Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Balzan and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,837 a month against $1,963 in Balzan, rent and utilities included – about $1,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Balzan outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

94

Cost of Living Index in Balzan
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Balzan Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Balzan

🇲🇹 Malta

$1,963

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,963 per month in Balzan vs $1,837 in Nosara, rent included.

Balzan $1,963
Nosara $1,837

A couple spends around $2,917 per month in Balzan vs $2,775 in Nosara, rent included.

Balzan $2,917
Nosara $2,775

A family of three spends $3,871 per month in Balzan vs $3,712 in Nosara, rent included.

Balzan $3,871
Nosara $3,712

Balzan costs about 7% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Balzan and Nosara sit above the global median – Balzan by 46%, Nosara by 37%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.07 €17.02

$12.22 ₡5,509

56.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$91.5 €81.7

$60.2 ₡27.1K

52.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.43 €11.09

$7.54 ₡3,399

64.85%

Cappuccino

$3.22 €2.87

$4.31 ₡1,941

-25.29%

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

$2.02 €1.80

$1.72 ₡773

17.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.01 €0.90

$1.35 ₡608

-25.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.38 €3.02

$3.24 ₡1,459

4.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.51 €2.24

$4.48 ₡2,018

-43.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.28 €1.14

$1.57 ₡707

-18.47%

White Bread (500g)

$1.00 €0.89

$3.17 ₡1,429

-68.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.63 €3.24

$2.42 ₡1,091

50.00%

Eggs

$4.26 €3.81

$3.57 ₡1,609

19.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.45 €9.33

$7.43 ₡3,349

40.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.05 €8.08

$10.42 ₡4,697

-13.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.43 €11.09

$13.66 ₡6,156

-9.00%

Apples (1kg)

$2.67 €2.39

$2.32 ₡1,044

15.09%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 €1.77

$1.61 ₡728

22.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.80 €1.61

$4.74 ₡2,138

-62.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.17 €1.05

$1.66 ₡747

-29.52%

Potato (1kg)

$0.88 €0.79

$3.72 ₡1,679

-76.34%

Onion (1kg)

$0.87 €0.77

$3.57 ₡1,611

-75.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.83 €0.74

$1.10 ₡497

-24.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.02 €0.91

$2.55 ₡1,149

-60.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.23 €5.56

$4.95 ₡2,232

25.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.90 €5.27

$20.01 ₡9,020

-70.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.05 €0.94

$2.79 ₡1,256

-62.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.51 €1.35

$3.53 ₡1,589

-57.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.19 €2.84

$1.19 ₡537

168.07%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.1 ₡32.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.30 €2.05

$2.24 ₡1,011

2.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.78 €1.59

$1.55 ₡701

14.84%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.65 €29.14

$8.86 ₡3,993

268.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 €1.34

$1.57 ₡708

-4.46%

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

$28.7K €25.6K

$21.8K ₡9.8M

31.63%

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

$32.8K €29.3K

$34.6K ₡15.6M

-5.37%

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

$158 €141

$93.5 ₡42.1K

68.84%

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

$20.27 €18.09

$35.11 ₡15.8K

-42.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.53 €26.36

$51.5 ₡23.2K

-42.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.4 €55.7

$71.4 ₡32.2K

-12.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.44 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$11.75 €10.49

$7.84 ₡3,535

49.87%

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

$279 €249

$490 ₡220.7K

-42.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.4K €11.1K

$11.9K ₡5.4M

4.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$76.4 €68.2

$53.5 ₡24.1K

42.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$63.3 €56.4

$55.8 ₡25.1K

13.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 €101

$79.3 ₡35.7K

42.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 €119

$78.9 ₡35.6K

69.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 €1,044

$786 ₡354.3K

48.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$949 €847

$780 ₡351.6K

21.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,804 €1,610

$3,860 ₡1.7M

-53.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,504 €1,342

$1,407 ₡634.4K

6.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,953 €3,527

$6,972 ₡3.1M

-43.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,826 €2,522

$1,201 ₡541.3K

135.38%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,019 €909

$876 ₡395.0K

16.25%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.05

8.62

-53.02%

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

Last update for Balzan: October 3, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Balzan

$949 48.7%

Nosara

$780 43% 17.8% $169

Eating Out

Balzan

$263 13.5%

Nosara

$209 11.6% 20.2% $53

Groceries & Markets

Balzan

$247 12.7%

Nosara

$350 19.3% 41.8% $103

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Balzan

$208 10.7%

Nosara

$180 9.9% 13.3% $28

Clothing & Footwear

Balzan

$174 8.9%

Nosara

$120 6.6% 30.8% $54

Sport & Entertainment

Balzan

$86 4.4%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 1.4% $1.2

Getting Around

Balzan

$24 * 1.2%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 263% $63

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,170 in Balzan versus $786 in Nosara. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 16% higher in Balzan, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $92.0 in Balzan versus $60.0 in Nosara. Groceries tell a different story – $247 in Balzan vs $350 in Nosara – so Balzan wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇹 Balzan

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

07:05 7:05 AM

23:05 11:05 PM

8 h behind Balzan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,700

4,912

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1,000 CRC = 2.22 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

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 EUR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Balzan Nosara 10,250 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Balzan
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

Balzan vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,963 in Balzan, $1,837 in Nosara – roughly 7% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,944 per month in Balzan and $2,756 in Nosara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Nosara, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $92.0 in Balzan and $60.0 in Nosara. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 42% cheaper in Balzan – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Nosara, where all-in costs run around $1,837, than in Balzan at $1,963. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Balzan it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Nosara has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,837 in Nosara to $1,963 in Balzan. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Nosara. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Balzan makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.