Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Imperia and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Imperia: $1,701 a month against $1,835 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $1,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

82

Cost of Living Index in Imperia
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Imperia Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Imperia

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,701

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,701 in Imperia versus $1,835 in Nosara.

Imperia $1,701
Nosara $1,835

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,550 in Imperia versus $2,825 in Nosara.

Imperia $2,550
Nosara $2,825

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,400 in Imperia versus $3,814 in Nosara.

Imperia $3,400
Nosara $3,814

Living in Imperia costs roughly 7% less than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Imperia 26% above, Nosara 35% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.58 €12.08

$12.34 ₡5,535

10.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.6 €55.7

$61.3 ₡27.5K

2.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.08 €9.85

$7.76 ₡3,481

42.78%

Cappuccino

$1.67 €1.49

$4.44 ₡1,992

-62.39%

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

$3.66 €3.26

$1.79 ₡803

104.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.44 €1.28

$1.29 ₡580

11.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.78 €5.14

$3.24 ₡1,451

78.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.39 €4.79

$4.43 ₡1,985

21.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.75 €1.55

$1.55 ₡696

12.90%

White Bread (500g)

$2.12 €1.89

$3.08 ₡1,380

-31.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.52 €3.13

$2.53 ₡1,133

39.13%

Eggs

$4.14 €3.68

$3.45 ₡1,546

20.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.50 €11.12

$7.32 ₡3,284

70.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.12 €10.78

$10.24 ₡4,594

18.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.74 €20.23

$14.10 ₡6,326

61.28%

Apples (1kg)

$2.38 €2.12

$2.29 ₡1,027

3.93%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 €2.05

$1.64 ₡737

40.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.30 €2.94

$4.79 ₡2,149

-31.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.17 €3.71

$1.64 ₡735

154.27%

Potato (1kg)

$2.40 €2.13

$3.85 ₡1,727

-37.66%

Onion (1kg)

$1.72 €1.53

$3.75 ₡1,681

-54.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 €1.11

$1.09 ₡488

14.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 €0.47

$2.59 ₡1,160

-79.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.38 €6.56

$5.12 ₡2,295

44.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.65 €4.14

$19.92 ₡8,931

-76.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 €1.02

$2.80 ₡1,255

-59.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 €2.24

$3.52 ₡1,580

-28.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.89 €1.68

$1.22 ₡549

54.92%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$55.8 €49.60

$73.9 ₡33.1K

-24.55%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.80 €6.94

$2.17 ₡973

259.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.18 €1.94

$1.56 ₡698

39.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$64.9 €57.7

$8.67 ₡3,886

648.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.96

$1.55 ₡697

41.94%

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

$37.0K €32.9K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

7.11%

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

$37.0K €32.9K

$38.7K ₡17.4M

-4.51%

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

$136 €121

$94.8 ₡42.5K

42.90%

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

$10.10 €8.98

$36.15 ₡16.2K

-72.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.96 €26.65

$53.1 ₡23.8K

-43.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$70.5 €62.7

$73.8 ₡33.1K

-4.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.55 €22.73

$35.63 ₡16.0K

-28.29%

Cinema Ticket

$11.23 €9.99

$7.91 ₡3,548

41.97%

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

$836 €744

$490 ₡219.9K

70.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.5K €16.5K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

55.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$91.1 €81.1

$54.8 ₡24.6K

66.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.73 €35.34

$55.9 ₡25.1K

-28.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.0

$80.4 ₡36.0K

30.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$128 €114

$77.9 ₡34.9K

63.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$790 €702

$801 ₡359.1K

-1.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$627 €558

$790 ₡354.1K

-20.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,690 €1,503

$4,005 ₡1.8M

-57.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$910 €809

$1,409 ₡632.0K

-35.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,799 €2,490

$7,064 ₡3.2M

-60.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,030 €1,806

$1,236 ₡554.3K

64.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,753 €1,559

$887 ₡397.6K

97.71%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.18

8.62

-63.11%

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

Last update for Imperia: October 19, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Imperia

$627 36.9%

Nosara

$790 43% 25.9% $162

Groceries & Markets

Imperia

$337 19.8%

Nosara

$350 19.1% 3.6% $12

Eating Out

Imperia

$222 13.1%

Nosara

$213 11.6% 4.2% $9.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Imperia

$176 10.3%

Nosara

$184 10% 4.8% $8.5

Clothing & Footwear

Imperia

$163 9.6%

Nosara

$121 6.6% 25.9% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Imperia

$93 5.5%

Nosara

$90 4.9% 3.6% $3.3

Getting Around

Imperia

$82 4.8%

Nosara

$89 4.8% 8.2% $6.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $790 in Imperia and $801 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Imperia pays 98% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $63.0 in Imperia vs $61.0 in Nosara. Groceries flip the comparison at $337 vs $350, with Imperia cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Imperia

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

16:15 4:15 PM

08:15 8:15 AM

8 h behind Imperia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

41,999

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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 20, 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

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Between locations

Imperia Nosara 9,530 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Imperia
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

Imperia vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Imperia is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, transport, and utilities. The 8% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 98% higher in Imperia, 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: $790 in Imperia versus $801 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 4% higher in Nosara. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Imperia – a meal for two runs $63.0 versus $61.0 in Nosara. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,701 in Imperia versus $1,835 in Nosara, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Imperia but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Imperia the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Imperia 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, Imperia 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 Imperia gentler on the wallet – expenses run 8% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.