Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cakovec and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Cakovec: $1,326 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $6,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Cakovec
🇭🇷 Croatia
$1,326
/mo nomad
Nosara
🇨🇷 Costa Rica
$1,839
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,326 per month in Cakovec vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

  • Cakovec $1,326
  • Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $1,943 per month in Cakovec vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

  • Cakovec $1,943
  • Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $2,561 per month in Cakovec vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

  • Cakovec $2,561
  • Nosara $3,818

Cakovec is about 28% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Cakovec sits 2% below the global median, while Nosara is 36% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Cakovec
Nosara
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$7.04 €6.26
$12.35 ₡5,539
-43.00%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$44.88 €39.91
$61.2 ₡27.4K
-26.64%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.04 €7.15
$7.52 ₡3,373
6.91%
Cappuccino
$2.26 €2.01
$4.41 ₡1,978
-48.75%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.06 €1.83
$1.74 ₡780
18.39%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.69 €1.50
$1.31 ₡587
29.01%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.51 €2.23
$3.28 ₡1,471
-23.48%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.38 €3.00
$4.47 ₡2,004
-24.38%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Cakovec
Nosara
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.21 €1.08
$1.56 ₡701
-22.44%
White Bread (500g)
$1.58 €1.40
$3.02 ₡1,355
-47.68%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.32 €2.95
$2.51 ₡1,125
32.27%
Eggs
$3.51 €3.12
$3.57 ₡1,603
-1.68%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$15.71 €13.97
$7.43 ₡3,333
111.44%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.11 €8.99
$10.52 ₡4,717
-3.90%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$9.60 €8.54
$13.97 ₡6,265
-31.28%
Apples (1kg)
$1.64 €1.46
$2.35 ₡1,052
-30.21%
Banana (1kg)
$1.75 €1.56
$1.61 ₡720
8.70%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.56 €1.39
$4.80 ₡2,152
-67.50%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.57 €1.39
$1.61 ₡724
-2.48%
Potato (1kg)
$1.35 €1.20
$3.80 ₡1,703
-64.47%
Onion (1kg)
$1.25 €1.11
$3.69 ₡1,657
-66.12%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.75 €0.67
$1.13 ₡507
-33.63%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.34 €1.19
$2.66 ₡1,191
-49.62%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$5.67 €5.05
$5.18 ₡2,321
9.46%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.32 €6.51
$19.88 ₡8,916
-63.18%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.30 €1.16
$2.90 ₡1,300
-55.17%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.92 €1.71
$3.63 ₡1,626
-47.11%
🚌 Getting Around
Cakovec
Nosara
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.33 €2.07
$1.12 ₡504
108.04%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$60.3 €53.6
$72.6 ₡32.6K
-17.04%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$5.70 €5.07
$2.14 ₡958
166.36%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.36 €1.21
$1.57 ₡703
-13.38%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$11.22 €9.98
$8.52 ₡3,823
31.69%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.63 €1.45
$1.52 ₡682
7.24%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$25.9K €23.0K
$21.6K ₡9.7M
19.79%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.6K €21.8K
$34.5K ₡15.5M
-28.85%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cakovec
Nosara
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$185 €164
$96.3 ₡43.2K
91.71%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$17.69 €15.73
$35.89 ₡16.1K
-50.71%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$32.42 €28.84
$53.6 ₡24.0K
-39.50%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Cakovec
Nosara
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$51.8 €46.07
$71.6 ₡32.1K
-27.64%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$22.01 €19.57
$34.91 ₡15.7K
-36.95%
Cinema Ticket
$7.73 €6.87
$7.89 ₡3,539
-2.03%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Cakovec
Nosara
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$131 €117
$494 ₡221.6K
-73.43%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$8,476 €7,539
$11.9K ₡5.3M
-28.52%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Cakovec
Nosara
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$99.7 €88.7
$53.9 ₡24.2K
84.91%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$41.34 €36.77
$55.4 ₡24.8K
-25.39%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$84.6 €75.2
$77.9 ₡34.9K
8.53%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$109 €96.7
$79.6 ₡35.7K
36.55%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Cakovec
Nosara
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$471 €419
$788 ₡353.4K
-40.28%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$384 €342
$794 ₡356.2K
-51.61%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$686 €610
$3,939 ₡1.8M
-82.58%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$534 €475
$1,419 ₡636.5K
-62.35%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,109 €2,765
$6,912 ₡3.1M
-55.02%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,217 €1,972
$1,224 ₡549.0K
81.13%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Cakovec
Nosara
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,285 €1,142
$864 ₡387.3K
48.75%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.73
8.62
-56.73%

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

Last update for Cakovec: 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
Cakovec
$384
Nosara
$794 107% $410
Groceries & Markets
Cakovec
$265
Nosara
$352 32.9% $87
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cakovec
$235
Nosara
$186 20.9% $49
Clothing & Footwear
Cakovec
$150
Nosara
$120 20.2% $30
Eating Out
Cakovec
$142
Nosara
$212 49.4% $70
Getting Around
Cakovec
$82
Nosara
$87 6.1% $5
Sport & Entertainment
Cakovec
$67
Nosara
$87 29.9% $20

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $471 in Cakovec 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 49% higher in Cakovec, 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 $45.00 in Cakovec versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $265 vs $352 – making Cakovec the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇭🇷 Cakovec
🇨🇷 Nosara
🕒 Local time
16:40 4:40 PM
08:40 8:40 AM
8 h behind Cakovec
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
27,122
4,912
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Cakovec Nosara 10,110 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Cakovec
  • 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
Cakovec vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Cakovec or Nosara?
Nosara costs about 39% more than Cakovec, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Cakovec and in Nosara?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,989 per month in Cakovec and $2,758 in Nosara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Cakovec or Nosara?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Cakovec, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
Are groceries more expensive in Cakovec or in Nosara?
Groceries cost about 33% more in Nosara, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.
How do dining costs compare in Cakovec and in Nosara?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $45.00 in Cakovec and $61.0 in Nosara. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Can you live on $1,000/month in Cakovec or in Nosara?
A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Cakovec, where all-in costs run around $1,326, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Cakovec it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Cakovec or Nosara?
For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Cakovec costs $1,326 versus $1,839 in Nosara. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.
How safe is Cakovec compared to Nosara?
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.
Should I move to Cakovec or to Nosara?
If budget matters most, go with Cakovec. 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.

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