Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bologna and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,837 a month against $2,203 in Bologna, rent and utilities included – about $4,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

106

Cost of Living Index in Bologna
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Bologna Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Bologna

🇮🇹 Italy

$2,203

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,203 per month in Bologna vs $1,837 in Nosara, rent included.

Bologna $2,203
Nosara $1,837

A couple spends around $3,399 per month in Bologna vs $2,775 in Nosara, rent included.

Bologna $3,399
Nosara $2,775

A family of three spends $4,595 per month in Bologna vs $3,712 in Nosara, rent included.

Bologna $4,595
Nosara $3,712

Bologna costs about 20% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Bologna and Nosara sit above the global median – Bologna by 64%, Nosara by 37%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.43 €20.02

$12.22 ₡5,509

83.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$90.7 €81.0

$60.2 ₡27.1K

50.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.73 €12.25

$7.54 ₡3,399

82.10%

Cappuccino

$2.20 €1.96

$4.31 ₡1,941

-48.96%

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

$3.54 €3.16

$1.72 ₡773

105.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 €1.56

$1.35 ₡608

29.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.70 €5.97

$3.24 ₡1,459

106.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.56 €4.96

$4.48 ₡2,018

24.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.33 €1.19

$1.57 ₡707

-15.29%

White Bread (500g)

$3.11 €2.78

$3.17 ₡1,429

-1.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.98 €2.66

$2.42 ₡1,091

23.14%

Eggs

$3.90 €3.48

$3.57 ₡1,609

9.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$20.73 €18.50

$7.43 ₡3,349

179.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.22 €10.90

$10.42 ₡4,697

17.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.84 €18.60

$13.66 ₡6,156

52.56%

Apples (1kg)

$2.38 €2.13

$2.32 ₡1,044

2.59%

Banana (1kg)

$2.40 €2.14

$1.61 ₡728

49.07%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.63 €2.35

$4.74 ₡2,138

-44.51%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.36 €3.00

$1.66 ₡747

102.41%

Potato (1kg)

$1.92 €1.72

$3.72 ₡1,679

-48.39%

Onion (1kg)

$1.81 €1.61

$3.57 ₡1,611

-49.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.41 €1.26

$1.10 ₡497

28.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 €0.46

$2.55 ₡1,149

-80.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.13

$4.95 ₡2,232

38.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.78 €6.94

$20.01 ₡9,020

-61.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.92 €1.71

$2.79 ₡1,256

-31.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 €2.54

$3.53 ₡1,589

-19.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.55 €2.28

$1.19 ₡537

114.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$43.29 €38.63

$72.1 ₡32.5K

-39.93%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.58 €4.08

$2.24 ₡1,011

104.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.72 €1.53

$1.55 ₡701

10.97%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.11 €28.66

$8.86 ₡3,993

262.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.18 €1.94

$1.57 ₡708

38.85%

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

$37.0K €33.0K

$21.8K ₡9.8M

69.85%

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

$36.6K €32.7K

$34.6K ₡15.6M

5.68%

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

$245 €219

$93.5 ₡42.1K

162.20%

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

$11.42 €10.19

$35.11 ₡15.8K

-67.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.85 €27.53

$51.5 ₡23.2K

-40.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$63.4 €56.6

$71.4 ₡32.2K

-11.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.03 €24.12

$35.44 ₡16.0K

-23.73%

Cinema Ticket

$9.94 €8.87

$7.84 ₡3,535

26.79%

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

$772 €689

$490 ₡220.7K

57.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.0K €14.3K

$11.9K ₡5.4M

35.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$91.4 €81.5

$53.5 ₡24.1K

70.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.96 €41.90

$55.8 ₡25.1K

-15.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$122 €109

$79.3 ₡35.7K

54.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$146 €130

$78.9 ₡35.6K

84.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,154 €1,030

$786 ₡354.3K

46.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$871 €777

$780 ₡351.6K

11.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,072 €1,849

$3,860 ₡1.7M

-46.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,566 €1,398

$1,407 ₡634.4K

11.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,020 €4,480

$6,972 ₡3.1M

-27.99%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,647 €3,254

$1,201 ₡541.3K

203.71%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,174 €1,940

$876 ₡395.0K

148.08%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.19

8.62

-62.99%

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

Last update for Bologna: October 6, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bologna

$871 40.2%

Nosara

$780 43% 10.5% $91

Groceries & Markets

Bologna

$363 16.8%

Nosara

$350 19.3% 3.8% $14

Eating Out

Bologna

$313 14.4%

Nosara

$209 11.6% 33% $103

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bologna

$287 13.3%

Nosara

$180 9.9% 37.3% $107

Clothing & Footwear

Bologna

$183 8.4%

Nosara

$120 6.6% 34.2% $63

Sport & Entertainment

Bologna

$83 3.8%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 4.6% $3.8

Getting Around

Bologna

$67 3.1%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 30.3% $20

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,154 in Bologna 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 148% higher in Bologna, 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 $91.0 in Bologna versus $60.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $363 vs $350 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Bologna

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

09:23 9:23 AM

01:23 1:23 AM

8 h behind Bologna

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

386,663

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

Bologna Nosara 9,780 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Bologna
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

Bologna vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bologna costs about 20% more than Nosara, 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 $3,304 per month in Bologna 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.

Public transport costs about 66% less in Nosara. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $772 per month in Bologna and $490 in Nosara. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Nosara, where all-in costs run around $1,837, than in Bologna at $2,203. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Bologna it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Nosara costs $1,837 versus $2,203 in Bologna. 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 Nosara. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Bologna makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.