Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Az Zubayr and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Az Zubayr: $630 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $14,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

32

Cost of Living Index in Az Zubayr
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Az Zubayr Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index

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Az Zubayr

🇮🇶 Iraq

$630

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $630 in Az Zubayr versus $1,839 in Nosara.

Az Zubayr $630
Nosara $1,839

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,022 in Az Zubayr versus $2,828 in Nosara.

Az Zubayr $1,022
Nosara $2,828

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,415 in Az Zubayr versus $3,818 in Nosara.

Az Zubayr $1,415
Nosara $3,818

Living in Az Zubayr costs roughly 66% less than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Az Zubayr is 53% below, Nosara is 36% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.65 IQD 5,510

$12.35 ₡5,539

-70.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$20.61 IQD 31.1K

$61.2 ₡27.4K

-66.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.13 IQD 9,269

$7.52 ₡3,373

-18.48%

Cappuccino

$2.61 IQD 3,948

$4.41 ₡1,978

-40.82%

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

$0.36 IQD 545

$1.74 ₡780

-79.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.21 IQD 325

$1.31 ₡587

-83.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 IQD 4,903

$3.28 ₡1,471

-1.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.58 IQD 3,898

$4.47 ₡2,004

-42.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.95 IQD 1,432

$1.56 ₡701

-39.10%

White Bread (500g)

$0.72 IQD 1,092

$3.02 ₡1,355

-76.16%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.38 IQD 2,092

$2.51 ₡1,125

-45.02%

Eggs

$1.56 IQD 2,359

$3.57 ₡1,603

-56.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.14 IQD 6,254

$7.43 ₡3,333

-44.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.73 IQD 5,637

$10.52 ₡4,717

-64.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.03 IQD 18.2K

$13.97 ₡6,265

-13.89%

Apples (1kg)

$0.84 IQD 1,277

$2.35 ₡1,052

-64.26%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 IQD 1,468

$1.61 ₡720

-39.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.89 IQD 1,350

$4.80 ₡2,152

-81.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.69 IQD 1,046

$1.61 ₡724

-57.14%

Potato (1kg)

$0.56 IQD 849

$3.80 ₡1,703

-85.26%

Onion (1kg)

$0.51 IQD 765

$3.69 ₡1,657

-86.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.51 IQD 767

$1.13 ₡507

-54.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.44 IQD 661

$2.66 ₡1,191

-83.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.85 IQD 2,795

$5.18 ₡2,321

-64.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.37 IQD 14.2K

$19.88 ₡8,916

-52.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.49 IQD 2,251

$2.90 ₡1,300

-48.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 IQD 2,537

$3.63 ₡1,626

-53.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.38 IQD 567

$1.12 ₡504

-66.07%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.78 IQD 32.9K

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-70.02%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.98 IQD 2,990

$2.14 ₡958

-7.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.33 IQD 2,007

$1.57 ₡703

-15.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.35 IQD 9,602

$8.52 ₡3,823

-25.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.59 IQD 885

$1.52 ₡682

-61.18%

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

$17.4K IQD 26.3M

$21.6K ₡9.7M

-19.34%

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

$19.2K IQD 29.1M

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-44.27%

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

$75.0 IQD 113.3K

$96.3 ₡43.2K

-22.11%

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

$11.17 IQD 16.9K

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-68.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.29 IQD 33.7K

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-58.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.46 IQD 58.1K

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-46.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$9.03 IQD 13.6K

$7.89 ₡3,539

14.45%

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

$157 IQD 237.9K

$494 ₡221.6K

-68.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,436 IQD 3.7M

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-79.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$20.33 IQD 30.7K

$53.9 ₡24.2K

-62.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$23.82 IQD 36.0K

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-57.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$43.76 IQD 66.1K

$77.9 ₡34.9K

-43.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$30.83 IQD 46.6K

$79.6 ₡35.7K

-61.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$166 IQD 251.4K

$788 ₡353.4K

-78.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$125 IQD 188.3K

$794 ₡356.2K

-84.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$420 IQD 634.1K

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-89.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$351 IQD 530.1K

$1,419 ₡636.5K

-75.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$643 IQD 971.0K

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-90.70%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$493 IQD 744.3K

$1,224 ₡549.0K

-59.76%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.33

8.62

-61.37%

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

Last update for Az Zubayr: October 12, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Az Zubayr

$152 24.2%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 131% $200

Accommodation & Living

Az Zubayr

$125 19.8%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 537% $670

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Az Zubayr

$108 17.2%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 71.3% $77

Eating Out

Az Zubayr

$103 16.3%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 106% $109

Sport & Entertainment

Az Zubayr

$57 9%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 54.6% $31

Clothing & Footwear

Az Zubayr

$53 8.5%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 125% $67

Getting Around

Az Zubayr

$32 5.1%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 173% $55

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $166 in Az Zubayr and $788 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $21.00 in Az Zubayr vs $61.0 in Nosara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $152 vs $352 per month, with Az Zubayr cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇶 Az Zubayr

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

20:39 8:39 PM

11:39 11:39 AM

9 h behind Az Zubayr

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

370,000

4,912

💱 Currency

Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.89 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to IQD – Iraqi Dinar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇶 Iraqi Dinar (ع.د)

Iraqi Dinar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1,511 IQD (10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD). 1 EUR = 1,699 IQD (10,000 IQD = 5.89 EUR).

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 IQD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Az Zubayr Nosara 13,310 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Az Zubayr
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

Az Zubayr vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Az Zubayr and Nosara differ by about 192% in total monthly costs ($630 vs $1,839 including rent). Az Zubayr is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $945 in Az Zubayr 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: $166 in Az Zubayr versus $788 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 131% higher in Nosara. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Az Zubayr – a meal for two runs $21.00 versus $61.0 in Nosara. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $630 in Az Zubayr versus $1,839 in Nosara, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Az Zubayr but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Az Zubayr 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, Az Zubayr 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 Az Zubayr gentler on the wallet – expenses run 192% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.