Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between El Gouna and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in El Gouna: $457 a month against $1,837 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $16,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

22

Cost of Living Index in El Gouna
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El Gouna Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index

Jump to prices

El Gouna

🇪🇬 Egypt

$457

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $457 per month in El Gouna vs $1,837 in Nosara, rent included.

El Gouna $457
Nosara $1,837

A couple spends around $730 per month in El Gouna vs $2,775 in Nosara, rent included.

El Gouna $730
Nosara $2,775

A family of three spends $1,002 per month in El Gouna vs $3,712 in Nosara, rent included.

El Gouna $1,002
Nosara $3,712

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

El Gouna sits 66% below the global median, while Nosara is 37% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.59 E£189

$12.22 ₡5,498

-70.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$15.95 E£839

$60.2 ₡27.1K

-73.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.64 E£244

$7.54 ₡3,391

-38.46%

Cappuccino

$1.49 E£78.4

$4.31 ₡1,937

-65.43%

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

$0.29 E£15.07

$1.72 ₡772

-83.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.10 E£5.25

$1.35 ₡606

-92.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.21 E£63.6

$3.24 ₡1,456

-62.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.91 E£153

$4.48 ₡2,014

-35.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.87 E£45.61

$1.57 ₡705

-44.59%

White Bread (500g)

$0.59 E£30.86

$3.17 ₡1,426

-81.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.71 E£37.11

$2.42 ₡1,089

-70.66%

Eggs

$1.39 E£72.9

$3.57 ₡1,605

-61.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.37 E£177

$7.43 ₡3,342

-54.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.23 E£222

$10.42 ₡4,687

-59.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.53 E£448

$13.66 ₡6,143

-37.55%

Apples (1kg)

$1.47 E£77.2

$2.32 ₡1,042

-36.64%

Banana (1kg)

$0.57 E£30.14

$1.61 ₡726

-64.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.43 E£22.47

$4.74 ₡2,133

-90.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.40 E£20.93

$1.66 ₡746

-75.90%

Potato (1kg)

$0.37 E£19.56

$3.72 ₡1,675

-90.05%

Onion (1kg)

$0.41 E£21.43

$3.57 ₡1,608

-88.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.24 E£12.66

$1.10 ₡496

-78.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.21 E£11.23

$2.55 ₡1,147

-91.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.96 E£103

$4.95 ₡2,227

-60.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.48 E£341

$20.01 ₡9,001

-67.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 E£66.1

$2.79 ₡1,253

-54.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.88 E£98.6

$3.53 ₡1,586

-46.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.17 E£8.98

$1.19 ₡536

-85.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.1 ₡32.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.39 E£20.46

$2.24 ₡1,009

-82.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.29 E£15.24

$1.55 ₡699

-81.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.00 E£105

$8.86 ₡3,985

-77.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.33 E£17.57

$1.57 ₡706

-78.98%

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

$35.9K E£1.9M

$21.8K ₡9.8M

64.46%

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

$32.7K E£1.7M

$34.6K ₡15.6M

-5.73%

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

$11.82 E£622

$93.5 ₡42.0K

-87.35%

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

$6.88 E£362

$35.11 ₡15.8K

-80.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.01 E£579

$51.5 ₡23.2K

-78.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$20.42 E£1,074

$71.4 ₡32.1K

-71.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.44 ₡15.9K

Cinema Ticket

$2.98 E£157

$7.84 ₡3,528

-61.99%

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

$89.3 E£4,695

$490 ₡220.2K

-81.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,820 E£95.7K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-84.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$27.68 E£1,456

$53.5 ₡24.1K

-48.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.99 E£2,367

$55.8 ₡25.1K

-19.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 E£5,707

$79.3 ₡35.7K

36.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$49.98 E£2,629

$78.9 ₡35.5K

-36.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$190 E£9,998

$786 ₡353.6K

-75.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$100 E£5,286

$780 ₡350.8K

-87.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$271 E£14.3K

$3,860 ₡1.7M

-92.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$153 E£8,056

$1,407 ₡633.0K

-89.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$795 E£41.8K

$6,972 ₡3.1M

-88.60%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$488 E£25.6K

$1,201 ₡540.2K

-59.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$876 ₡394.2K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

16.67

8.62

93.39%

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

Last update for El Gouna: October 4, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

El Gouna

$123 26.7%

Nosara

$350 19.3% 185% $227

Clothing & Footwear

El Gouna

$104 22.6%

Nosara

$120 6.6% 15.7% $16

Accommodation & Living

El Gouna

$100 21.9%

Nosara

$780 43% 676% $679

Eating Out

El Gouna

$74 16.1%

Nosara

$209 11.6% 183% $135

Monthly Utilities & Internet

El Gouna

$30 6.5%

Nosara

$180 9.9% 506% $150

Sport & Entertainment

El Gouna

$26 5.7%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 230% $61

Getting Around

El Gouna

$2.5 * 0.6%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 3346% $84

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $190 in El Gouna versus $786 in Nosara. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $16.00 in El Gouna versus $60.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $123 vs $350 – making El Gouna the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇬 El Gouna

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

09:44 9:44 AM

00:44 12:44 AM

9 h behind El Gouna

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,000

4,912

💱 Currency

Egyptian Pound EGP £

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

100 EGP = 1.9 USD

100 EGP = 1.7 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.22 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 13, 2026: 1 USD = 52.6 EGP (100 EGP = 1.9 USD). 1 EUR = 58.95 EGP (100 EGP = 1.7 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 USD = 450 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to EGP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

El Gouna Nosara 12,280 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

El Gouna
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

El Gouna vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Nosara is pricier by about 302%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $686 per month in El Gouna and $2,756 in Nosara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in El Gouna, 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 $16.00 in El Gouna and $60.0 in Nosara. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 185% more in Nosara, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in El Gouna, where all-in costs run around $457, than in Nosara at $1,837. In El Gouna it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward El Gouna – 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 El Gouna. 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.