Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Foca and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Foca: $952 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $10,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

46

Cost of Living Index in Foca
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Foca Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index

Jump to prices

Foca

🇧🇦 Bosnia and Herzegovina

$952

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $952 in Foca versus $1,839 in Nosara.

Foca $952
Nosara $1,839

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,369 in Foca versus $2,828 in Nosara.

Foca $1,369
Nosara $2,828

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,786 in Foca versus $3,818 in Nosara.

Foca $1,786
Nosara $3,818

Living in Foca costs roughly 48% less than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Foca is 29% below, Nosara is 36% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.40 BAM 9.39

$12.35 ₡5,539

-56.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$21.90 BAM 38.08

$61.2 ₡27.4K

-64.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.68 BAM 8.14

$7.52 ₡3,373

-37.77%

Cappuccino

$1.53 BAM 2.66

$4.41 ₡1,978

-65.31%

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

$1.36 BAM 2.37

$1.74 ₡780

-21.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 BAM 1.36

$1.31 ₡587

-40.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.75 BAM 3.04

$3.28 ₡1,471

-46.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 BAM 3.92

$4.47 ₡2,004

-49.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 BAM 2.03

$1.56 ₡701

-25.64%

White Bread (500g)

$1.11 BAM 1.94

$3.02 ₡1,355

-63.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.62 BAM 2.82

$2.51 ₡1,125

-35.46%

Eggs

$2.11 BAM 3.67

$3.57 ₡1,603

-40.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.89 BAM 11.99

$7.43 ₡3,333

-7.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.45 BAM 11.22

$10.52 ₡4,717

-38.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.11 BAM 17.59

$13.97 ₡6,265

-27.63%

Apples (1kg)

$0.88 BAM 1.54

$2.35 ₡1,052

-62.55%

Banana (1kg)

$1.74 BAM 3.02

$1.61 ₡720

8.07%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.24 BAM 3.90

$4.80 ₡2,152

-53.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.73 BAM 3.01

$1.61 ₡724

7.45%

Potato (1kg)

$1.02 BAM 1.77

$3.80 ₡1,703

-73.16%

Onion (1kg)

$1.34 BAM 2.34

$3.69 ₡1,657

-63.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 BAM 2.03

$1.13 ₡507

3.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.86 BAM 1.50

$2.66 ₡1,191

-67.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.43 BAM 5.96

$5.18 ₡2,321

-33.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.93 BAM 13.79

$19.88 ₡8,916

-60.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 BAM 1.43

$2.90 ₡1,300

-71.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.11 BAM 1.93

$3.63 ₡1,626

-69.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.28 BAM 2.22

$1.12 ₡504

14.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.66 BAM 2.89

$2.14 ₡958

-22.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.59 BAM 1.03

$1.57 ₡703

-62.42%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.47 BAM 30.37

$8.52 ₡3,823

105.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 BAM 2.57

$1.52 ₡682

-2.63%

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

$30.3K BAM 52.6K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

40.09%

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

$21.2K BAM 36.8K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-38.61%

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

$157 BAM 274

$96.3 ₡43.2K

63.38%

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

$16.59 BAM 28.85

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-53.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.72 BAM 58.6

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-37.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.19 BAM 50.8

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-59.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$5.76 BAM 10.02

$7.89 ₡3,539

-27.00%

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

$289 BAM 503

$494 ₡221.6K

-41.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,628 BAM 6,308

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-69.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.9 BAM 148

$53.9 ₡24.2K

57.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.14 BAM 62.9

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-34.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.8 BAM 120

$77.9 ₡34.9K

-11.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$142 BAM 246

$79.6 ₡35.7K

77.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$155 BAM 269

$788 ₡353.4K

-80.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$251 BAM 437

$794 ₡356.2K

-68.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$515 BAM 896

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-86.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$368 BAM 641

$1,419 ₡636.5K

-74.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,431 BAM 4,228

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-64.82%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,663 BAM 2,892

$1,224 ₡549.0K

35.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.44

8.62

-48.49%

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

Last update for Foca: 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

Foca

$251 26.4%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 216% $543

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Foca

$208 21.8%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 10.5% $22

Groceries & Markets

Foca

$196 20.6%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 79.4% $156

Clothing & Footwear

Foca

$149 15.7%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 19.5% $29

Eating Out

Foca

$97 10.2%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 117% $114

Sport & Entertainment

Foca

$41 4.3%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 115% $47

Getting Around

Foca

$9.7 * 1%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 796% $77

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $155 in Foca and $788 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $22.00 in Foca vs $61.0 in Nosara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $196 vs $352 per month, with Foca cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇦 Foca

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

04:35 4:35 AM

20:35 8:35 PM

8 h behind Foca

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,334

4,912

💱 Currency

Bosnia and Herzegovina Convertible Mark BAM KM

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 BAM = 0.575 USD

1 BAM = 0.512 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to BAM – Bosnia and Herzegovina Convertible Mark Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇦 Bosnia and Herzegovina Convertible Mark (KM)

Bosnia and Herzegovina Convertible Mark exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1.74 BAM (1 BAM = 0.575 USD). 1 EUR = 1.95 BAM (1 BAM = 0.512 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to BAM in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Foca Nosara 10,380 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Foca
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

Foca vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Foca is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and utilities. The 93% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,428 in Foca and $2,758 in Nosara to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $155 in Foca versus $788 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $289 in Foca versus $494 in Nosara. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Foca – a meal for two runs $22.00 versus $61.0 in Nosara. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $952 in Foca versus $1,839 in Nosara, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Foca but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Foca the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Foca is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Nosara, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Foca and Nosara are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Foca gentler on the wallet – expenses run 93% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.