Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Imbabah and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Imbabah: $407 a month against $1,835 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $17,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

20

Cost of Living Index in Imbabah
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Imbabah Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index

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Imbabah

🇪🇬 Egypt

$407

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $407 per month in Imbabah vs $1,835 in Nosara, rent included.

Imbabah $407
Nosara $1,835

A couple spends around $669 per month in Imbabah vs $2,825 in Nosara, rent included.

Imbabah $669
Nosara $2,825

A family of three spends $931 per month in Imbabah vs $3,814 in Nosara, rent included.

Imbabah $931
Nosara $3,814

Imbabah is about 78% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Imbabah sits 70% below the global median, while Nosara is 35% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.27 E£228

$12.34 ₡5,535

-65.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.31 E£1,031

$61.3 ₡27.5K

-68.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.88 E£261

$7.76 ₡3,481

-37.11%

Cappuccino

$1.30 E£69.2

$4.44 ₡1,992

-70.72%

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

$0.33 E£17.37

$1.79 ₡803

-81.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.12 E£6.47

$1.29 ₡580

-90.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.30 E£69.2

$3.24 ₡1,451

-59.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 E£151

$4.43 ₡1,985

-36.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.59 E£31.38

$1.55 ₡696

-61.94%

White Bread (500g)

$0.20 E£10.54

$3.08 ₡1,380

-93.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.63 E£33.85

$2.53 ₡1,133

-75.10%

Eggs

$1.13 E£60.2

$3.45 ₡1,546

-67.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$1.44 E£76.9

$7.32 ₡3,284

-80.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.98 E£159

$10.24 ₡4,594

-70.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.78 E£362

$14.10 ₡6,326

-51.91%

Apples (1kg)

$1.48 E£79.3

$2.29 ₡1,027

-35.37%

Banana (1kg)

$0.45 E£24.16

$1.64 ₡737

-72.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.37 E£19.66

$4.79 ₡2,149

-92.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.18 E£9.82

$1.64 ₡735

-89.02%

Potato (1kg)

$0.24 E£12.79

$3.85 ₡1,727

-93.77%

Onion (1kg)

$0.32 E£17.12

$3.75 ₡1,681

-91.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.10 E£5.13

$1.09 ₡488

-90.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.17 E£9.21

$2.59 ₡1,160

-93.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.68 E£89.9

$5.12 ₡2,295

-67.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$1.88 E£101

$19.92 ₡8,931

-90.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 E£63.2

$2.80 ₡1,255

-57.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.91 E£102

$3.52 ₡1,580

-45.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.19 E£10.10

$1.22 ₡549

-84.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$14.20 E£758

$73.9 ₡33.1K

-80.78%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.24 E£12.89

$2.17 ₡973

-88.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.22 E£11.63

$1.56 ₡698

-85.90%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.14 E£60.7

$8.67 ₡3,886

-86.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.22 E£11.74

$1.55 ₡697

-85.81%

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

$31.6K E£1.7M

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-8.67%

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

$27.0K E£1.4M

$38.7K ₡17.4M

-30.29%

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

$13.04 E£696

$94.8 ₡42.5K

-86.25%

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

$6.72 E£359

$36.15 ₡16.2K

-81.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.48 E£720

$53.1 ₡23.8K

-74.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$16.21 E£866

$73.8 ₡33.1K

-78.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.63 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$2.86 E£153

$7.91 ₡3,548

-63.84%

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

$22.86 E£1,221

$490 ₡219.9K

-95.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$939 E£50.1K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-92.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$15.32 E£818

$54.8 ₡24.6K

-72.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.23 E£1,027

$55.9 ₡25.1K

-65.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$127 E£6,798

$80.4 ₡36.0K

58.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$56.8 E£3,032

$77.9 ₡34.9K

-27.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$130 E£6,937

$801 ₡359.1K

-83.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$74.9 E£3,999

$790 ₡354.1K

-90.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$252 E£13.4K

$4,005 ₡1.8M

-93.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$144 E£7,698

$1,409 ₡632.0K

-89.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$752 E£40.1K

$7,064 ₡3.2M

-89.36%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$349 E£18.6K

$1,236 ₡554.3K

-71.75%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$95.4 E£5,092

$887 ₡397.6K

-89.24%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

21.33

8.62

147.45%

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

Last update for Imbabah: October 19, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Clothing & Footwear

Imbabah

$98 24.2%

Nosara

$121 6.6% 23% $23

Groceries & Markets

Imbabah

$84 20.7%

Nosara

$350 19.1% 315% $265

Eating Out

Imbabah

$78 19.2%

Nosara

$213 11.6% 172% $134

Accommodation & Living

Imbabah

$75 18.4%

Nosara

$790 43% 954% $715

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Imbabah

$33 8.2%

Nosara

$184 10% 454% $151

Sport & Entertainment

Imbabah

$22 5.4%

Nosara

$90 4.9% 309% $68

Getting Around

Imbabah

$16 4%

Nosara

$89 4.8% 445% $72

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $130 in Imbabah versus $801 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 830% 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 $19.00 in Imbabah versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $84.0 vs $350 – making Imbabah the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇬 Imbabah

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

11:05 11:05 AM

02:05 2:05 AM

9 h behind Imbabah

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,912

💱 Currency

Egyptian Pound EGP £

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

100 EGP = 1.87 USD

100 EGP = 1.67 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 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 25, 2026: 1 USD = 53.4 EGP (100 EGP = 1.87 USD). 1 EUR = 60.03 EGP (100 EGP = 1.67 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 25, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to EGP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Imbabah Nosara 11,940 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Imbabah
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

Imbabah vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $407 in Imbabah, $1,835 in Nosara – roughly 351% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $611 per month in Imbabah and $2,753 in Nosara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Imbabah, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 315% 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 mid-range dinner for two costs $19.00 in Imbabah and $61.0 in Nosara. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Imbabah, where all-in costs run around $407, than in Nosara at $1,835. In Imbabah it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Nosara has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $407 in Imbabah to $1,835 in Nosara. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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 Imbabah. 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.