Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dahab and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Dahab: $453 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $16,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

23

Cost of Living Index in Dahab
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Dahab Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Dahab

🇪🇬 Egypt

$453

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $453 per month in Dahab vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Dahab $453
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $755 per month in Dahab vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Dahab $755
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $1,057 per month in Dahab vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Dahab $1,057
Nosara $3,818

Dahab is about 75% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Dahab sits 66% below the global median, while Nosara is 36% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.70 E£198

$12.35 ₡5,539

-70.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$13.14 E£702

$61.2 ₡27.4K

-78.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.64 E£248

$7.52 ₡3,373

-38.30%

Cappuccino

$1.58 E£84.3

$4.41 ₡1,978

-64.17%

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

$0.46 E£24.50

$1.74 ₡780

-73.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 E£14.50

$1.31 ₡587

-79.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.95 E£104

$3.28 ₡1,471

-40.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.34 E£125

$4.47 ₡2,004

-47.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.97 E£52.0

$1.56 ₡701

-37.82%

White Bread (500g)

$1.12 E£60.0

$3.02 ₡1,355

-62.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.73 E£38.75

$2.51 ₡1,125

-70.92%

Eggs

$1.35 E£72.0

$3.57 ₡1,603

-62.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.63 E£568

$7.43 ₡3,333

43.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.88 E£207

$10.52 ₡4,717

-63.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.65 E£569

$13.97 ₡6,265

-23.77%

Apples (1kg)

$2.33 E£124

$2.35 ₡1,052

-0.85%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 E£77.4

$1.61 ₡720

-9.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.63 E£33.55

$4.80 ₡2,152

-86.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.59 E£31.39

$1.61 ₡724

-63.35%

Potato (1kg)

$0.55 E£29.14

$3.80 ₡1,703

-85.53%

Onion (1kg)

$0.59 E£31.72

$3.69 ₡1,657

-84.01%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.88 E£47.16

$1.13 ₡507

-22.12%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.20 E£10.58

$2.66 ₡1,191

-92.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.50 E£80.0

$5.18 ₡2,321

-71.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.79 E£363

$19.88 ₡8,916

-65.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 E£84.5

$2.90 ₡1,300

-45.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ₡1,626

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.21 E£11.08

$1.12 ₡504

-81.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$7.56 E£404

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-89.59%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.77 E£41.30

$2.14 ₡958

-64.02%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.52 ₡3,823

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.43 E£23.13

$1.52 ₡682

-71.71%

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

$21.6K ₡9.7M

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

$34.5K ₡15.5M

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

$17.85 E£953

$96.3 ₡43.2K

-81.46%

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

$6.84 E£365

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-80.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.89 E£955

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-66.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$15.01 E£801

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-79.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.54 E£509

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-72.67%

Cinema Ticket

$4.80 E£257

$7.89 ₡3,539

-39.16%

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

$494 ₡221.6K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 ₡24.2K

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 ₡24.8K

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.9 ₡34.9K

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 ₡35.7K

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$187 E£9,988

$788 ₡353.4K

-76.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$129 E£6,868

$794 ₡356.2K

-83.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$529 E£28.2K

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-86.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$316 E£16.9K

$1,419 ₡636.5K

-77.76%

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)

$131 E£6,973

$864 ₡387.3K

-84.88%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

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

Last update for Dahab: October 12, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Dahab

$169 * 37.2%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 109% $184

Accommodation & Living

Dahab

$129 28.4%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 518% $666

Eating Out

Dahab

$80 17.6%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 165% $132

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dahab

$43 9.4%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 336% $143

Sport & Entertainment

Dahab

$25 5.4%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 255% $63

Getting Around

Dahab

$9.2 * 2%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 851% $78

Clothing & Footwear

Dahab

- * 0%

Nosara

$120 6.5%

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $187 in Dahab 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 561% higher in Nosara, 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 $13.00 in Dahab versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $169 vs $352 – making Dahab the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇬 Dahab

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

09:40 9:40 AM

00:40 12:40 AM

9 h behind Dahab

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,000

4,912

💱 Currency

Egyptian Pound EGP £

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

100 EGP = 1.87 USD

100 EGP = 1.67 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to EGP – Egyptian Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇬 Egyptian Pound (£)

Egyptian Pound exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 53.4 EGP (100 EGP = 1.87 USD). 1 EUR = 60.03 EGP (100 EGP = 1.67 EUR).

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 EGP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Dahab Nosara 12,300 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Dahab
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

Dahab vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Nosara is pricier by about 306%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $680 per month in Dahab 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 Dahab, 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 $453 in Dahab and $1,839 in Nosara. That's a gap of about 306%.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $13.00 in Dahab and $61.0 in Nosara. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Dahab, where all-in costs run around $453, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Dahab it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Dahab – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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 Dahab. 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.