Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Fes and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Fes: $675 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $14,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Fes
🇲🇦 Morocco
$675
/mo nomad
Nosara
🇨🇷 Costa Rica
$1,839
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $675 per month in Fes vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

  • Fes $675
  • Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $1,042 per month in Fes vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

  • Fes $1,042
  • Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $1,408 per month in Fes vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

  • Fes $1,408
  • Nosara $3,818

Fes is about 63% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Fes sits 50% below the global median, while Nosara is 36% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Fes
Nosara
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.04 MAD 29.68
$12.35 ₡5,539
-75.38%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$31.52 MAD 307
$61.2 ₡27.4K
-48.48%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.09 MAD 59.4
$7.52 ₡3,373
-19.02%
Cappuccino
$1.31 MAD 12.82
$4.41 ₡1,978
-70.29%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.54 MAD 5.31
$1.74 ₡780
-68.97%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.38 MAD 3.75
$1.31 ₡587
-70.99%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.67 MAD 35.81
$3.28 ₡1,471
11.89%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.20 MAD 40.98
$4.47 ₡2,004
-6.04%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Fes
Nosara
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.79 MAD 7.72
$1.56 ₡701
-49.36%
White Bread (500g)
$0.54 MAD 5.26
$3.02 ₡1,355
-82.12%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.74 MAD 16.99
$2.51 ₡1,125
-30.68%
Eggs
$1.87 MAD 18.27
$3.57 ₡1,603
-47.62%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.74 MAD 95.0
$7.43 ₡3,333
31.09%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.44 MAD 43.30
$10.52 ₡4,717
-57.79%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$9.50 MAD 92.6
$13.97 ₡6,265
-32.00%
Apples (1kg)
$1.89 MAD 18.46
$2.35 ₡1,052
-19.57%
Banana (1kg)
$1.57 MAD 15.31
$1.61 ₡720
-2.48%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.08 MAD 10.53
$4.80 ₡2,152
-77.50%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.05 MAD 10.21
$1.61 ₡724
-34.78%
Potato (1kg)
$0.91 MAD 8.89
$3.80 ₡1,703
-76.05%
Onion (1kg)
$1.05 MAD 10.27
$3.69 ₡1,657
-71.54%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.48 MAD 4.70
$1.13 ₡507
-57.52%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.57 MAD 5.51
$2.66 ₡1,191
-78.57%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.31 MAD 41.98
$5.18 ₡2,321
-16.80%
Wine (Bottle)
$4.52 MAD 44.08
$19.88 ₡8,916
-77.26%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.67 MAD 26.07
$2.90 ₡1,300
-7.93%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.16 MAD 30.85
$3.63 ₡1,626
-12.95%
🚌 Getting Around
Fes
Nosara
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.39 MAD 3.83
$1.12 ₡504
-65.18%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$10.14 MAD 98.9
$72.6 ₡32.6K
-86.04%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.64 MAD 6.24
$2.14 ₡958
-70.09%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.75 MAD 7.28
$1.57 ₡703
-52.23%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
-
$8.52 ₡3,823
-
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.44 MAD 14.00
$1.52 ₡682
-5.26%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.9K MAD 339.9K
$21.6K ₡9.7M
61.33%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.5K MAD 336.5K
$34.5K ₡15.5M
-0.02%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Fes
Nosara
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$32.49 MAD 317
$96.3 ₡43.2K
-66.26%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$10.33 MAD 101
$35.89 ₡16.1K
-71.22%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$35.45 MAD 346
$53.6 ₡24.0K
-33.85%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Fes
Nosara
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$26.35 MAD 257
$71.6 ₡32.1K
-63.19%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$19.30 MAD 188
$34.91 ₡15.7K
-44.71%
Cinema Ticket
$5.03 MAD 49.00
$7.89 ₡3,539
-36.25%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Fes
Nosara
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$94.6 MAD 922
$494 ₡221.6K
-80.86%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$6,313 MAD 61.6K
$11.9K ₡5.3M
-46.76%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Fes
Nosara
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$19.29 MAD 188
$53.9 ₡24.2K
-64.24%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$52.4 MAD 511
$55.4 ₡24.8K
-5.40%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$81.8 MAD 797
$77.9 ₡34.9K
4.94%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$56.7 MAD 552
$79.6 ₡35.7K
-28.82%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Fes
Nosara
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$313 MAD 3,050
$788 ₡353.4K
-60.30%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$183 MAD 1,782
$794 ₡356.2K
-77.00%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$539 MAD 5,252
$3,939 ₡1.8M
-86.32%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$249 MAD 2,431
$1,419 ₡636.5K
-82.43%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$724 MAD 7,062
$6,912 ₡3.1M
-89.52%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$342 MAD 3,333
$1,224 ₡549.0K
-72.07%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Fes
Nosara
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$483 MAD 4,709
$864 ₡387.3K
-44.07%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5
8.62
-42.00%

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

Last update for Fes: October 13, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Fes
$183
Nosara
$794 335% $612
Groceries & Markets
Fes
$178
Nosara
$352 97.4% $174
Clothing & Footwear
Fes
$95
Nosara
$120 27% $26
Eating Out
Fes
$89
Nosara
$212 138% $123
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Fes
$78
Nosara
$186 137% $107
Sport & Entertainment
Fes
$36
Nosara
$87 140% $51
Getting Around
Fes
$16
Nosara
$87 441% $71

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $313 in Fes 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 79% 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 $32.00 in Fes versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $178 vs $352 – making Fes the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇲🇦 Fes
🇨🇷 Nosara
🕒 Local time
16:36 4:36 PM
09:36 9:36 AM
7 h behind Fes
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,167,842
4,912
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to MAD – Moroccan Dirham Converter

Moroccan Dirham exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 9.75 MAD (1 MAD = 0.103 USD). 1 EUR = 10.96 MAD (100 MAD = 9.12 EUR).

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
  • Fes Nosara 8,530 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Fes
  • 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
Fes vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Fes or Nosara?
Nosara costs about 172% more than Fes, 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 Fes and in Nosara?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,013 per month in Fes 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, Fes or Nosara?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Fes, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
How do dining costs compare in Fes and in Nosara?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $32.00 in Fes and $61.0 in Nosara. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
How much does it cost to live in Fes compared to Nosara?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $675 in Fes and $1,839 in Nosara. That's a gap of about 172%.
Can you live on $1,000/month in Fes or in Nosara?
A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Fes, where all-in costs run around $675, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Fes it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Fes or Nosara?
For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Fes costs $675 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 Fes 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 Fes or to Nosara?
If budget matters most, go with Fes. 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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