Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Drogheda and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $3,029 in Drogheda, rent and utilities included – about $14,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

147

Cost of Living Index in Drogheda
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Drogheda Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Drogheda

🇮🇪 Ireland

$3,029

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,029 per month in Drogheda vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Drogheda $3,029
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $4,445 per month in Drogheda vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Drogheda $4,445
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $5,861 per month in Drogheda vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Drogheda $5,861
Nosara $3,818

Drogheda costs about 65% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Drogheda and Nosara sit above the global median – Drogheda by 124%, Nosara by 36%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.73 €16.63

$12.35 ₡5,547

51.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$90.8 €80.6

$61.2 ₡27.5K

48.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.59 €10.30

$7.52 ₡3,377

54.12%

Cappuccino

$4.14 €3.68

$4.41 ₡1,981

-6.12%

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

$2.92 €2.60

$1.74 ₡781

67.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 €1.97

$1.31 ₡588

69.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.73 €5.98

$3.28 ₡1,473

105.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.68 €5.93

$4.47 ₡2,007

49.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.69 €1.50

$1.56 ₡702

8.33%

White Bread (500g)

$2.25 €1.99

$3.02 ₡1,357

-25.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.07 €0.95

$2.51 ₡1,127

-57.37%

Eggs

$4.52 €4.01

$3.57 ₡1,605

26.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.14 €9.01

$7.43 ₡3,338

36.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.11 €11.64

$10.52 ₡4,724

24.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.15 €14.35

$13.97 ₡6,274

15.60%

Apples (1kg)

$2.96 €2.63

$2.35 ₡1,054

25.96%

Banana (1kg)

$1.92 €1.71

$1.61 ₡721

19.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.75 €1.55

$4.80 ₡2,155

-63.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.76 €4.23

$1.61 ₡725

195.65%

Potato (1kg)

$1.75 €1.56

$3.80 ₡1,706

-53.95%

Onion (1kg)

$1.03 €0.92

$3.69 ₡1,659

-72.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 €0.95

$1.13 ₡507

-5.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.56 €1.38

$2.66 ₡1,193

-41.35%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$20.24 €17.97

$5.18 ₡2,324

290.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.45 €11.94

$19.88 ₡8,929

-32.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.38 €3.00

$2.90 ₡1,302

16.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.58 €3.18

$3.63 ₡1,628

-1.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.00 €2.66

$1.12 ₡505

167.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$210 €186

$72.6 ₡32.6K

188.41%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.00 €4.44

$2.14 ₡959

133.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.52 €1.35

$1.57 ₡704

-3.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.62 €28.97

$8.52 ₡3,828

282.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.12 €1.88

$1.52 ₡683

39.47%

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

$39.2K €34.8K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

81.45%

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

$37.5K €33.3K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

8.65%

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

$243 €216

$96.3 ₡43.2K

152.64%

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

$22.08 €19.61

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-38.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.35 €39.38

$53.6 ₡24.1K

-17.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$75.6 €67.1

$71.6 ₡32.2K

5.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$66.3 €58.9

$34.91 ₡15.7K

89.80%

Cinema Ticket

$13.45 €11.95

$7.89 ₡3,544

70.47%

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

$1,091 €969

$494 ₡221.9K

120.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,983 €1,761

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-83.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$93.7 €83.2

$53.9 ₡24.2K

73.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.24 €37.51

$55.4 ₡24.9K

-23.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.6

$77.9 ₡35.0K

36.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €107

$79.6 ₡35.8K

51.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,823 €1,619

$788 ₡353.9K

131.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,573 €1,397

$794 ₡356.7K

97.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,212 €2,853

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-18.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,569 €2,282

$1,419 ₡637.4K

81.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,945 €3,504

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-42.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,866 €2,545

$1,224 ₡549.8K

134.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,463 €3,076

$864 ₡387.8K

301.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.14

8.62

-51.97%

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

Last update for Drogheda: 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

Drogheda

$1.6K 51.9%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 49.5% $778

Groceries & Markets

Drogheda

$345 11.4%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 2.3% $7.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Drogheda

$310 10.2%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 40% $124

Eating Out

Drogheda

$302 10%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 29.8% $90

Getting Around

Drogheda

$234 7.7%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 62.8% $147

Clothing & Footwear

Drogheda

$164 5.4%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 26.6% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Drogheda

$102 3.4%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 14.7% $15

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,823 in Drogheda 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 301% higher in Drogheda, 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 Drogheda versus $61.0 in Nosara. Groceries tell a different story – $345 in Drogheda vs $352 in Nosara – so Drogheda wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇮🇪 Drogheda

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

05:35 5:35 AM

22:35 10:35 PM

7 h behind Drogheda

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

44,135

4,912

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.13 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 17, 2026: 1 USD = 0.888 EUR (1 EUR = 1.13 USD).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 449 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 506 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Drogheda Nosara 8,410 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Drogheda
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

Drogheda vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Drogheda costs about 65% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,543 per month in Drogheda 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 Nosara, 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 $3,029 in Drogheda and $1,839 in Nosara. That's a gap of about 65%.

Public transport costs about 188% less in Nosara. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Nosara, where all-in costs run around $1,839, than in Drogheda at $3,029. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Drogheda it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Nosara costs $1,839 versus $3,029 in Drogheda. 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, Drogheda makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.