Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athlone and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $2,542 in Athlone, rent and utilities included – about $8,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

124

Cost of Living Index in Athlone
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Athlone Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Athlone

🇮🇪 Ireland

$2,542

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,542 in Athlone versus $1,839 in Nosara.

Athlone $2,542
Nosara $1,839

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,749 in Athlone versus $2,828 in Nosara.

Athlone $3,749
Nosara $2,828

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,956 in Athlone versus $3,818 in Nosara.

Athlone $4,956
Nosara $3,818

Living in Athlone is roughly 38% more expensive than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Athlone 88% above, Nosara 36% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.37 €19.90

$12.35 ₡5,539

81.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$91.0 €80.9

$61.2 ₡27.4K

48.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.63 €11.23

$7.52 ₡3,373

67.95%

Cappuccino

$4.32 €3.84

$4.41 ₡1,978

-2.04%

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

$2.92 €2.60

$1.74 ₡780

67.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.84 €1.64

$1.31 ₡587

40.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.41 €6.59

$3.28 ₡1,471

125.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.55 €5.82

$4.47 ₡2,004

46.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.46 €1.30

$1.56 ₡701

-6.41%

White Bread (500g)

$1.26 €1.12

$3.02 ₡1,355

-58.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.66 €1.48

$2.51 ₡1,125

-33.86%

Eggs

$3.91 €3.48

$3.57 ₡1,603

9.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.73 €9.55

$7.43 ₡3,333

44.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.27 €10.02

$10.52 ₡4,717

7.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.85 €10.53

$13.97 ₡6,265

-15.18%

Apples (1kg)

$2.55 €2.27

$2.35 ₡1,052

8.51%

Banana (1kg)

$1.56 €1.39

$1.61 ₡720

-3.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.41 €2.14

$4.80 ₡2,152

-49.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.85 €2.53

$1.61 ₡724

77.02%

Potato (1kg)

$2.29 €2.03

$3.80 ₡1,703

-39.74%

Onion (1kg)

$1.81 €1.61

$3.69 ₡1,657

-50.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 €1.28

$1.13 ₡507

27.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.90 €1.69

$2.66 ₡1,191

-28.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$17.88 €15.90

$5.18 ₡2,321

245.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.10 €9.87

$19.88 ₡8,916

-44.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.44 €3.06

$2.90 ₡1,300

18.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.58 €3.18

$3.63 ₡1,626

-1.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.06 €1.83

$1.12 ₡504

83.93%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.08 €4.52

$2.14 ₡958

137.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.32

$1.57 ₡703

-5.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.77 €24.70

$8.52 ₡3,823

225.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.03 €1.80

$1.52 ₡682

33.55%

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

$39.6K €35.2K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

83.21%

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

$36.8K €32.7K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

6.63%

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

$241 €214

$96.3 ₡43.2K

150.12%

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

$21.86 €19.45

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-39.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.22 €43.78

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-8.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.5 €52.1

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-18.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.69 €30.85

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-0.63%

Cinema Ticket

$10.95 €9.74

$7.89 ₡3,539

38.78%

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

$1,001 €891

$494 ₡221.6K

102.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,365 €4,772

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-54.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$92.9 €82.6

$53.9 ₡24.2K

72.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.88 €36.36

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-26.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.6 €74.4

$77.9 ₡34.9K

7.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.7 €69.1

$79.6 ₡35.7K

-2.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,468 €1,306

$788 ₡353.4K

86.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,353 €1,203

$794 ₡356.2K

70.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,529 €2,249

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-35.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,254 €2,005

$1,419 ₡636.5K

58.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,294 €2,930

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-52.34%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,340 €2,971

$1,224 ₡549.0K

172.85%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,153 €2,804

$864 ₡387.3K

265.13%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.73

8.62

-56.73%

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

Last update for Athlone: 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

Athlone

$1.4K 53.2%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 41.3% $559

Eating Out

Athlone

$338 13.3%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 37.3% $126

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athlone

$312 12.3%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 40.4% $126

Groceries & Markets

Athlone

$305 12%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 15.5% $47

Clothing & Footwear

Athlone

$133 5.2%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 9.6% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Athlone

$80 3.2%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 8.6% $6.9

Getting Around

Athlone

$21 * 0.8%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 320% $66

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 $1,468 in Athlone and $788 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Athlone pays 265% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $91.0 in Athlone vs $61.0 in Nosara. Groceries flip the comparison at $305 vs $352, with Athlone cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇮🇪 Athlone

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

12:28 12:28 PM

05:28 5:28 AM

7 h behind Athlone

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

21,000

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

Athlone Nosara 8,300 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Athlone
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

Athlone vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara wins on cost – living expenses run 38% lower than in Athlone. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Nosara the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 265% higher in Athlone, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,468 in Athlone versus $788 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Athlone pay roughly 15% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you'll spend $2,542 per month in Athlone versus $1,839 in Nosara – a 38% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,839 in Nosara versus $2,542 in Athlone, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Nosara but tight or insufficient in Athlone. The gap between the two cities makes Nosara the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Nosara delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,839 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Nosara hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Athlone 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 Nosara gentler on the wallet – expenses run 38% less than in Athlone. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.