Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Byblos and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Byblos: $1,026 a month against $1,837 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $9,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Byblos
🇱🇧 Lebanon
$1,026
/mo nomad
Nosara
🇨🇷 Costa Rica
$1,837
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,026 in Byblos versus $1,837 in Nosara.

  • Byblos $1,026
  • Nosara $1,837

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,629 in Byblos versus $2,775 in Nosara.

  • Byblos $1,629
  • Nosara $2,775

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,231 in Byblos versus $3,712 in Nosara.

  • Byblos $2,231
  • Nosara $3,712

Living in Byblos costs roughly 44% less than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Byblos is 23% below, Nosara is 37% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Byblos
Nosara
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$9.17 LBP 820.3K
$12.22 ₡5,509
-24.96%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$42.55 LBP 3.8M
$60.2 ₡27.1K
-29.32%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.19 LBP 643.6K
$7.54 ₡3,399
-4.64%
Cappuccino
$2.94 LBP 262.9K
$4.31 ₡1,941
-31.79%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.98 LBP 88.0K
$1.72 ₡773
-43.02%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.01 LBP 90.5K
$1.35 ₡608
-25.19%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
-
$3.24 ₡1,459
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$4.48 ₡2,018
-
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Byblos
Nosara
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.26 LBP 113.2K
$1.57 ₡707
-19.75%
White Bread (500g)
$0.66 LBP 59.4K
$3.17 ₡1,429
-79.18%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.54 LBP 137.9K
$2.42 ₡1,091
-36.36%
Eggs
$2.15 LBP 192.3K
$3.57 ₡1,609
-39.78%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.16 LBP 820.2K
$7.43 ₡3,349
23.28%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.09 LBP 724.5K
$10.42 ₡4,697
-22.36%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.19 LBP 1.1M
$13.66 ₡6,156
-10.76%
Apples (1kg)
$3.03 LBP 271.0K
$2.32 ₡1,044
30.60%
Banana (1kg)
$1.95 LBP 174.7K
$1.61 ₡728
21.12%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.01 LBP 90.6K
$4.74 ₡2,138
-78.69%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.06 LBP 184.1K
$1.66 ₡747
24.10%
Potato (1kg)
$0.98 LBP 88.0K
$3.72 ₡1,679
-73.66%
Onion (1kg)
$0.98 LBP 87.3K
$3.57 ₡1,611
-72.55%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.03 LBP 91.9K
$1.10 ₡497
-6.36%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.02 LBP 90.9K
$2.55 ₡1,149
-60.00%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
-
$4.95 ₡2,232
-
Wine (Bottle)
$3.98 LBP 356.3K
$20.01 ₡9,020
-80.11%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.53 LBP 137.2K
$2.79 ₡1,256
-45.16%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.98 LBP 177.4K
$3.53 ₡1,589
-43.91%
🚌 Getting Around
Byblos
Nosara
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.97 LBP 87.2K
$1.19 ₡537
-18.49%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$72.1 ₡32.5K
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
-
$2.24 ₡1,011
-
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.98 LBP 87.5K
$1.55 ₡701
-36.77%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
-
$8.86 ₡3,993
-
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.93 LBP 82.8K
$1.57 ₡708
-40.76%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$22.2K LBP 2.0B
$21.8K ₡9.8M
1.87%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$22.6K LBP 2.0B
$34.6K ₡15.6M
-34.84%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Byblos
Nosara
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$101 LBP 9.0M
$93.5 ₡42.1K
8.11%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$22.81 LBP 2.0M
$35.11 ₡15.8K
-35.03%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$24.64 LBP 2.2M
$51.5 ₡23.2K
-52.15%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Byblos
Nosara
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$37.96 LBP 3.4M
$71.4 ₡32.2K
-46.83%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$40.26 LBP 3.6M
$35.44 ₡16.0K
13.60%
Cinema Ticket
$10.17 LBP 910.4K
$7.84 ₡3,535
29.72%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Byblos
Nosara
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$392 LBP 35.1M
$490 ₡220.7K
-19.90%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$3,053 LBP 273.2M
$11.9K ₡5.4M
-74.30%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Byblos
Nosara
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$98.2 LBP 8.8M
$53.5 ₡24.1K
83.38%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$101 LBP 9.0M
$55.8 ₡25.1K
81.03%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$118 LBP 10.6M
$79.3 ₡35.7K
48.78%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$151 LBP 13.5M
$78.9 ₡35.6K
91.58%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Byblos
Nosara
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$304 LBP 27.2M
$786 ₡354.3K
-61.32%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$223 LBP 20.0M
$780 ₡351.6K
-71.39%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$792 LBP 70.9M
$3,860 ₡1.7M
-79.49%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$403 LBP 36.0M
$1,407 ₡634.4K
-71.38%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,360 LBP 121.7M
$6,972 ₡3.1M
-80.50%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$841 LBP 75.2M
$1,201 ₡541.3K
-29.98%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Byblos
Nosara
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,005 LBP 89.9M
$876 ₡395.0K
14.66%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
8
8.62
-7.19%

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

Last update for Byblos: 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
Byblos
$223
Nosara
$780 250% $557
Groceries & Markets
Byblos
$221
Nosara
$350 58.5% $129
Clothing & Footwear
Byblos
$211
Nosara
$120 42.9% $90
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Byblos
$148
Nosara
$180 21.3% $32
Eating Out
Byblos
$138 *
Nosara
$209 51.6% $71
Sport & Entertainment
Byblos
$58
Nosara
$87 49.4% $29
Getting Around
Byblos
$8.8 *
Nosara
$87 888% $78

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $304 in Byblos and $786 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Byblos pays 15% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $43.00 in Byblos vs $60.0 in Nosara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $221 vs $350 per month, with Byblos cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇱🇧 Byblos
🇨🇷 Nosara
🕒 Local time
10:10 10:10 AM
01:10 1:10 AM
9 h behind Byblos
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
20,784
4,912
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to LBP – Lebanese Pound Converter

Lebanese Pound exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 89,500 LBP (100,000 LBP = 1.12 USD). 1 EUR = 100,381 LBP (1,000,000 LBP = 9.96 EUR).

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Byblos Nosara 12,130 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Byblos
  • 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
Byblos vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Nosara cheaper than Byblos?
Byblos is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and leisure. The 79% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
Where can you earn more: Byblos or Nosara?
Average pay runs 15% higher in Byblos, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
What is the rent difference between Byblos and Nosara?
Rent for a central apartment: $304 in Byblos versus $786 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Childcare runs $392 in Byblos versus $490 in Nosara. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Is eating out cheaper in Byblos or in Nosara?
Dining out is cheaper in Byblos – a meal for two runs $43.00 versus $60.0 in Nosara. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Byblos or in Nosara?
At $1,026 in Byblos versus $1,837 in Nosara, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Byblos but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Byblos the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is Byblos or Nosara more family-friendly?
For families, Byblos is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Nosara, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.
Which city is safer, Byblos or Nosara?
Safety-wise, Byblos 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.
Which city is easier to live in as a foreigner?
Expats usually find Byblos gentler on the wallet – expenses run 79% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

Byblos vs other spots: cost of living compared

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