Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Jelgava and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Jelgava: $1,083 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $9,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

52

Cost of Living Index in Jelgava
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Jelgava Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Jelgava

🇱🇻 Latvia

$1,083

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,083 per month in Jelgava vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Jelgava $1,083
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $1,645 per month in Jelgava vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Jelgava $1,645
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $2,208 per month in Jelgava vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Jelgava $2,208
Nosara $3,818

Jelgava is about 41% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Jelgava sits 20% below the global median, while Nosara is 36% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.90 €7.03

$12.35 ₡5,539

-36.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.54 €39.62

$61.2 ₡27.4K

-27.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.65 €5.91

$7.52 ₡3,373

-11.57%

Cappuccino

$3.23 €2.88

$4.41 ₡1,978

-26.76%

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

$1.59 €1.42

$1.74 ₡780

-8.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.18 €1.05

$1.31 ₡587

-9.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.40 €3.92

$3.28 ₡1,471

34.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.99 €3.55

$4.47 ₡2,004

-10.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.18 €1.05

$1.56 ₡701

-24.36%

White Bread (500g)

$0.93 €0.82

$3.02 ₡1,355

-69.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.49 €1.33

$2.51 ₡1,125

-40.64%

Eggs

$3.16 €2.81

$3.57 ₡1,603

-11.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.50 €9.34

$7.43 ₡3,333

41.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.54 €4.93

$10.52 ₡4,717

-47.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.09 €8.08

$13.97 ₡6,265

-34.93%

Apples (1kg)

$1.66 €1.48

$2.35 ₡1,052

-29.36%

Banana (1kg)

$1.81 €1.61

$1.61 ₡720

12.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.48 €2.21

$4.80 ₡2,152

-48.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.22 €2.86

$1.61 ₡724

100.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.81 €0.72

$3.80 ₡1,703

-78.68%

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 €0.83

$3.69 ₡1,657

-74.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.72 €1.53

$1.13 ₡507

52.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 €0.85

$2.66 ₡1,191

-63.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.85 €6.10

$5.18 ₡2,321

32.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.84 €6.97

$19.88 ₡8,916

-60.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.00 €1.78

$2.90 ₡1,300

-31.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.02 €1.80

$3.63 ₡1,626

-44.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.99 €0.88

$1.12 ₡504

-11.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.37 €24.34

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-62.32%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.29 €2.93

$2.14 ₡958

53.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.98 €0.87

$1.57 ₡703

-37.58%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.88 €15.91

$8.52 ₡3,823

109.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.88 €1.68

$1.52 ₡682

23.68%

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

$22.4K €19.9K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

3.52%

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

$30.9K €27.5K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-10.43%

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

$185 €165

$96.3 ₡43.2K

92.34%

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

$18.97 €16.87

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-47.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.16 €13.48

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-71.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.48 €40.46

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-36.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$32.98 €29.34

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-5.53%

Cinema Ticket

$11.18 €9.94

$7.89 ₡3,539

41.70%

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

$222 €198

$494 ₡221.6K

-55.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.5K €12.9K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

22.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.37 €43.91

$53.9 ₡24.2K

-8.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$22.11 €19.67

$55.4 ₡24.8K

-60.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$55.3 €49.18

$77.9 ₡34.9K

-29.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 €101

$79.6 ₡35.7K

42.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$325 €289

$788 ₡353.4K

-58.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$261 €232

$794 ₡356.2K

-67.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$579 €515

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-85.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$422 €375

$1,419 ₡636.5K

-70.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$997 €887

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-85.57%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$906 €806

$1,224 ₡549.0K

-26.01%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,599 €1,422

$864 ₡387.3K

85.15%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

-53.60%

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

Last update for Jelgava: October 10, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Jelgava

$261 24.1%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 204% $533

Groceries & Markets

Jelgava

$224 20.7%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 57.5% $129

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Jelgava

$219 20.3%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 15.3% $34

Eating Out

Jelgava

$163 15.1%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 29.9% $49

Clothing & Footwear

Jelgava

$108 10%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 11.3% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Jelgava

$68 6.3%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 28.8% $20

Getting Around

Jelgava

$40 3.7%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 120% $48

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $325 in Jelgava 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 85% higher in Jelgava, 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 $45.00 in Jelgava versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $224 vs $352 – making Jelgava the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇱🇻 Jelgava

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

17:57 5:57 PM

08:57 8:57 AM

9 h behind Jelgava

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

63,534

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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 18, 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

Jelgava Nosara 10,230 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Jelgava
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

Jelgava vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Nosara is pricier by about 70%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,624 per month in Jelgava 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 Jelgava, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $45.00 in Jelgava and $61.0 in Nosara. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,083 in Jelgava and $1,839 in Nosara. That's a gap of about 70%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Jelgava, where all-in costs run around $1,083, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Jelgava it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Jelgava – 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 Jelgava. 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.