Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bugibba and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Bugibba: $1,721 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $1,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

84

Cost of Living Index in Bugibba
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Bugibba Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index

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Bugibba

🇲🇹 Malta

$1,721

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,721 per month in Bugibba vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Bugibba $1,721
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $2,689 per month in Bugibba vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Bugibba $2,689
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $3,657 per month in Bugibba vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Bugibba $3,657
Nosara $3,818

Bugibba is about 6% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Bugibba and Nosara sit above the global median – Bugibba by 28%, Nosara by 36%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.87 €15.00

$12.35 ₡5,539

36.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$78.9 €70.2

$61.2 ₡27.4K

29.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.10 €9.88

$7.52 ₡3,373

47.61%

Cappuccino

$2.91 €2.59

$4.41 ₡1,978

-34.01%

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

$2.42 €2.15

$1.74 ₡780

39.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.91 €1.70

$1.31 ₡587

45.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.55 €4.04

$3.28 ₡1,471

38.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.28 €2.91

$4.47 ₡2,004

-26.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.34 €1.19

$1.56 ₡701

-14.10%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 €1.30

$3.02 ₡1,355

-51.66%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.25 €2.00

$2.51 ₡1,125

-10.36%

Eggs

$3.39 €3.02

$3.57 ₡1,603

-5.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.13 €9.01

$7.43 ₡3,333

36.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.41 €8.37

$10.52 ₡4,717

-10.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.83 €10.53

$13.97 ₡6,265

-15.32%

Apples (1kg)

$2.19 €1.94

$2.35 ₡1,052

-6.81%

Banana (1kg)

$2.12 €1.88

$1.61 ₡720

31.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.39 €2.13

$4.80 ₡2,152

-50.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.77 €1.57

$1.61 ₡724

9.94%

Potato (1kg)

$1.88 €1.67

$3.80 ₡1,703

-50.53%

Onion (1kg)

$1.31 €1.16

$3.69 ₡1,657

-64.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.76 €1.57

$1.13 ₡507

55.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 €0.52

$2.66 ₡1,191

-77.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.03 €5.37

$5.18 ₡2,321

16.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.46 €4.86

$19.88 ₡8,916

-72.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 €1.51

$2.90 ₡1,300

-41.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.54 €1.37

$3.63 ₡1,626

-57.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.50 €2.22

$1.12 ₡504

123.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.45 €3.07

$2.14 ₡958

61.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.82 €1.61

$1.57 ₡703

15.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.35 €28.78

$8.52 ₡3,823

279.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 €1.35

$1.52 ₡682

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

$24.9K €22.1K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

15.05%

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

$30.7K €27.3K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-11.20%

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

$75.0 €66.7

$96.3 ₡43.2K

-22.16%

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

$17.24 €15.33

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-51.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.33 €26.09

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-45.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$73.7 €65.6

$71.6 ₡32.1K

3.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$33.95 €30.20

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-2.75%

Cinema Ticket

$11.53 €10.26

$7.89 ₡3,539

46.13%

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

$276 €245

$494 ₡221.6K

-44.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.5K €11.1K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

5.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.1 €49.92

$53.9 ₡24.2K

4.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$68.7 €61.1

$55.4 ₡24.8K

23.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 €98.2

$77.9 ₡34.9K

41.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$129 €115

$79.6 ₡35.7K

61.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,084 €964

$788 ₡353.4K

37.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$817 €726

$794 ₡356.2K

2.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,671 €1,486

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-57.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,389 €1,236

$1,419 ₡636.5K

-2.13%

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)

$2,159 €1,921

$864 ₡387.3K

150.06%

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 Bugibba: October 12, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bugibba

$817 47.4%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 2.7% $22

Groceries & Markets

Bugibba

$250 14.6%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 40.7% $102

Eating Out

Bugibba

$250 14.5%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 15.2% $38

Clothing & Footwear

Bugibba

$164 9.5%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 26.7% $44

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bugibba

$122 7.1%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 52.9% $64

Sport & Entertainment

Bugibba

$97 5.6%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 9.7% $9.4

Getting Around

Bugibba

$23 * 1.3%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 287% $65

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,084 in Bugibba versus $788 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 150% higher in Bugibba, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $79.0 in Bugibba versus $61.0 in Nosara. Groceries tell a different story – $250 in Bugibba vs $352 in Nosara – so Bugibba wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇹 Bugibba

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

09:03 9:03 AM

01:03 1:03 AM

8 h behind Bugibba

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

32,042

4,912

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1,000 CRC = 2.23 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Bugibba Nosara 10,250 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Bugibba
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

Bugibba vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,721 in Bugibba, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 7% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,582 per month in Bugibba and $2,758 in Nosara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,721 in Bugibba and $1,839 in Nosara. That's a gap of about 7%.

Kindergarten costs $276 per month in Bugibba and $494 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 Bugibba, where all-in costs run around $1,721, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Bugibba it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Bugibba has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,721 in Bugibba to $1,839 in Nosara. 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 Bugibba. 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.