Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Gharb and Nosara

For one person, living costs are similar in Gharb and in Nosara: $1,927 and $1,839 a month, rent and utilities included.

101

Cost of Living Index in Gharb
Learn more

Gharb Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index

Jump to prices

Gharb

🇲🇹 Malta

$1,927

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,927 per month in Gharb vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Gharb $1,927
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $3,165 per month in Gharb vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Gharb $3,165
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $4,404 per month in Gharb vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Gharb $4,404
Nosara $3,818

Gharb costs about 5% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Gharb and Nosara sit above the global median – Gharb by 43%, Nosara by 36%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.12 €19.68

$12.35 ₡5,539

79.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$89.7 €79.8

$61.2 ₡27.4K

46.57%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.48 €11.99

$7.52 ₡3,373

79.26%

Cappuccino

$3.10 €2.76

$4.41 ₡1,978

-29.71%

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

$2.40 €2.14

$1.74 ₡780

37.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.00 €1.78

$1.31 ₡587

52.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.70 €5.07

$3.28 ₡1,471

73.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.89 €6.13

$4.47 ₡2,004

54.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.37 €1.22

$1.56 ₡701

-12.18%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 €1.28

$3.02 ₡1,355

-52.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.52 €3.13

$2.51 ₡1,125

40.24%

Eggs

$4.38 €3.89

$3.57 ₡1,603

22.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.48 €9.32

$7.43 ₡3,333

41.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.01 €10.69

$10.52 ₡4,717

14.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.12 €16.12

$13.97 ₡6,265

29.71%

Apples (1kg)

$3.69 €3.28

$2.35 ₡1,052

57.02%

Banana (1kg)

$2.78 €2.48

$1.61 ₡720

72.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.85 €3.42

$4.80 ₡2,152

-19.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.79 €3.37

$1.61 ₡724

135.40%

Potato (1kg)

$1.87 €1.66

$3.80 ₡1,703

-50.79%

Onion (1kg)

$3.28 €2.92

$3.69 ₡1,657

-11.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.18 €1.94

$1.13 ₡507

92.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.53 €1.36

$2.66 ₡1,191

-42.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.29 €5.59

$5.18 ₡2,321

21.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.09 €5.41

$19.88 ₡8,916

-69.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.47 €2.20

$2.90 ₡1,300

-14.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 €2.11

$3.63 ₡1,626

-34.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.17 €1.93

$1.12 ₡504

93.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.87 €3.45

$2.14 ₡958

80.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.74 €1.55

$1.57 ₡703

10.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.91 €29.27

$8.52 ₡3,823

286.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 €1.37

$1.52 ₡682

1.32%

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

$28.4K €25.3K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

31.40%

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

$39.0K €34.7K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

12.96%

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

$153 €136

$96.3 ₡43.2K

59.24%

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

$30.62 €27.24

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-14.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.95 €25.75

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-45.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.0 €47.10

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-26.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$11.36 €10.11

$7.89 ₡3,539

43.98%

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

$275 €245

$494 ₡221.6K

-44.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.2K €10.8K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

2.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.6 €50.4

$53.9 ₡24.2K

4.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$67.6 €60.1

$55.4 ₡24.8K

22.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 €101

$77.9 ₡34.9K

45.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$128 €114

$79.6 ₡35.7K

60.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,167 €1,038

$788 ₡353.4K

48.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 €706

$794 ₡356.2K

-0.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,755 €1,561

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-55.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,698 €1,511

$1,419 ₡636.5K

19.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,413 €3,036

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-50.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,868 €2,551

$1,224 ₡549.0K

134.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.05

8.62

-53.02%

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

Last update for Gharb: 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

Gharb

$794 41.2%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 0% $0.1

Groceries & Markets

Gharb

$344 17.8%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 2.5% $8.7

Eating Out

Gharb

$315 16.3%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 32.7% $103

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Gharb

$213 11.1%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 12.7% $27

Clothing & Footwear

Gharb

$165 8.5%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 27.1% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Gharb

$76 3.9%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 15.4% $12

Getting Around

Gharb

$21 * 1.1%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 310% $66

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,167 in Gharb 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $90.0 in Gharb versus $61.0 in Nosara. Groceries tell a different story – $344 in Gharb vs $352 in Nosara – so Gharb wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇹 Gharb

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

13:26 1:26 PM

05:26 5:26 AM

8 h behind Gharb

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,500

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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Gharb Nosara 10,230 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Gharb
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

Gharb vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Gharb costs about 5% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,890 per month in Gharb 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 $1,927 in Gharb and $1,839 in Nosara. That's a gap of about 5%.

Kindergarten costs $275 per month in Gharb and $494 in Nosara. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Nosara, where all-in costs run around $1,839, than in Gharb at $1,927. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Gharb it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Nosara costs $1,839 versus $1,927 in Gharb. 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, Gharb makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.