Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Assela and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Assela: $835 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $12,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

41

Cost of Living Index in Assela
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Assela Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Assela

🇪🇹 Ethiopia

$835

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $835 in Assela versus $1,839 in Nosara.

Assela $835
Nosara $1,839

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,203 in Assela versus $2,828 in Nosara.

Assela $1,203
Nosara $2,828

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,571 in Assela versus $3,818 in Nosara.

Assela $1,571
Nosara $3,818

Living in Assela costs roughly 55% less than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Assela is 38% below, Nosara is 36% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.96 ETB 636

$12.35 ₡5,550

-67.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.32 ETB 6,793

$61.2 ₡27.5K

-30.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.66 ETB 1,069

$7.52 ₡3,379

-11.44%

Cappuccino

$0.96 ETB 153

$4.41 ₡1,982

-78.23%

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

$0.64 ETB 102

$1.74 ₡781

-63.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.68 ETB 109

$1.31 ₡588

-48.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.83 ETB 133

$3.28 ₡1,474

-74.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 ETB 353

$4.47 ₡2,008

-50.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.05 ETB 169

$1.56 ₡702

-32.69%

White Bread (500g)

$1.17 ETB 188

$3.02 ₡1,358

-61.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.22 ETB 357

$2.51 ₡1,127

-11.55%

Eggs

$1.78 ETB 286

$3.57 ₡1,606

-50.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.18 ETB 1,152

$7.43 ₡3,340

-3.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.17 ETB 1,632

$10.52 ₡4,727

-3.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.17 ETB 1,471

$13.97 ₡6,277

-34.36%

Apples (1kg)

$5.43 ETB 871

$2.35 ₡1,054

131.06%

Banana (1kg)

$0.68 ETB 109

$1.61 ₡721

-57.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.17 ETB 348

$4.80 ₡2,156

-54.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.66 ETB 106

$1.61 ₡725

-59.01%

Potato (1kg)

$0.47 ETB 75.4

$3.80 ₡1,706

-87.63%

Onion (1kg)

$1.05 ETB 169

$3.69 ₡1,660

-71.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.66 ETB 106

$1.13 ₡508

-41.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 ETB 96.9

$2.66 ₡1,193

-77.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.03 ETB 1,290

$5.18 ₡2,326

55.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.49 ETB 881

$19.88 ₡8,934

-72.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 ETB 106

$2.90 ₡1,303

-77.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.22 ETB 196

$3.63 ₡1,629

-66.39%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡505

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ETB 207

$2.14 ₡960

-39.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.29 ETB 46.58

$1.57 ₡705

-81.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.03 ETB 325

$8.52 ₡3,830

-76.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.90 ETB 144

$1.52 ₡683

-40.79%

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

$54.3K ETB 8.7M

$21.6K ₡9.7M

151.22%

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

$56.5K ETB 9.1M

$34.5K ₡15.5M

63.58%

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

$201 ETB 32.2K

$96.3 ₡43.3K

108.67%

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

$7.11 ETB 1,141

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-80.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$209 ETB 33.5K

$53.6 ₡24.1K

289.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.2K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$3.83 ETB 614

$7.89 ₡3,546

-51.46%

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

$137 ETB 22.1K

$494 ₡222.0K

-72.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.2K ETB 4.8M

$11.9K ₡5.3M

154.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$33.25 ETB 5,337

$53.9 ₡24.2K

-38.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$70.9 ETB 11.4K

$55.4 ₡24.9K

27.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.7 ETB 12.5K

$77.9 ₡35.0K

-0.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.6 ETB 13.3K

$79.6 ₡35.8K

3.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡354.1K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡637.7K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡550.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡388.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

18.5

8.62

114.62%

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

Last update for Assela: October 11, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Assela

$417 50%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 55.4% $231

Groceries & Markets

Assela

$211 25.3%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 66.6% $141

Clothing & Footwear

Assela

$119 14.3%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 0.9% $1.1

Eating Out

Assela

$77 9.2%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 175% $135

Sport & Entertainment

Assela

$7.7 * 0.9%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 1042% $80

Getting Around

Assela

$2.7 * 0.3%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 3079% $84

Accommodation & Living

Assela

- * 0%

Nosara

$794 43.2%

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $42.00 in Assela vs $61.0 in Nosara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $211 vs $352 per month, with Assela cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇹 Assela

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

01:46 1:46 AM

16:46 4:46 PM

9 h behind Assela

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

139,500

4,912

💱 Currency

Ethiopian Birr ETB Br

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 ETB = 6.23 USD

1,000 ETB = 5.56 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to ETB – Ethiopian Birr Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇹 Ethiopian Birr (Br)

Ethiopian Birr exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 160 ETB (1,000 ETB = 6.23 USD). 1 EUR = 180 ETB (1,000 ETB = 5.56 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 449 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.99 EUR).

USD to ETB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Assela Nosara 13,590 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Assela
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

Assela vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Assela is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 120% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,252 in Assela 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.

Childcare runs $137 in Assela versus $494 in Nosara. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Assela – a meal for two runs $42.00 versus $61.0 in Nosara. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $835 in Assela versus $1,839 in Nosara, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Assela but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Assela the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Assela 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, Assela 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 Assela gentler on the wallet – expenses run 120% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.