Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Asmara and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Asmara: $1,402 a month against $1,837 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $5,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Nosara outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

67

Cost of Living Index in Asmara
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Asmara Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Asmara

🇪🇷 Eritrea

$1,402

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,402 in Asmara versus $1,837 in Nosara.

Asmara $1,402
Nosara $1,837

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,192 in Asmara versus $2,775 in Nosara.

Asmara $2,192
Nosara $2,775

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,983 in Asmara versus $3,712 in Nosara.

Asmara $2,983
Nosara $3,712

Living in Asmara costs roughly 24% less than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Asmara 5% above, Nosara 37% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.83 ERN 313

$12.22 ₡5,509

70.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$33.92 ERN 509

$60.2 ₡27.1K

-43.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.04 ERN 90.7

$7.54 ₡3,399

-19.89%

Cappuccino

$0.77 ERN 11.54

$4.31 ₡1,941

-82.13%

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

$0.97 ERN 14.60

$1.72 ₡773

-43.60%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.02 ERN 15.28

$1.35 ₡608

-24.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.62 ERN 9.30

$3.24 ₡1,459

-80.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 ₡2,018

Milk (1 liter)

$1.64 ERN 24.67

$1.57 ₡707

4.46%

White Bread (500g)

$3.17 ₡1,429

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.33 ERN 35.01

$2.42 ₡1,091

-3.72%

Eggs

$4.34 ERN 65.3

$3.57 ₡1,609

21.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$2.98 ERN 44.76

$7.43 ₡3,349

-59.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$26.73 ERN 401

$10.42 ₡4,697

156.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.11 ERN 152

$13.66 ₡6,156

-25.99%

Apples (1kg)

$12.28 ERN 184

$2.32 ₡1,044

429.31%

Banana (1kg)

$1.32 ERN 19.79

$1.61 ₡728

-18.01%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.95 ERN 29.31

$4.74 ₡2,138

-58.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.14 ERN 17.05

$1.66 ₡747

-31.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.76 ERN 26.40

$3.72 ₡1,679

-52.69%

Onion (1kg)

$0.95 ERN 14.26

$3.57 ₡1,611

-73.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 ₡497

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.26 ERN 33.91

$2.55 ₡1,149

-11.37%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.95 ₡2,232

Wine (Bottle)

$11.87 ERN 178

$20.01 ₡9,020

-40.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 ERN 14.76

$2.79 ₡1,256

-64.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.02 ERN 15.27

$3.53 ₡1,589

-71.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.14 ERN 2.13

$1.19 ₡537

-88.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.17 ERN 123

$72.1 ₡32.5K

-88.66%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.24 ₡1,011

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ERN 8.62

$1.55 ₡701

-63.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.84 ERN 148

$8.86 ₡3,993

11.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.52 ERN 37.88

$1.57 ₡708

60.51%

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

$66.4K ERN 997.5K

$21.8K ₡9.8M

204.60%

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

$68.8K ERN 1.0M

$34.6K ₡15.6M

98.71%

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

$25.13 ERN 377

$93.5 ₡42.1K

-73.11%

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

$68.7 ERN 1,032

$35.11 ₡15.8K

95.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$202 ERN 3,031

$51.5 ₡23.2K

291.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$26.72 ERN 401

$71.4 ₡32.2K

-62.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.91 ERN 73.8

$35.44 ₡16.0K

-86.15%

Cinema Ticket

$1.22 ERN 18.40

$7.84 ₡3,535

-84.44%

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

$24.69 ERN 371

$490 ₡220.7K

-94.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,594 ERN 39.0K

$11.9K ₡5.4M

-78.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$136 ERN 2,039

$53.5 ₡24.1K

153.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$120 ERN 1,800

$55.8 ₡25.1K

114.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$203 ERN 3,056

$79.3 ₡35.7K

156.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$152 ERN 2,276

$78.9 ₡35.6K

92.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$246 ERN 3,700

$786 ₡354.3K

-68.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$199 ERN 2,988

$780 ₡351.6K

-74.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$457 ERN 6,867

$3,860 ₡1.7M

-88.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$432 ERN 6,488

$1,407 ₡634.4K

-69.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,284 ERN 19.3K

$6,972 ₡3.1M

-81.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,487 ERN 37.4K

$1,201 ₡541.3K

107.11%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$876 ₡395.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

39.21%

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

Last update for Asmara: October 5, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Asmara

$364 * 26.4%

Nosara

$350 19.3% 3.9% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Asmara

$296 21.4%

Nosara

$180 9.9% 39.1% $116

Clothing & Footwear

Asmara

$275 19.9%

Nosara

$120 6.6% 56.2% $154

Eating Out

Asmara

$205 * 14.9%

Nosara

$209 11.6% 2.2% $4.4

Accommodation & Living

Asmara

$199 14.4%

Nosara

$780 43% 292% $581

Sport & Entertainment

Asmara

$29 2.1%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 199% $58

Getting Around

Asmara

$12 * 0.8%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 648% $75

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $246 in Asmara and $786 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $34.00 in Asmara vs $60.0 in Nosara. Groceries flip the comparison at $364 vs $350, with Nosara cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇷 Asmara

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

06:08 6:08 AM

21:08 9:08 PM

9 h behind Asmara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

579,000 Capital

4,912

💱 Currency

Eritrean Nakfa ERN ናቕፋ

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

100 ERN = 6.66 USD

100 ERN = 5.94 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to ERN – Eritrean Nakfa Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇷 Eritrean Nakfa (ናቕፋ)

Eritrean Nakfa exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 15.02 ERN (100 ERN = 6.66 USD). 1 EUR = 16.85 ERN (100 ERN = 5.94 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 506 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to ERN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Asmara Nosara 13,290 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Asmara
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

Asmara vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Asmara and Nosara differ by about 31% in total monthly costs ($1,402 vs $1,837 including rent). Asmara is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $2,103 in Asmara and $2,756 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: $246 in Asmara versus $786 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Asmara runs roughly 782% less than in Nosara. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $24.69 in Asmara versus $490 in Nosara. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,402 in Asmara versus $1,837 in Nosara, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Asmara but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Asmara the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Asmara 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 Asmara gentler on the wallet – expenses run 31% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.