Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bilbao and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,837 a month against $2,101 in Bilbao, rent and utilities included – about $3,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

101

Cost of Living Index in Bilbao
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Bilbao Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Bilbao

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,101

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,101 in Bilbao versus $1,837 in Nosara.

Bilbao $2,101
Nosara $1,837

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,137 in Bilbao versus $2,775 in Nosara.

Bilbao $3,137
Nosara $2,775

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,172 in Bilbao versus $3,712 in Nosara.

Bilbao $4,172
Nosara $3,712

Living in Bilbao is roughly 14% more expensive than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Bilbao 57% above, Nosara 37% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.91 €18.66

$12.22 ₡5,509

71.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.0 €61.6

$60.2 ₡27.1K

14.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.14 €10.83

$7.54 ₡3,399

61.01%

Cappuccino

$2.50 €2.23

$4.31 ₡1,941

-42.00%

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

$2.91 €2.59

$1.72 ₡773

69.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 €1.55

$1.35 ₡608

28.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.03

$3.24 ₡1,459

4.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.27 €2.92

$4.48 ₡2,018

-27.01%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 €1.16

$1.57 ₡707

-17.20%

White Bread (500g)

$1.58 €1.41

$3.17 ₡1,429

-50.16%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.35

$2.42 ₡1,091

-37.60%

Eggs

$3.32 €2.96

$3.57 ₡1,609

-7.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.39 €12.85

$7.43 ₡3,349

93.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.05 €7.18

$10.42 ₡4,697

-22.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.25 €11.82

$13.66 ₡6,156

-3.00%

Apples (1kg)

$2.72 €2.43

$2.32 ₡1,044

17.24%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.80

$1.61 ₡728

25.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.61 €2.33

$4.74 ₡2,138

-44.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.38 €2.13

$1.66 ₡747

43.37%

Potato (1kg)

$1.52 €1.36

$3.72 ₡1,679

-59.14%

Onion (1kg)

$2.41 €2.15

$3.57 ₡1,611

-32.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.21 €1.08

$1.10 ₡497

10.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.78 €0.70

$2.55 ₡1,149

-69.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.83 €6.09

$4.95 ₡2,232

37.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.78 €6.94

$20.01 ₡9,020

-61.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.48 €1.32

$2.79 ₡1,256

-46.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.62 €2.34

$3.53 ₡1,589

-25.78%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.83 €1.63

$1.19 ₡537

53.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.7 €45.25

$72.1 ₡32.5K

-29.65%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.63 €5.02

$2.24 ₡1,011

151.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.99 €0.88

$1.55 ₡701

-36.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$31.89 €28.46

$8.86 ₡3,993

259.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.79 €1.60

$1.57 ₡708

14.01%

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

$35.0K €31.2K

$21.8K ₡9.8M

60.59%

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

$30.4K €27.1K

$34.6K ₡15.6M

-12.29%

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

$142 €127

$93.5 ₡42.1K

52.36%

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

$20.34 €18.15

$35.11 ₡15.8K

-42.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.13 €26.89

$51.5 ₡23.2K

-41.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.8 €49.81

$71.4 ₡32.2K

-21.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.27 €13.62

$35.44 ₡16.0K

-56.91%

Cinema Ticket

$9.92 €8.86

$7.84 ₡3,535

26.53%

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

$538 €480

$490 ₡220.7K

9.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K €10.3K

$11.9K ₡5.4M

-2.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.5 €79.9

$53.5 ₡24.1K

67.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.39 €30.69

$55.8 ₡25.1K

-38.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.7 €61.3

$79.3 ₡35.7K

-13.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$127 €114

$78.9 ₡35.6K

61.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,261 €1,125

$786 ₡354.3K

60.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,054 €941

$780 ₡351.6K

35.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,469 €2,203

$3,860 ₡1.7M

-36.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,707 €1,523

$1,407 ₡634.4K

21.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,875 €5,243

$6,972 ₡3.1M

-15.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,675 €3,280

$1,201 ₡541.3K

206.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,385 €2,128

$876 ₡395.0K

172.11%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.98

8.62

-65.43%

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

Last update for Bilbao: 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

Bilbao

$1.1K 50.6%

Nosara

$780 43% 26% $274

Eating Out

Bilbao

$276 13.2%

Nosara

$209 11.6% 24% $66

Groceries & Markets

Bilbao

$271 13%

Nosara

$350 19.3% 28.9% $78

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bilbao

$193 9.3%

Nosara

$180 9.9% 6.6% $13

Clothing & Footwear

Bilbao

$144 6.9%

Nosara

$120 6.6% 16.4% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Bilbao

$76 3.6%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 15.1% $11

Getting Around

Bilbao

$69 3.3%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 26.6% $18

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,261 in Bilbao and $786 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bilbao pays 172% 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: $69.0 in Bilbao vs $60.0 in Nosara. Groceries flip the comparison at $271 vs $350, with Bilbao cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Bilbao

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

06:58 6:58 AM

22:58 10:58 PM

8 h behind Bilbao

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

346,096

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

Bilbao Nosara 8,660 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Bilbao
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

Bilbao vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bilbao and Nosara differ by about 14% in total monthly costs ($2,101 vs $1,837 including rent). Nosara is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 172% higher in Bilbao, 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: $1,261 in Bilbao versus $786 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $538 in Bilbao versus $490 in Nosara. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Bilbao pay roughly 29% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,837 in Nosara versus $2,101 in Bilbao, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Nosara but tight or insufficient in Bilbao. The gap between the two cities makes Nosara 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, Bilbao 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 14% less than in Bilbao. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.