Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dun Laoghaire and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $2,761 in Dun Laoghaire, rent and utilities included – about $11,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

134

Cost of Living Index in Dun Laoghaire
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Dun Laoghaire Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Dun Laoghaire

🇮🇪 Ireland

$2,761

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,761 per month in Dun Laoghaire vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Dun Laoghaire $2,761
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $4,416 per month in Dun Laoghaire vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Dun Laoghaire $4,416
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $6,071 per month in Dun Laoghaire vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Dun Laoghaire $6,071
Nosara $3,818

Dun Laoghaire costs about 50% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Dun Laoghaire and Nosara sit above the global median – Dun Laoghaire by 105%, Nosara by 36%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.06 €19.62

$12.35 ₡5,539

78.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$101 €90.3

$61.2 ₡27.4K

65.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.49 €12.00

$7.52 ₡3,373

79.39%

Cappuccino

$4.97 €4.42

$4.41 ₡1,978

12.70%

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

$2.99 €2.66

$1.74 ₡780

71.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.23 €1.98

$1.31 ₡587

70.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.79 €6.93

$3.28 ₡1,471

137.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.51 €6.68

$4.47 ₡2,004

68.01%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.61 €1.43

$1.56 ₡701

3.21%

White Bread (500g)

$2.35 €2.09

$3.02 ₡1,355

-22.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.07 €1.84

$2.51 ₡1,125

-17.53%

Eggs

$4.20 €3.74

$3.57 ₡1,603

17.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.95 €8.85

$7.43 ₡3,333

33.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.07 €9.85

$10.52 ₡4,717

5.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.54 €12.04

$13.97 ₡6,265

-3.08%

Apples (1kg)

$2.82 €2.51

$2.35 ₡1,052

20.00%

Banana (1kg)

$2.14 €1.90

$1.61 ₡720

32.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.78 €2.47

$4.80 ₡2,152

-42.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.04 €3.59

$1.61 ₡724

150.93%

Potato (1kg)

$1.93 €1.71

$3.80 ₡1,703

-49.21%

Onion (1kg)

$1.53 €1.36

$3.69 ₡1,657

-58.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.13 ₡507

15.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.84 €1.64

$2.66 ₡1,191

-30.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$20.35 €18.10

$5.18 ₡2,321

292.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.51 €12.01

$19.88 ₡8,916

-32.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.32 €2.95

$2.90 ₡1,300

14.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.51 €3.12

$3.63 ₡1,626

-3.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.31 €2.06

$1.12 ₡504

106.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.09 €4.52

$2.14 ₡958

137.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.43 €1.27

$1.57 ₡703

-8.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$37.78 €33.60

$8.52 ₡3,823

343.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.13 €1.89

$1.52 ₡682

40.13%

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

$38.3K €34.1K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

77.36%

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

$37.4K €33.3K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

8.37%

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

$244 €217

$96.3 ₡43.2K

153.61%

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

$18.03 €16.03

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-49.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.2 €45.51

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-4.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.3 €51.9

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-18.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$15.38 €13.68

$7.89 ₡3,539

94.93%

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

$989 €880

$494 ₡221.6K

100.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,432 €4,831

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-54.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.0 €88.0

$53.9 ₡24.2K

83.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.48 €42.23

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-14.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 €99.2

$77.9 ₡34.9K

43.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 €116

$79.6 ₡35.7K

64.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,470 €1,307

$788 ₡353.4K

86.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,475 €1,312

$794 ₡356.2K

85.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,599 €3,201

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-8.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,146 €2,798

$1,419 ₡636.5K

121.70%

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)

$4,296 €3,821

$864 ₡387.3K

397.48%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.82

8.62

-55.68%

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

Last update for Dun Laoghaire: October 11, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dun Laoghaire

$1.5K 53.4%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 46.2% $681

Eating Out

Dun Laoghaire

$351 12.7%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 39.7% $140

Groceries & Markets

Dun Laoghaire

$336 12.2%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 5% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dun Laoghaire

$313 11.4%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 40.7% $128

Clothing & Footwear

Dun Laoghaire

$175 6.3%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 31.3% $55

Sport & Entertainment

Dun Laoghaire

$89 3.2%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 1.9% $1.7

Getting Around

Dun Laoghaire

$22 * 0.8%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 305% $66

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,470 in Dun Laoghaire 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 397% higher in Dun Laoghaire, 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 $101 in Dun Laoghaire versus $61.0 in Nosara. Groceries tell a different story – $336 in Dun Laoghaire vs $352 in Nosara – so Dun Laoghaire wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇮🇪 Dun Laoghaire

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

05:37 5:37 AM

22:37 10:37 PM

7 h behind Dun Laoghaire

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

38,761

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 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 = 505 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Dun Laoghaire Nosara 8,420 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Dun Laoghaire
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

Dun Laoghaire vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,761 in Dun Laoghaire, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 50% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,142 per month in Dun Laoghaire 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $101 in Dun Laoghaire and $61.0 in Nosara. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 5% cheaper in Dun Laoghaire – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Nosara, where all-in costs run around $1,839, than in Dun Laoghaire at $2,761. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Dun Laoghaire it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Dun Laoghaire has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,839 in Nosara to $2,761 in Dun Laoghaire. 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 Nosara. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Dun Laoghaire makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.