Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Heraklion and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Heraklion: $1,609 a month against $1,837 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Nosara outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

78

Cost of Living Index in Heraklion
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Heraklion Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Heraklion

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,609

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,609 in Heraklion versus $1,837 in Nosara.

Heraklion $1,609
Nosara $1,837

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,492 in Heraklion versus $2,775 in Nosara.

Heraklion $2,492
Nosara $2,775

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,374 in Heraklion versus $3,712 in Nosara.

Heraklion $3,374
Nosara $3,712

Living in Heraklion costs roughly 12% less than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Heraklion 20% above, Nosara 37% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.02 €11.62

$12.22 ₡5,509

6.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$56.5 €50.4

$60.2 ₡27.1K

-6.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.03 €8.96

$7.54 ₡3,399

33.02%

Cappuccino

$3.80 €3.39

$4.31 ₡1,941

-11.83%

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

$2.43 €2.17

$1.72 ₡773

41.28%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.76 €0.68

$1.35 ₡608

-43.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.62 €5.02

$3.24 ₡1,459

73.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.48 €4.89

$4.48 ₡2,018

22.32%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.79 €1.60

$1.57 ₡707

14.01%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 €1.32

$3.17 ₡1,429

-53.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.73 €2.43

$2.42 ₡1,091

12.81%

Eggs

$4.38 €3.91

$3.57 ₡1,609

22.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.75 €14.06

$7.43 ₡3,349

111.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.42 €9.30

$10.42 ₡4,697

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.23 €13.59

$13.66 ₡6,156

11.49%

Apples (1kg)

$2.23 €1.99

$2.32 ₡1,044

-3.88%

Banana (1kg)

$2.08 €1.86

$1.61 ₡728

29.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.34 €1.20

$4.74 ₡2,138

-71.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.76 €1.57

$1.66 ₡747

6.02%

Potato (1kg)

$1.18 €1.05

$3.72 ₡1,679

-68.28%

Onion (1kg)

$1.22 €1.09

$3.57 ₡1,611

-65.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.94 €0.84

$1.10 ₡497

-14.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.71 €0.63

$2.55 ₡1,149

-72.16%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.12 €4.57

$4.95 ₡2,232

3.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.80 €6.96

$20.01 ₡9,020

-61.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.27 €2.03

$2.79 ₡1,256

-18.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 €2.57

$3.53 ₡1,589

-18.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.47 €1.31

$1.19 ₡537

23.53%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.0 €59.8

$72.1 ₡32.5K

-7.03%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.51 €4.02

$2.24 ₡1,011

101.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.13 €1.01

$1.55 ₡701

-27.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.08 €9.89

$8.86 ₡3,993

25.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.24 €2.00

$1.57 ₡708

42.68%

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

$28.0K €25.0K

$21.8K ₡9.8M

28.26%

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

$24.0K €21.5K

$34.6K ₡15.6M

-30.59%

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

$195 €174

$93.5 ₡42.1K

108.74%

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

$30.21 €26.96

$35.11 ₡15.8K

-13.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$37.66 €33.61

$51.5 ₡23.2K

-26.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.93 €44.56

$71.4 ₡32.2K

-30.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$39.72 €35.44

$35.44 ₡16.0K

12.08%

Cinema Ticket

$9.05 €8.07

$7.84 ₡3,535

15.43%

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

$410 €366

$490 ₡220.7K

-16.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,089 €3,649

$11.9K ₡5.4M

-65.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.0 €79.4

$53.5 ₡24.1K

66.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.78 €38.18

$55.8 ₡25.1K

-23.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.6 €73.7

$79.3 ₡35.7K

4.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$136 €122

$78.9 ₡35.6K

72.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$652 €582

$786 ₡354.3K

-17.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$505 €450

$780 ₡351.6K

-35.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,105 €986

$3,860 ₡1.7M

-71.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,005 €897

$1,407 ₡634.4K

-28.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,070 €3,632

$6,972 ₡3.1M

-41.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,799 €2,498

$1,201 ₡541.3K

133.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,111 €992

$876 ₡395.0K

26.81%

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 Heraklion: October 3, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Heraklion

$505 31.5%

Nosara

$780 43% 54.5% $275

Groceries & Markets

Heraklion

$295 18.4%

Nosara

$350 19.3% 18.5% $55

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Heraklion

$263 16.4%

Nosara

$180 9.9% 31.5% $83

Eating Out

Heraklion

$232 14.5%

Nosara

$209 11.6% 9.6% $22

Clothing & Footwear

Heraklion

$158 9.8%

Nosara

$120 6.6% 23.7% $37

Getting Around

Heraklion

$83 5.2%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 4.6% $3.8

Sport & Entertainment

Heraklion

$68 4.2%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 28% $19

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $652 in Heraklion and $786 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Heraklion pays 27% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $56.0 in Heraklion vs $60.0 in Nosara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $295 vs $350 per month, with Heraklion cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Heraklion

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

05:42 5:42 AM

20:42 8:42 PM

9 h behind Heraklion

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

140,730

4,912

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1,000 CRC = 2.22 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 451 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 506 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Heraklion Nosara 11,190 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Heraklion
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

Heraklion vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Heraklion is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, transport, and leisure. The 14% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 27% higher in Heraklion, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $652 in Heraklion versus $786 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $410 in Heraklion versus $490 in Nosara. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 18% higher in Nosara. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,609 in Heraklion versus $1,837 in Nosara, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Heraklion but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Heraklion the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Heraklion 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, Heraklion 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 Heraklion gentler on the wallet – expenses run 14% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.