Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Blonduos and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Blonduos: $1,713 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $1,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Nosara outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

84

Cost of Living Index in Blonduos
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Blonduos Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index

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Blonduos

🇮🇸 Iceland

$1,713

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,713 per month in Blonduos vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Blonduos $1,713
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $2,921 per month in Blonduos vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Blonduos $2,921
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $4,129 per month in Blonduos vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Blonduos $4,129
Nosara $3,818

Blonduos is about 7% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Blonduos and Nosara sit above the global median – Blonduos by 27%, Nosara by 36%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$31.14 ISK 3,777

$12.35 ₡5,539

152.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$125 ISK 15.1K

$61.2 ₡27.4K

104.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$26.65 ISK 3,232

$7.52 ₡3,373

254.39%

Cappuccino

$6.71 ISK 814

$4.41 ₡1,978

52.15%

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

$3.40 ISK 412

$1.74 ₡780

95.40%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.03 ISK 368

$1.31 ₡587

131.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$13.99 ISK 1,697

$3.28 ₡1,471

326.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$12.33 ISK 1,495

$4.47 ₡2,004

175.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.10 ISK 255

$1.56 ₡701

34.62%

White Bread (500g)

$4.11 ISK 498

$3.02 ₡1,355

36.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.54 ISK 430

$2.51 ₡1,125

41.04%

Eggs

$7.16 ISK 869

$3.57 ₡1,603

100.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$22.11 ISK 2,682

$7.43 ₡3,333

197.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$24.36 ISK 2,955

$10.52 ₡4,717

131.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$41.27 ISK 5,006

$13.97 ₡6,265

195.42%

Apples (1kg)

$3.41 ISK 414

$2.35 ₡1,052

45.11%

Banana (1kg)

$2.76 ISK 334

$1.61 ₡720

71.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.13 ISK 380

$4.80 ₡2,152

-34.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.38 ISK 773

$1.61 ₡724

296.27%

Potato (1kg)

$4.00 ISK 485

$3.80 ₡1,703

5.26%

Onion (1kg)

$1.64 ISK 198

$3.69 ₡1,657

-55.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.79 ISK 460

$1.13 ₡507

235.40%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 ISK 212

$2.66 ₡1,191

-34.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.05 ISK 1,704

$5.18 ₡2,321

171.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$24.03 ISK 2,914

$19.88 ₡8,916

20.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.71 ISK 450

$2.90 ₡1,300

27.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.50 ISK 424

$3.63 ₡1,626

-3.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 ₡504

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.59 ISK 799

$2.14 ₡958

207.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.77 ISK 335

$1.57 ₡703

76.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$80.5 ISK 9,762

$8.52 ₡3,823

844.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.00 ISK 243

$1.52 ₡682

31.58%

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

$50.8K ISK 6.2M

$21.6K ₡9.7M

134.92%

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

$54.6K ISK 6.6M

$34.5K ₡15.5M

58.04%

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

$94.7 ISK 11.5K

$96.3 ₡43.2K

-1.65%

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

$33.32 ISK 4,042

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-7.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$85.1 ISK 10.3K

$53.6 ₡24.0K

58.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 ₡32.1K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$19.41 ISK 2,354

$7.89 ₡3,539

146.01%

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

$1,198 ISK 145.3K

$494 ₡221.6K

142.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$26.0K ISK 3.2M

$11.9K ₡5.3M

119.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$149 ISK 18.1K

$53.9 ₡24.2K

175.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$67.0 ISK 8,128

$55.4 ₡24.8K

20.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$183 ISK 22.2K

$77.9 ₡34.9K

135.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$246 ISK 29.9K

$79.6 ₡35.7K

209.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 ₡353.4K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 ₡356.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,939 ₡1.8M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,419 ₡636.5K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,912 ₡3.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 ₡549.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.81

8.62

2.20%

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

Last update for Blonduos: October 13, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Blonduos

$620 36.2%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 43.2% $268

Eating Out

Blonduos

$530 30.9%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 60% $318

Clothing & Footwear

Blonduos

$291 17%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 58.7% $170

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Blonduos

$213 12.4%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 12.8% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Blonduos

$39 * 2.3%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 125% $49

Getting Around

Blonduos

$20 * 1.2%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 327% $67

Accommodation & Living

Blonduos

- * 0%

Nosara

$794 43.2%

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $125 in Blonduos versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $620 vs $352 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇸 Blonduos

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

05:23 5:23 AM

23:23 11:23 PM

6 h behind Blonduos

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

900

4,912

💱 Currency

Icelandic Króna ISK kr

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 ISK = 8.24 USD

1,000 ISK = 7.33 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to ISK – Icelandic Króna Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇸 Icelandic Króna (kr)

Icelandic Króna exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 121 ISK (1,000 ISK = 8.24 USD). 1 EUR = 136 ISK (1,000 ISK = 7.33 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to ISK in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Blonduos Nosara 7,880 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Blonduos
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

Blonduos vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara costs about 7% more than Blonduos, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,569 per month in Blonduos and $2,758 in Nosara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $125 in Blonduos and $61.0 in Nosara. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 76% cheaper in Nosara – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Blonduos, where all-in costs run around $1,713, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Blonduos it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Blonduos costs $1,713 versus $1,839 in Nosara. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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