% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.