Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ismailia and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Ismailia: $330 a month against $1,835 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $18,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

16

Cost of Living Index in Ismailia
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Ismailia Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Ismailia

🇪🇬 Egypt

$330

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $330 in Ismailia versus $1,835 in Nosara.

Ismailia $330
Nosara $1,835

Estimated couple costs with rent: $561 in Ismailia versus $2,825 in Nosara.

Ismailia $561
Nosara $2,825

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $792 in Ismailia versus $3,814 in Nosara.

Ismailia $792
Nosara $3,814

Living in Ismailia costs roughly 82% less than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Ismailia is 76% below, Nosara is 35% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.30 E£176

$12.34 ₡5,535

-73.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$14.58 E£778

$61.3 ₡27.5K

-76.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.76 E£201

$7.76 ₡3,481

-51.55%

Cappuccino

$1.04 E£55.5

$4.44 ₡1,992

-76.58%

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

$0.30 E£15.91

$1.79 ₡803

-83.24%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.13 E£6.85

$1.29 ₡580

-89.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.32 E£70.6

$3.24 ₡1,451

-59.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.80 E£96.0

$4.43 ₡1,985

-59.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.79 E£42.30

$1.55 ₡696

-49.03%

White Bread (500g)

$0.36 E£19.07

$3.08 ₡1,380

-88.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.60 E£32.12

$2.53 ₡1,133

-76.28%

Eggs

$1.15 E£61.5

$3.45 ₡1,546

-66.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.49 E£186

$7.32 ₡3,284

-52.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.98 E£213

$10.24 ₡4,594

-61.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.95 E£371

$14.10 ₡6,326

-50.71%

Apples (1kg)

$1.45 E£77.3

$2.29 ₡1,027

-36.68%

Banana (1kg)

$0.54 E£29.05

$1.64 ₡737

-67.07%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.41 E£22.01

$4.79 ₡2,149

-91.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.31 E£16.79

$1.64 ₡735

-81.10%

Potato (1kg)

$0.26 E£13.89

$3.85 ₡1,727

-93.25%

Onion (1kg)

$0.32 E£17.12

$3.75 ₡1,681

-91.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.23 E£12.31

$1.09 ₡488

-78.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.20 E£10.67

$2.59 ₡1,160

-92.28%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.86 E£99.5

$5.12 ₡2,295

-63.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.48 E£293

$19.92 ₡8,931

-72.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.04 E£55.4

$2.80 ₡1,255

-62.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 E£101

$3.52 ₡1,580

-46.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.23 E£12.26

$1.22 ₡549

-81.15%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$3.77 E£201

$73.9 ₡33.1K

-94.90%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.39 E£20.60

$2.17 ₡973

-82.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.48 E£25.72

$1.56 ₡698

-69.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.13 E£60.2

$8.67 ₡3,886

-86.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.42 E£22.18

$1.55 ₡697

-72.90%

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

$27.6K E£1.5M

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-19.99%

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

$14.6K E£780.2K

$38.7K ₡17.4M

-62.30%

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

$13.94 E£744

$94.8 ₡42.5K

-85.30%

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

$6.66 E£355

$36.15 ₡16.2K

-81.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$7.33 E£391

$53.1 ₡23.8K

-86.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$9.65 E£515

$73.8 ₡33.1K

-86.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.42 E£984

$35.63 ₡16.0K

-48.30%

Cinema Ticket

$1.82 E£97.4

$7.91 ₡3,548

-76.99%

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

$65.6 E£3,502

$490 ₡219.9K

-86.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,171 E£62.5K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

-90.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$12.92 E£690

$54.8 ₡24.6K

-76.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$9.19 E£491

$55.9 ₡25.1K

-83.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$127 E£6,764

$80.4 ₡36.0K

57.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$27.53 E£1,470

$77.9 ₡34.9K

-64.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$78.3 E£4,181

$801 ₡359.1K

-90.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$31.44 E£1,679

$790 ₡354.1K

-96.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$120 E£6,414

$4,005 ₡1.8M

-97.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$75.2 E£4,017

$1,409 ₡632.0K

-94.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$458 E£24.5K

$7,064 ₡3.2M

-93.51%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$131 E£6,984

$1,236 ₡554.3K

-89.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$101 E£5,387

$887 ₡397.6K

-88.62%

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 Ismailia: October 19, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Ismailia

$108 32.8%

Nosara

$350 19.1% 224% $242

Clothing & Footwear

Ismailia

$79 24.1%

Nosara

$121 6.6% 52.5% $42

Eating Out

Ismailia

$62 18.8%

Nosara

$213 11.6% 243% $151

Accommodation & Living

Ismailia

$31 9.5%

Nosara

$790 43% 2411% $758

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ismailia

$28 8.5%

Nosara

$184 10% 559% $156

Sport & Entertainment

Ismailia

$13 4%

Nosara

$90 4.9% 574% $76

Getting Around

Ismailia

$7.5 2.3%

Nosara

$89 4.8% 1086% $81

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $78.3 in Ismailia and $801 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Nosara pays 779% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $15.00 in Ismailia vs $61.0 in Nosara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $108 vs $350 per month, with Ismailia cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇬 Ismailia

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

22:57 10:57 PM

13:57 1:57 PM

9 h behind Ismailia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

352,000

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 20, 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 20, 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

Ismailia Nosara 12,010 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Ismailia
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

Ismailia vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ismailia wins on cost – living expenses run 457% lower than in Nosara. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Ismailia the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 779% lower in Nosara. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $78.3 in Ismailia versus $801 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $65.6 in Ismailia 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 223% higher in Nosara. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $330 in Ismailia versus $1,835 in Nosara, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Ismailia but tight or insufficient in Nosara. The gap between the two cities makes Ismailia the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Ismailia delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $330 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Ismailia hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Ismailia 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 Ismailia gentler on the wallet – expenses run 457% less than in Nosara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.