Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Iskenderun and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Iskenderun: $1,000 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $10,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

47

Cost of Living Index in Iskenderun
Learn more

Iskenderun Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
Learn more

Nosara Living Index

Jump to prices

Iskenderun

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,000

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,000 per month in Iskenderun vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Iskenderun $1,000
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $1,507 per month in Iskenderun vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Iskenderun $1,507
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $2,013 per month in Iskenderun vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Iskenderun $2,013
Nosara $3,818

Iskenderun is about 46% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Iskenderun sits 26% below the global median, while Nosara is 36% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.10 ₺302

$12.35 ₡5,539

-50.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.52 ₺1,511

$61.2 ₡27.4K

-50.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.42 ₺318

$7.52 ₡3,373

-14.63%

Cappuccino

$3.12 ₺154

$4.41 ₡1,978

-29.25%

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

$1.14 ₺56.3

$1.74 ₡780

-34.48%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.26 ₺12.80

$1.31 ₡587

-80.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.39 ₺118

$3.28 ₡1,471

-27.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.70 ₺134

$4.47 ₡2,004

-39.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.00 ₺49.26

$1.56 ₡701

-35.90%

White Bread (500g)

$0.79 ₺39.03

$3.02 ₡1,355

-73.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.73 ₺85.8

$2.51 ₡1,125

-31.08%

Eggs

$1.81 ₺89.6

$3.57 ₡1,603

-49.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.41 ₺367

$7.43 ₡3,333

-0.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.04 ₺200

$10.52 ₡4,717

-61.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.50 ₺867

$13.97 ₡6,265

25.27%

Apples (1kg)

$1.66 ₺82.3

$2.35 ₡1,052

-29.36%

Banana (1kg)

$1.87 ₺92.7

$1.61 ₡720

16.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.86 ₺42.59

$4.80 ₡2,152

-82.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.03 ₺50.9

$1.61 ₡724

-36.02%

Potato (1kg)

$0.46 ₺22.79

$3.80 ₡1,703

-87.89%

Onion (1kg)

$0.40 ₺20.03

$3.69 ₡1,657

-89.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.87 ₺43.26

$1.13 ₡507

-23.01%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.61 ₺30.30

$2.66 ₡1,191

-77.07%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.19 ₺108

$5.18 ₡2,321

-57.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.26 ₺508

$19.88 ₡8,916

-48.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.34 ₺116

$2.90 ₡1,300

-19.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.22 ₺159

$3.63 ₡1,626

-11.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 ₺37.14

$1.12 ₡504

-33.04%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.6 ₡32.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.99 ₺48.87

$2.14 ₡958

-53.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.49 ₺24.24

$1.57 ₡703

-68.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.25 ₺507

$8.52 ₡3,823

20.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 ₺64.5

$1.52 ₡682

-14.47%

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

$43.3K ₺2.1M

$21.6K ₡9.7M

100.15%

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

$39.2K ₺1.9M

$34.5K ₡15.5M

13.56%

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

$91.4 ₺4,524

$96.3 ₡43.2K

-5.11%

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

$9.46 ₺468

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-73.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.99 ₺544

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-79.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.5 ₺2,848

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-19.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$6.00 ₺297

$7.89 ₡3,539

-23.95%

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

$448 ₺22.2K

$494 ₡221.6K

-9.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,099 ₺351.4K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-40.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.1 ₺2,679

$53.9 ₡24.2K

0.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.69 ₺1,470

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-46.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 ₺5,641

$77.9 ₡34.9K

46.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 ₺5,326

$79.6 ₡35.7K

35.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$477 ₺23.6K

$788 ₡353.4K

-39.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$340 ₺16.8K

$794 ₡356.2K

-57.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$818 ₺40.5K

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-79.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$553 ₺27.4K

$1,419 ₡636.5K

-61.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,588 ₺78.6K

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-77.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,026 ₺50.8K

$1,224 ₡549.0K

-16.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,117 ₺55.3K

$864 ₡387.3K

29.30%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

306.03%

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

Last update for Iskenderun: 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

Iskenderun

$340 34%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 134% $454

Groceries & Markets

Iskenderun

$207 20.7%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 70.4% $146

Clothing & Footwear

Iskenderun

$137 13.7%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 12.6% $17

Eating Out

Iskenderun

$128 12.8%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 65% $83

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Iskenderun

$112 11.2%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 66.1% $74

Sport & Entertainment

Iskenderun

$70 7%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 25.6% $18

Getting Around

Iskenderun

$6.4 * 0.6%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 1253% $81

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $477 in Iskenderun 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.

Salaries run about 29% higher in Iskenderun, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $31.00 in Iskenderun versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $207 vs $352 – making Iskenderun the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Iskenderun

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

17:02 5:02 PM

08:02 8:02 AM

9 h behind Iskenderun

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

246,639

4,912

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2.02 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to TRY – Turkish Lira Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇷 Turkish Lira (₺)

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 49.51 TRY (100 TRY = 2.02 USD). 1 EUR = 55.67 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Iskenderun Nosara 12,040 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Iskenderun
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

Iskenderun vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Nosara is pricier by about 84%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,501 per month in Iskenderun 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 Iskenderun, 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 $1,000 in Iskenderun and $1,839 in Nosara. That's a gap of about 84%.

Kindergarten costs $448 per month in Iskenderun and $494 in Nosara. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Iskenderun, where all-in costs run around $1,000, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Iskenderun it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Iskenderun – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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 Iskenderun. 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.