Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Baku and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Baku: $1,030 a month against $1,837 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $9,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

49

Cost of Living Index in Baku
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Baku Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Baku

🇦🇿 Azerbaijan

$1,030

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,030 in Baku versus $1,837 in Nosara.

Baku $1,030
Nosara $1,837

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,600 in Baku versus $2,775 in Nosara.

Baku $1,600
Nosara $2,775

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,171 in Baku versus $3,712 in Nosara.

Baku $2,171
Nosara $3,712

Living in Baku costs roughly 44% less than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Baku is 23% below, Nosara is 37% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.86 ₼15.06

$12.22 ₡5,509

-27.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.20 ₼68.3

$60.2 ₡27.1K

-33.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.02 ₼13.63

$7.54 ₡3,399

6.37%

Cappuccino

$3.42 ₼5.81

$4.31 ₡1,941

-20.65%

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

$1.13 ₼1.91

$1.72 ₡773

-34.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.62 ₼1.06

$1.35 ₡608

-54.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.80 ₼3.06

$3.24 ₡1,459

-44.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ₼4.89

$4.48 ₡2,018

-35.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 ₼2.56

$1.57 ₡707

-3.82%

White Bread (500g)

$0.53 ₼0.90

$3.17 ₡1,429

-83.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 ₼4.23

$2.42 ₡1,091

2.89%

Eggs

$2.07 ₼3.51

$3.57 ₡1,609

-42.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.06 ₼8.61

$7.43 ₡3,349

-31.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.30 ₼9.00

$10.42 ₡4,697

-49.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.88 ₼20.19

$13.66 ₡6,156

-13.03%

Apples (1kg)

$1.28 ₼2.18

$2.32 ₡1,044

-44.83%

Banana (1kg)

$1.89 ₼3.22

$1.61 ₡728

17.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.61 ₼2.73

$4.74 ₡2,138

-66.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.77 ₼3.01

$1.66 ₡747

6.63%

Potato (1kg)

$0.73 ₼1.25

$3.72 ₡1,679

-80.38%

Onion (1kg)

$0.56 ₼0.95

$3.57 ₡1,611

-84.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.79 ₼1.34

$1.10 ₡497

-28.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 ₼1.22

$2.55 ₡1,149

-71.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.96 ₼5.04

$4.95 ₡2,232

-40.20%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.73 ₼14.83

$20.01 ₡9,020

-56.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 ₼2.61

$2.79 ₡1,256

-44.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 ₼4.80

$3.53 ₡1,589

-20.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 ₼0.58

$1.19 ₡537

-71.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.52 ₼36.58

$72.1 ₡32.5K

-70.14%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.02 ₼3.44

$2.24 ₡1,011

-9.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.61 ₼1.03

$1.55 ₡701

-60.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.44 ₼5.85

$8.86 ₡3,993

-61.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.64 ₼1.09

$1.57 ₡708

-59.24%

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

$23.4K ₼39.8K

$21.8K ₡9.8M

7.29%

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

$21.1K ₼35.8K

$34.6K ₡15.6M

-39.21%

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

$65.5 ₼111

$93.5 ₡42.1K

-29.95%

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

$11.24 ₼19.11

$35.11 ₡15.8K

-67.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.14 ₼25.73

$51.5 ₡23.2K

-70.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.75 ₼82.9

$71.4 ₡32.2K

-31.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.46 ₼27.98

$35.44 ₡16.0K

-53.56%

Cinema Ticket

$5.79 ₼9.84

$7.84 ₡3,535

-26.15%

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

$326 ₼555

$490 ₡220.7K

-33.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,787 ₼11.5K

$11.9K ₡5.4M

-42.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.4 ₼115

$53.5 ₡24.1K

25.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.2 ₼93.8

$55.8 ₡25.1K

-1.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$126 ₼214

$79.3 ₡35.7K

59.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 ₼197

$78.9 ₡35.6K

46.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$543 ₼922

$786 ₡354.3K

-30.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$316 ₼537

$780 ₡351.6K

-59.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,030 ₼1,750

$3,860 ₡1.7M

-73.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$513 ₼872

$1,407 ₡634.4K

-63.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,188 ₼3,719

$6,972 ₡3.1M

-68.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,307 ₼2,222

$1,201 ₡541.3K

8.88%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$564 ₼958

$876 ₡395.0K

-35.66%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.46

8.62

9.74%

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

Last update for Baku: October 5, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Baku

$316 31.2%

Nosara

$780 43% 147% $464

Groceries & Markets

Baku

$195 19.2%

Nosara

$350 19.3% 79.5% $155

Clothing & Footwear

Baku

$164 16.2%

Nosara

$120 6.6% 26.7% $44

Eating Out

Baku

$158 15.6%

Nosara

$209 11.6% 32.8% $52

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Baku

$92 9.1%

Nosara

$180 9.9% 96% $88

Sport & Entertainment

Baku

$60 6%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 44.3% $27

Getting Around

Baku

$28 2.8%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 211% $59

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $543 in Baku and $786 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Nosara pays 55% 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: $40.00 in Baku vs $60.0 in Nosara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $195 vs $350 per month, with Baku cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇿 Baku

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

08:45 8:45 AM

22:45 10:45 PM

10 h behind Baku

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,300,500 Capital

4,912

💱 Currency

Azerbaijani Manat AZN ₼

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 AZN = 0.588 USD

1 AZN = 0.525 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to AZN – Azerbaijani Manat Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇿 Azerbaijani Manat (₼)

Azerbaijani Manat exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.7 AZN (1 AZN = 0.588 USD). 1 EUR = 1.91 AZN (1 AZN = 0.525 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 AZN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Baku Nosara 12,790 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Baku
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

Baku vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Baku and Nosara differ by about 78% in total monthly costs ($1,030 vs $1,837 including rent). Baku is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 55% lower in Nosara. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $543 in Baku versus $786 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $326 in Baku versus $490 in Nosara. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 79% higher in Nosara. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,030 in Baku versus $1,837 in Nosara, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Baku but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Baku 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, Baku 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 Baku gentler on the wallet – expenses run 78% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.